By Lisa Green

At the Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC), July 20, Officer Peggy Thusing, stated, “The Oversized Vehicle Ordinance (OVO) will be implemented on streets in Venice where we’ve tried for years to get them off your streets.”

Silly me, I was under the impression the mayor had instructed the City Council and Department of Transportation to find other solutions in lieu of implementing a OVO? Is the City implementing the old version?

The presenter of the Streets to Home Program, a recently hired consultant in Rosendahl’s office, was very unorganized, unfocused and scattered in her presentation. I suppose she expected a hostile crowd, and she got it from those angry NIMBY people, but if you’re going to do the job you have to be able to take the heat, stay on task. Yes, she had a tough task but she just didn’t come across as the right person for the task.

Some points of interest mentioned by the presenter(s):

• 250 vehicles counted that are assumed to be people living out of cars, van and campers on the Venice streets, no specific amount of spaces for the program were identified but 40 was used as an example;
• VNC will hold multiple meetings to inform the community about the Streets to Home Program (Linda Lucks did a good job with a tough subject);
• Apparently some believe that a good portion of the people are living in vehicles but have other alternatives, such as housing (believing the LA Weekly article, I suppose);
• The streets to Home Program will provide intensive case management, requiring a contract, and violations will result in termination from the program (sounded very militaristic);
• No lots specified at this time, but only 5 vehicles per lot will be implemented;

Arturo Pina was quick to state that Rosendahl’s office tried to help the angry NIMBY people but the darn Coastal Commission on two occasions believed the City of LA’s request was in violation of the Coastal Act. When you lead with fear, or anger (same emotion actually) you often tune out, losing your intuition, and reasoning abilities, but wait there’s more!

Officer Thusing was the most inappropriate telling the angry NIMBY people that they should tell her which parking lots to exclude, because she has her opinion as well, and she’s going to interject. Her job as an police officer works only if she promotes fear, and she’s trained at that. I like Officer Thusing as a person, but I am not in agreement with the dialog used. For example, “That her work to clean up the library will be protected. “

We are speaking of people that are being cleaned off the streets, with no services, no affordable housing available, etc. It’s unacceptable, this approach. Most of the people I know that are living on the streets or are sleeping in vehicles, are trying to get housing, and have been on lists, but the lists are long, and some of them just are not messed up enough? Get the picture?

No? Well, let me explain, if you’re just poor, ya know, not making enough to pay for the basics, to receive many of the limited services an individual must either be addicted, pregnant, mentally unstable, or unable to hold down a job but have no fear, living poor, and being attacked numerous times by other members of your community will get you that ticket to unhealthy mentality over time.

Yes, some of the angry NIMBY people were vile, hateful and loaded lots of trash into our collective consciousness. The worst comment I heard utter from a very inappropriate male was, “Maybe we should kill the program,” alluding to the Streets to Home Program.

So, the angry NIMBY people took the hate to a new level last night, showing their emotional immaturity level exceeded their actions at the Coastal Commission meeting last June. Sounds like we should ask the City of LA to implement a program to reconnect angry NIMBY people with their heart center but the residents of Venice will have to take on that task.

Thankfully, I know many people in Venice that believe the community is inclusive,and are working to find effective solutions for the challenges we face while we tolerate a small segment of our larger community that has an emotional immaturity level that screams “ inner child wounded.”

As someone who chose to leave a high paying corporate job to spend my time bringing awareness, assisting others to act, taking on lots of accountability, while working to get us back in balance with our compassion, and concern for our planet and each other, offering and working to find effective solutions for very challenging issues, I found the tone from the speakers of the City of L.A. departments very inappropriate, and filled with harshness for people that are struggling economically, and working, and waiting for services that are not available. The spokespersons fueled the NIMBY people by repeatedly stating, we’ll get them off your streets. The streets are public streets, and all people are part of the public common.

Thankfully, Venice is love not fear. I never invited fear to move here but Venice is an inclusive community so all are welcome. Maybe one day fear will actually believe that fear is a waste of energy and depart. In the meantime those of us that chose love, we’ll have to work to mend the wounded, heal our sick community, and get us back in balance with our living planet, and each other. Love is the strongest power in the universe.

Lisa Green is the Green Party candidate for State Assembly in the district that includes Venice.