BEACH
PROBLEMS by Mad George
We now have
some major problems on Venice Beach, and if we do
not solve them, the City
Council will do so for us, and in the process, we will ALL be screwed. Permanently!
Thanks to the failure of the Police to properly
explain the “first come,
first served” situation, we continue to have squabbles over
spaces. I've come
to think of this as “space wars.”
The City now plans to “solve” the problems by a
number of innocent sounding
measures:
PERMITS
The
idea is
to charge everyone for a permit to “express their
ideas” on the Boardwalk.
To begin with, this stinks.
We all have the Constitutional Right to
express ourselves, and we DO NOT need a “Permit” to
do this. Anyone who
says otherwise is a liar. The
City loves the permit idea for several
reasons. First, it
would give them a
chance to milk the Venice Beach vendors,
artists, readers, and so
forth, for money. We
are the people who
give Venice Beach its Carnival
Air. Without us, this
would NOT be the huge
tourist attraction that it is. Cities
ALWAYS want more and more money, and Los Angeles has always
wanted some way to cash
in on Venice Beach.
A “small” permit fee would soon
become as large as the traffic would
bear. The larger this
fee becomes, the
fewer individual artists, readers, craftsmen, and so forth, would be
able to
afford to pay it, and the more commercial ventures would squeeze into
place. Not only
would this give the City
LOTS of money they aren't entitled to get, but it would also allow them
to bar
anyone they want to from the beach by not issuing a permit, or
canceling their
permit. Every way
you look at it, we get
screwed royally on the prmit, if we allow them to start it. It would spell ruin for us
all.
LOTTERY FOR
SPACES
This
is
another horrible idea. They
would hold a
monthly lottery to see who gets a space on the Boardwalk. If there are more people
than there are
spaces, this eliminates the “non-winners.”
The City, or those they hire to oversee this theft
of freedom, would
decide who gets a space, and where that space is, along with how large
that
space is to be. There would be no choice of who was next-door to you
whatsoever. If you
should happen to be a
“non-winner” then you're off the Boardwalk
completely, for a month, or possibly
for many months, if they don't want you there.
There would, of course, be a small,
“temporary,” cost to pay to set this
up and to maintain things. This
cost
would be subject to increase, of course, as much as they think they can
get
away with. Again,
this lets them control
us all, and ruin whomsoever they choose.
We cannot allow this to be done.
ASSIGNED
SPACES
Here
we go
again. They would
measure off spaces of
various lengths, number them, and assign them to us.
Here again, they would decide the size of the
space given to any one person, where that space would be located, and
to make
matters even worse, how long that assignment would last, and
when it would
“expire.” No
doubt there would also
develop, in time, a fee to cover “administrative
costs.” This is
called “getting their money every way
they can.” It's
also called “we will
control you, sucker.”
The City
will tell you that all of the above would be “for your
protection.” This
is one of their most useful lies,
and large numbers of people believe it,
at first. By the
time these people
realize that it was a lie, it's too late.
Remember, any time politicians want to do something
“for your
protection,” it is always good for them and bad for
us. It is almost
always designed to take money from us and give it to
them, or their
backers.
If we are
stupid enough, or shortsighted enough, to allow ANY of these measures
to be put
into being, the Venice we know will
be gone forever. This
is the beginning of the end for Venice Beach, if we let it
happen. It's going
to take all of us, who want this
place to continue to be here, to keep it here.
If you think you can sit back and watch while other
people carry the
ball, forget it. Those
of us who see
what's going on can't do it alone.
We
have to work together on this, or it is over, and it will never come
back. If you want
that to happen, just do
nothing. If that's
what YOU do, it will
soon be gone. It's
up to all of us what
will happen here. Your help is needed. ©
Mad
George Wizzard
of Venice
Going
Solo in Venice by
Anonymous
There’s
little question in my mind, and I think
a lot of Venice
old-timers would agree, that the beach community of
artists,
vendors, craftspeople and free-speech advocates, along with the
peaceniks,
stoners, residents and all – this beach community is largely
made up of “Solo
Acts” trying to make it.
A lot of us see the same people everyday,
just like one would in a corporate job, yet there are many
I’ve never stopped
to talk to, although I say hi or nod my head to many.
I even admit that to some extent, I consider
myself somewhat of a “solo act,” in that
I’ve always been independent in my
thinking.
I
have found that it’s really rewarding,
however, to collaborate with
people of like-mind anywhere in life, including on
the Boardwalk. I was once taught in a
seminar that to make life truly work, you have to
“Make a Commitment,” then
“Keep the Commitment.”
Once I
began
following this little bit of advice, I found my life a lot more
fun, interesting
and, indeed, intriguing. I’m
not into gossip much, although
it’s interesting to occasionally hear about five
sides of
the same story, especially when someone gets arrested and thrown
in
jail for 70 days, says it’s because he was “holding
a peace
sign,” when I
actually know he tried to rob someone at knifepoint.
