Jen Bilik
Ref: “Walk Street Neighborhood Association from Officer Peter Abskharon.”
This set of comments felt to me like something I and my neighbors too often sense from the Los Angeles police department, which is that residents are thought to be as much of a nuisance as criminals are, something we feel when we call the police for crimes whether we left our houses unlocked or not, especially nuisance crimes and quality-of-life crimes. Also, many feel that the police are inclined to go after residents for things like jaywalking and bike riding off-leash dogs, when there are much bigger criminal fish to fry.
I understand that the police must feel frustrated that crimes can happen in part because opportunistic thieves test doors and windows until they find open ones. But the officer’s choice of language really felt like a case of blaming the victims. According to this officer, it’s the residents’ responsibility that crime rates are not going down, and the poor officers are getting dinged for this data. It’s our “Louis Vuitton purses” that are enticing the burglars. I for one have never seen a Louis Vuitton purse in Venice, let alone had one myself, and perhaps this was an attempt at humor, but it felt sexist and condescending and anti-wealth, none of which are characteristics we want to see from police who are meant to help and protect us, not the criminals.
In Venice, many houses do not have air conditioning, and we have an indoor-outdoor lifestyle where we keep our doors and windows open when we’re home, and it can be a lot of work to close them when you step out briefly, let alone merely leaving a room, as the officer complains. I understand that we should be doing a better job of security, and many of us are, for the most part, but blaming us for crime is not the right way to go to encourage our cooperation with police and security goals. And condescension and browbeating are never smart tactics. And particularly frustrating and distasteful from police officers.
However, thank god for helicopters, the only hero in the story!
Peter Griswold
1= As we know the traffic short-cutters constantly use the alleys to run through the Walgreen parking lot.
If the east 100 feet of the alley to Carter Street was sold to the new owners this would stop.
2= World Gym properties were closed long ago and finally sold almost two years ago.
Our Triangle should encourage the City to SELL the east 100 feet of the alley at Carter Street.
3= This would connect and create an “L” shape joining the Washington frontage with the Carter back lot.
As mentioned above this should actually help the Triangle and the Carter-Stanford alley would remain usable.
Challis Macpherson
Ref: Hole in City-County property at Ralph’s Mkt
Yes we have already gone through this……………..however, it keeps coming up doesn’t it? Granted, I misplaced “hole” in question, but stand fast. Ralph’s “hole” is big enough for bikes. Done that myself.
Solution……………..inquire if Del Rey NC is going to conduct a survey of Ralph’s patrons and residents of the three (count ‘em 3) condo buildings relative to “improving” hole in question. That should stop them in their tracks.
Robert Kelm
Ref: 23 November
I just came in at the end of an unusual day.
Last night the Santa Ana winds returned. To us near the seashore it was more like a dull, distant rushing sound. At higher elevations it howled: warm dry air stripping the trees and leaving the sidewalks strewn with leaves and a few palm fronds. Today was a high-energy day, with restless breezes and a feeling in the air that reminds me of Indian Summer back in New England. Mundane tasks seemed easier, lighter. There were more smiles and it just felt good.
And then, late this afternoon, when I opened my garage door some minutes after four to back out the car, a blaze of orange light flooded in. Outside the whole street outside was bathed in copper. It only lasted a few minutes, then the color moved west and settled in the cloudbank along the coast. The setting son was painting the western horizon with rose, pink orange yellow reaching to dark blue skies above. The Venice rose sunset had returned; first time I’ve seen it in a couple of years. Awesome is the only word.
As I drove eastward on Venice Blvd. At the intersection with Lincoln, a couple of young kids on bikes were holding up the cars so a young girl could stand in the dead center of the boulevard and take a picture of the color show, westward toward the beach. Cars in four directions were halted, but they weren’t honking horns nor screaming obscenities. It was like everybody was struck by the stark beauty of the event. Hands extended from windows with cameras to snap photos. In a few seconds the girl had her shot, the bikes retreated and the traffic resumed. Some waved at the bikers as they passed on saluting those who had made them stop and share a special moment. And then it was gone and twilight moved in.
