Neighbors march in Venice with signs showing people who died at the hands of violence. Organizing positively for positive change in the neighborhood.
Two weeks ago a man was shot in the head in front of his home in Venice. Shocking. Gruesome. A result of a gang fight at the Venice Beach basketball courts that resulted in a retaliatory killing aimed at a local gang. While narrowing their choices, the murderous pack of four males picked the wrong guy. For those of you that rely on some 3rd party City, State or local entity to bat cleanup in keeping the streets safe for you - let me take a moment to dust off that notion and bring you up to speed with reality: It isn’t going to happen. Until you decide to participate, even if it is as hands off as contributing whatever amount financially to the right organizations, keep your expectations at zero.
I have watched in-fighting and opinionated know-it-all sqabbling in Venice for years. It divides people, and gets nothing done. For all the peace signs, rainbows and clinking of wine glasses - there is a lot of hate in this neighborhood and everyone knows it. I do believe however that people don’t want *their* street to look and smell like a sewer, be painted with tags, gang graffiti and stickers, or be the execution point of crime. So with that, continue to dislike whomever and whatever you want - just maybe take a gander at the 50ft radius around where YOU live and put some effort into it. Don’t rely on complaining. Don’t rely on your City Council. Don’t rely on LAPD. Don’t rely on e-mail chains, message board posts, comments or phoning it in. Pick up the trash. Paint the wall. Have some respect for the laws if you like them or not. Follow up on the bulky-item pickup past the 4th call until the sofa/mattress is gone. Swap your opinionating for some old fashioned elbow-grease and your own time and effort and take pride in your own results instead of waiting around and commanding/demanding results from others.
On this day after Oscar Duncan’s funeral, hundreds marched in Venice through Oakwood with signs of people who died here at the hands of violence. They marched. They shouted. They prayed. They organized with a positive mission and are committed to results. Aligned parties are welcome.
At the VNC meeting this Tuesday Ansar “Stan” Muhammad is going to make a plea to the community to help organize and anti-gang effort in Venice. He has experience in Venice as part of the VNC and with gangs. He operates helperfoundation.org. We used to have anti-gang community efforts in Venice, and we need it again - but we need the community to come together. Don’t expect Rosendahl to “find” money. There is no rocketship out of this situation, we can only inch our way. One effort at a time. One dollar at a time if necessary… but we need to direct our efforts as a community. We don’t have to hold hands, we don’t have to march together, we just need to march in the same direction until and after the results are attained.
The suggestion that is going to be made is to focus efforts on gang activity at the basketball courts in Venice Beach. To have gang outreach on a consistent basis. To monitor their activity. They come here from all over the city. The drugs that are sold here are from gangs. The 15 yr old girl that was pimped out here a few weeks ago was controlled by a gang member from downtown. He brought her here because its so easy to get away with anything here. Focusing on anti-gang activity is a starting point that could have positive compounding impact towards many of our other problems. It is the one thing, the one type of constant organized crime in our neighborhood that results in death, drugs and a lot of things we don’t want or need here.
If you want to bitch about Bill Rosendahl, bitch about the VNC, bitch about LAPD, bitch about the Post Office, bitch about the boardwalk, bitch about money or just plain bitch - enjoy the years of status quo we have been basking in for a long time. I haven’t really met a Venetian who really actually cares about other peoples opinions other than their own… or that of their own mini-feifdom - so lets park the spear throwing for once and maybe actually stop to put a dollar, or an hour of sweat into what is immediately around you. Do it yourself. The area just OUTSIDE your home. Maybe after a few months of that, and some effort towards getting rid of the gangster fueled tendrils of crime and drugs and death - we’ll have a few less banger visits, a few less tagged signs, fewer trashier streets, fewer addicts, fewer drug sales, fewers robberies, fewer burglaries, fewer hours spent bitching - and maybe a nicer, safer place to live. Don’t worry, you can still keep on hating the people you don’t like in the neighborhood. You just won’t have to trip over a broken office chair as you flip them off. Our neighborhood is, after all, a sum of its parts.
If you don’t want the next person in Venice shot dead on your street - please, please figure out something to do other than merely attending monthly dissatisfaction seminars and meetings. Clean something. Call in a crime. Pick up the trash. Take some personal responsibility. Don’t expect recognition. Do it for your quality of life, the one you can see from your window. The resulting sense of pride might just make you keep on doing it.
Following, is some people that live here… being awesome. Take notes.
Imagine if you had to walk with the photo of a loved one around your neck. It happens here. Don’t ignore it. Do something.
The basketball courts and surrounding area is dominated by drug dealers, homeless, hookers and gangsters of all types. It went from terrible ten years ago, to okay five years ago. We are quickly slipping back into a really bad situation. Maybe D has too strong of a contact high from all the weed being smoked there to see the reality of what is there.
Great message Alex.
D, your comment affirms the point of the story. You’ll never get it.
I play basketball at the courts everyday. The guys playing basketball aren’t gang bangers. Did you mention the courts because it’s mostly on race of people playing there and they match the race you associate with gangbangers? HOw about all the gang activity in the handball courts, musclebeach bleachers, and skateboard park/graffiti park????? that’s where the real problem is. How about we get rid of the stupid, chemically offensive wall they all come to tag their gang symbols all over as an LA mecca?? I’ll tell you why… as someone not from CA, there is way too much stock in this “cool” Cali skateboard and tagging image that is frankly annoying and the rest of the country mocks it. I say we get rid of that graffiti wall and stop blaming the basketball courts! oh, and how is cleaning up a mattress going to stop a group of assholes from senseless murders? it’s not. so, i’m glad you had a forum to bitch about people’s trash and how it fuels the homeless, but it has nothing to do with these murders.
It is known that the murder was a retaliatory killing stemming from a fight at the basketball courts. You may contact LAPD or Venice2000 if you need affirmation on this. Your assumptions based on your comment are way off.
around the basketball courts? or actually on the court itself? I’m aware of the tagging on the wall(not a basketball court), on the bathrooms(not a basketball court), and on the muscle beach hut(also not a basketball court). My point was to avoid aiming a mob at the basketball players or the court itself… unless these brawlers were dressed in basketball clothing and dripping with sweat and I’m not aware of it. In that case, I apologize for not knowing all the facts first, but I doubt that is the case. 99% of the people I’ve played with are not violent. I was merely suggesting to keep an eye on the whole area by the skateboarding and handball and not just focus on ballers. And, I can’t be the only one who sees gang sign after gang sign on the graffiti wall… how is that not encouraging them to come to the park seeking a way to prove dominance or pride??
to mario - I didn’t miss the point of the story. I can’t be there right now to keep an eye out, so my way of helping is by sharing ideas and information through a harmless blog… have you picked up trash yet outside your apt today mario? if so, thanks for “getting it”
100% spot on. Thank you for speaking out.
So well put. Thank you for saying what has gone unsaid for too long.