That’s
getting off the subject a bit. I’ll
include myself as a recipient of this piece of advice: work with
someone on a project, say, for a time-limited jaunt (a week, a month),
and truly collaborate on the idea - its goal, mission,
whatever, to bring more of a sense of community to Venice. Report back in these pages
what was accomplished, and specifically, what YOU
LEARNED in the process.
© Anonymous
To
support Spirit of Venice Speaks please
bring contributions
& donations to Diane Butler at the Rose Ave parking lot
opposite Venice Bistro. Thank you!
“Divide
and Conquer” by
Ganious
Director
Aaron Waughs', "The Battle for the Boardwalk, Divide and Conquer,"
continues the pressure he ignited
in
his initial documentary, "The Battle for the
Boardwalk." Divide and Conquer, a true David versus
Goliath story
gives
us a front row seat as he exposes the weaknesses surrounding
governmental process and the not so thin
lines
between commercialism and art. Waugh's initial documentary on
the issues surrounding Venice Beach's
boardwalk was a tense yet poignant essay on the challenges facing both
commercial vendors and the artist, while the government chomps at the
inevitable collapse. His follow up--rather--continuation
ventures
into the
basics
of revolution. The theory behind revolution begins when
people
sympathize, synergize and without compromise, throw their fists into
the sky chanting, "Enough!" Waugh portrays the battle not
only
between
the artists
and the government, but the struggles amongst themselves, as they scour
their brains and circumnavigate the fine lines of religion, performance
that inimitable question: "What is art?"
It
is obvious that the filmmaker loves his fellow artists. He
gives
them ample time to express the dimensions we fail to experience when we
merely pass them by. In the end, we find ourselves searching
for
the artists inside ourselves, and possibly a place alongside such
endearing people. My
definition
of art: It is something that moves you and makes you stop,
simultaneously. The Battle
for the Boardwalk is art. And it is art fighting for art.
©
Ganious
For
More Info: http://www.cwaughart.com/film
aaronwaugh71@hotmail.com http://cwaughart.com
The Life of a
Vendor...
Keeps me clean
Keeps me from
robberies
Keeps me living
an honest
life!
Keeps me from
selling dope
Keeps me in a
natural form of
honesty
and loving
others.
Keep my life
alive!
© Julie P.
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The
Good, the Bad and
the Ugly
By Toneey
Acevedo
When Abbott
Kinney left us this boardwalk, I'm sure he knew that the price of
freedom is
never given to us. Usually
we have to
earn it. He left
this boardwalk as a
freedom of expression area. There
are
still many who are very confused on what this means.
Coming from corporate America I remembered
that I never really
had the freedom to express myself in the work environment and note that
this
was a lucrative Government job that I held. I really never had any
freedom. In
corporations you find that
you can't climb the corporate ladder unless you do as they say, not as
you
do. I remember
being in the military,
one of the biggest offenders of the Constitution of the United States.
When serving in Vietnam, I was
threatened with court
martial for speaking the language that my parents spoke. Imagine that!
Being threatened by just not being able to speak a
different language
than English. I guess they
couldn't distinguish Spanish and Vietnamese. Anyway,
there are so many confused people who come to the boardwalk in search
of
financial success, of getting rich at the expense of freedom: making
the
boardwalk a place of business instead of a place of freedom and self
expression.
We
who want to be free don't want to be ruled and governed by politicians or city
governments; we just want to be left alone to survive at what we love
to do, not what someone else wants us to do. Someone
wrote an article about licensing lately, stating that we should be made
to apply for a state re-sale li cense.
The thing they don't understand about this is that when you apply for a
state retail license, you become a business and you are asked to estimate how
much money you think you will make in the first quarter – and
here's the kicker to that: after you
tell them, thinking you are a smart business person and giving them a very unpredictable
dollars
number, the next thing they want you to do is pay the taxes up front on
that
guesstimate you gave them. Another
thing
was about having pictures taken and wearing badges and having our art
inspected. This
person obviously doesn't
understand what art is, because the diversity of art is: what one
person thinks
is crap, another thinks is beautiful art.
So who is to judge whether your art is crap or
beautiful art? In
my opinion, prints are crap art, but who
am I to say? If
someone wants to buy a
Kinko's copy of your art, that's their business, not mine, 'cause we
all have
the freedom to choose; and that's how it should be. Let's
not
forget: It is the
freedom to do what we
love to do that we want and not to be ruled by oppressors.
A
lot of people are
still ignorant of the way the lawmakers work in this country. If you really pay
attention, you will find
that laws are always passed to bring revenue to the city or for the
minority
who feel their peace is being disturbed. But it is also the few who
fight for
the freedom of the many. If
you remember
when the lottery first went into effect, many protested before it was
set in
place but when it took effect, they mostly dropped off like flies. And it became the few
instead of the
many fighting for
freedom. I often
wonder how many would have stood up
and fought for this country if it was attacked by another powerful
country. I believe
that people show
their true identity when the presure is on them and they buckle.