While I was waiting, I recalled another time, years ago when New Yorker friend was out here and we were walking the boardwalk just before dusk with some other friends. All of a sudden there was the rose sunset lighting the clouds in that peculiar way. Crowds of tourists stopped, gaped, grabbed for cameras. Farrell looked around saying, “Give a hand for God.” There was “yeah, man” and people started applauding. All along the beach, for a minute or so there was a round of applause. Then the show was gone until another coincidence of atmospherics would entrance us who knows when.
We don’t get it often, but everybody knows what it is, when we do, Wow! And tonight it happened again. Yep, awesome. One of the absolute best.
What an incredible light show yesterday! And I didn’t have my camera with me.
I talked with several others, none of whom had a camera in close range; one ran in to get his; by the time he found it and came out, the sunset was gone.
Does anybody have a photo they can share, I wonder?
Karen Burstyn
Ref: left turn signal at Rose & Lincoln
How does one go about getting a left turn arrow for the stop light on Lincoln and Rose? This intersection is really busy and would seriously benefit from this.
Comment: Department of Transportation has an app for suggestions, etc.
Reta Moser
• 21 Voyage will go before the West LA Area Planning Commission, 3 December, 4:30 pm, 11214 Exposition Blvd, 90064. The applicant is appealing the Planning decision. Applicant seeks a deviation from the Venice Specification Plan for allowing each dwelling unit 1137 sq ft instead of required 1200 and six instead of seven parking spaces.
• Link for Christmas movies is:
http://link.patch.com/53926da8bc1705a04f00000120dcw.l/VG9GKEmOzqcJ7GVIB747c
• Next County Beach Commission meet will be 28 January, 9:30 am at Burton Chase Park.
• POLICE DISPATCH: (818) 734-2223
• PACIFIC DIVISION: (310) 482-6334
555
Comments–28 November 2014
Jen Bilik
Ref: “Walk Street Neighborhood Association from Officer Peter Abskharon.”
This set of comments felt to me like something I and my neighbors too often sense from the Los Angeles police department, which is that residents are thought to be as much of a nuisance as criminals are, something we feel when we call the police for crimes whether we left our houses unlocked or not, especially nuisance crimes and quality-of-life crimes. Also, many feel that the police are inclined to go after residents for things like jaywalking and bike riding off-leash dogs, when there are much bigger criminal fish to fry.
I understand that the police must feel frustrated that crimes can happen in part because opportunistic thieves test doors and windows until they find open ones. But the officer’s choice of language really felt like a case of blaming the victims. According to this officer, it’s the residents’ responsibility that crime rates are not going down, and the poor officers are getting dinged for this data. It’s our “Louis Vuitton purses” that are enticing the burglars. I for one have never seen a Louis Vuitton purse in Venice, let alone had one myself, and perhaps this was an attempt at humor, but it felt sexist and condescending and anti-wealth, none of which are characteristics we want to see from police who are meant to help and protect us, not the criminals.
In Venice, many houses do not have air conditioning, and we have an indoor-outdoor lifestyle where we keep our doors and windows open when we’re home, and it can be a lot of work to close them when you step out briefly, let alone merely leaving a room, as the officer complains. I understand that we should be doing a better job of security, and many of us are, for the most part, but blaming us for crime is not the right way to go to encourage our cooperation with police and security goals. And condescension and browbeating are never smart tactics. And particularly frustrating and distasteful from police officers.
However, thank god for helicopters, the only hero in the story!
Peter Griswold
1= As we know the traffic short-cutters constantly use the alleys to run through the Walgreen parking lot.
If the east 100 feet of the alley to Carter Street was sold to the new owners this would stop.
2= World Gym properties were closed long ago and finally sold almost two years ago.
Our Triangle should encourage the City to SELL the east 100 feet of the alley at Carter Street.
3= This would connect and create an “L” shape joining the Washington frontage with the Carter back lot.
As mentioned above this should actually help the Triangle and the Carter-Stanford alley would remain usable.
Challis Macpherson
Ref: Hole in City-County property at Ralph’s Mkt
Yes we have already gone through this……………..however, it keeps coming up doesn’t it? Granted, I misplaced “hole” in question, but stand fast. Ralph’s “hole” is big enough for bikes. Done that myself.
Solution……………..inquire if Del Rey NC is going to conduct a survey of Ralph’s patrons and residents of the three (count ‘em 3) condo buildings relative to “improving” hole in question. That should stop them in their tracks.
Robert Kelm
Ref: 23 November
I just came in at the end of an unusual day.
Last night the Santa Ana winds returned. To us near the seashore it was more like a dull, distant rushing sound. At higher elevations it howled: warm dry air stripping the trees and leaving the sidewalks strewn with leaves and a few palm fronds. Today was a high-energy day, with restless breezes and a feeling in the air that reminds me of Indian Summer back in New England. Mundane tasks seemed easier, lighter. There were more smiles and it just felt good.
And then, late this afternoon, when I opened my garage door some minutes after four to back out the car, a blaze of orange light flooded in. Outside the whole street outside was bathed in copper. It only lasted a few minutes, then the color moved west and settled in the cloudbank along the coast. The setting son was painting the western horizon with rose, pink orange yellow reaching to dark blue skies above. The Venice rose sunset had returned; first time I’ve seen it in a couple of years. Awesome is the only word.
As I drove eastward on Venice Blvd. At the intersection with Lincoln, a couple of young kids on bikes were holding up the cars so a young girl could stand in the dead center of the boulevard and take a picture of the color show, westward toward the beach. Cars in four directions were halted, but they weren’t honking horns nor screaming obscenities. It was like everybody was struck by the stark beauty of the event. Hands extended from windows with cameras to snap photos. In a few seconds the girl had her shot, the bikes retreated and the traffic resumed. Some waved at the bikers as they passed on saluting those who had made them stop and share a special moment. And then it was gone and twilight moved in.
While I was waiting, I recalled another time, years ago when New Yorker friend was out here and we were walking the boardwalk just before dusk with some other friends. All of a sudden there was the rose sunset lighting the clouds in that peculiar way. Crowds of tourists stopped, gaped, grabbed for cameras. Farrell looked around saying, “Give a hand for God.” There was “yeah, man” and people started applauding. All along the beach, for a minute or so there was a round of applause. Then the show was gone until another coincidence of atmospherics would entrance us who knows when.
We don’t get it often, but everybody knows what it is, when we do, Wow! And tonight it happened again. Yep, awesome. One of the absolute best.
What an incredible light show yesterday! And I didn’t have my camera with me.
I talked with several others, none of whom had a camera in close range; one ran in to get his; by the time he found it and came out, the sunset was gone.
Does anybody have a photo they can share, I wonder?
Karen Burstyn
Ref: left turn signal at Rose & Lincoln
How does one go about getting a left turn arrow for the stop light on Lincoln and Rose? This intersection is really busy and would seriously benefit from this.
Comment: Department of Transportation has an app for suggestions, etc.
Reta Moser
• 21 Voyage will go before the West LA Area Planning Commission, 3 December, 4:30 pm, 11214 Exposition Blvd, 90064. The applicant is appealing the Planning decision. Applicant seeks a deviation from the Venice Specification Plan for allowing each dwelling unit 1137 sq ft instead of required 1200 and six instead of seven parking spaces.
• Link for Christmas movies is:
http://link.patch.com/53926da8bc1705a04f00000120dcw.l/VG9GKEmOzqcJ7GVIB747c
• Next County Beach Commission meet will be 28 January, 9:30 am at Burton Chase Park.
• POLICE DISPATCH: (818) 734-2223
• PACIFIC DIVISION: (310) 482-6334
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