I
personally went around and asked many who buckled why they had done so
and the
answer was, “Well, I have to pay my rent,” or
“I have to eat.”
Do these people think that those of us who
are still fighting don't pay rent or eat?
I remember for the first six weeks of the lottery I
and many others like
me sacrificed and made zero dollars and invested a lot of our own money
to fight
for our freedom. But
those who were in
the lottery were reaping their rewards for being picked to a system
that really
doesn't exist. Not
a one ever approached
any of us and offered us even a cup of coffee.
They saw us as the enemy, not someone who was
fighting for the freedom
that so many other have fought and died for.So
remember
when you think of licensing or pictures or any other means of
oppressing
us: first of all we
don't work for the
city or any government ,so why should we not be able to express the
freedom we
cherish? Second, if
you want to be rich
and have a Wal-Mart don't do it on the Venice Boardwalk. Go rent a warehouse and
hire some slaves to
do all your work. We're
sure you will be
happy there, oppressing others.
Because we
are the Few, the Proud, but NOT the Marines. ©
Toneey
Acevedo, Actor, Artist, Spirit of Venice Activist
From the Soul of Brother Rock
Romans
2:17-24
Indeed you
who are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God,
and know
His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed
out of
the law, and are
confident that you
yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in
darkness, and
instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of
knowledge and
truth in the law. You
therefore, who
teach another, do you teach yourself?
You who teach that a man should not steal, do you
steal? You who say,
“Do not commit adultery,” do you
commit adultery? You
who abhor idols, do
you rob temples? You
who make your boast
in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For “the name of
God is blasphemed among the
Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.
ELOHEINU EHAD
* * * * * * * *
Maxims
of Raphael Reuveni
Author of
“The Philosopher”
“Money
is a tool of exchange, not evil sage”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The
Michael devalcourt Homeless
Fund
By
Diane
Butler
The Spirit
of Venice is tired of seeing her people die in the streets, all alone
and with
no shelter over their heads. We,
the
people who feel the Spirit, have decided to try to do something about
it. In honor of
Michael Devalcourt, who died in
the Rose Avenue beach parking
lot this summer, we are going to start
the Michael Devalcourt Homeless Fund
for people without shelter who are elderly, sick, pregnant or otherwise
desperately in need of shelter, or people about to lose the shelter
they
already have. We
have tried political
avenues, such as the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council and the
City
Council, to seek relief for the homeless, to no avail.
After feeling like we beat our heads against
a brick wall, we decided to take matters into our own hands and do
something,
anything that we can!
Some of us
are one rent check, car repair bill, insurance or
registration fee away from losing our
shelter. Some of us
are homeless and
just need a last month rent or security deposit to put a roof over our
headss. If we all
pool our resources and
share our blessings, we can help people, one at a time, to get off the
ground
or stay off the ground. We
need
donations, creative ideas about fundraising and any talent and time
that people
who care are willing to share for the cause.
Please send your creative ideas and
input to The Spirit of Venice Speaks
re: The Michael devalcourt Homeless
Fund. We
will notify people when we
have an address to send donations to.
©
Diane Butler
Untitled
By
Demetrius
To all who
wear the badges, judge ye not of others until ye judge yourselves. Not all should have been
judged, but instead
helped. You must
not ever even think,
one minute, that you, yourselves, can't be out in the streets if ever
in one
blink of an eye there should be at any moment a 7.2 earthquake or a
tsunami,
which can rear its ugly head at any God-given time with all these
weather
changes. Don't be harsh or non-caring with the have-nots and always
only
concerned with the ones that have.
For
this is wrong and one day they also, the ones who will have and who are
against
the have-nots now, can be out on the streets.
And the way things are looking, you all can be in
for a very rude
awakening, should any of the above I have mentioned occur. Please think very
carefully before you judge
the have-nots. Help
them, don't judge
them.
Just for
once in your life, try to help these have-nots, instead of making
things more
miserable. A lot of
good people who are
homeless once had a good job and maybe a life and now the tables have
turned
even more so by you with the badges making the mountains these people
must
climb into AVALANCHES. Look
what's happened to France.
Do you not realize that can happen HERE????? Or do you think nothing
like this can
happen? Is it going
ot take a riot and
businesses being burned to the ground?
Try to remember who was the cause of that. Well, always remember that
we or you can
become your worst enemy. Don't
build
webs you can't untangle. The times
are about to change more – let's make it for better and not
worse. Peace
& caring...
©
Demetrius,Father of the Healers of Venice
JOIN 4-TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER EDWIN HAWKINS IN HIS APPEAL TO RAISE FUNDS FOR AMERICA’S HOMELESS
Donate $10
online and download a copy of Edwin Hawkins’ “People
In Need” (PIN)
song
http://
www.benefitnetwork.org/PINCD.htm
or send
$15.00 check/money order for CD copy to :
PIN Fund,
c/o The Benefit Network
P O Box 1952 Venice CA 90294
Deadline for each issue is 25th of the month.
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