SUPPORT THE RIGHT TO FEED THE HUNGRY AND WORK FOR PEACE
Respect the homeless, don't drive them out of sight
From: "Venice Santa Monica Food Not Bombs"
Date: Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:48:03 PM US/Pacific
To: "FNB network"
Subject: June 11, 2006 - Food Not Bombs Activist Arrested in Venice, CA
June 11, 2006 - Food Not Bombs Activist Arrested in Venice, CA
Venice/Santa Monica Food Not Bombs members were serving free food andgiving away free literature on the Venice Beach Boardwalk Sunday morningwhen the LAPD singled out and arrested Food Not Bombs member Peggy LeeKennedy, a third-generation Venice resident who was video taping fromacross the Boardwalk. This arrest follows a series of on-goingharassments, tickets, police threats to arrest volunteers, and a policeescorted health department visit and warning. Peggy was arrested foraledgedly violating a newly twice re-created vending law for the westside of the Venice Beach Boardwalk once famous for its Free SpeechZone activity.
The law, Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) 42.15, is masquerading as anordinance created to control vending and fights over space in what oncewas a more fluid area, where people could participate in first amendmentactivity - first come first serve. The older law was not perfect (aone-page municipal code prohibiting commercial vending), but a minoradjustment to restrict total space allowed per person could have solvedmany of the problems.
In stead, the latest of two successive bad Boardwalk vending laws isfour-pages centered in controlling public space. Further to the actualCity law, there are four or five more pages of governing rules createdby the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. Some of theissues are:
- Restrictions and harassment of the Free Speech activistsrefusing to participate in the unfair vendor/permit/lottery system.
- Outlawing original political t-shirts offered for donations onthe west side while sweatshop political t-shirts are being sold bystores on the east side.
- A fifty-foot noise rule directed at performers on the west sideof the Boardwalk and targeting one very out-spoken African-Americanperformer in particular, but not targeting the loud businesses and barson the east side.
- And LAPD ticketing, harassing, and arresting those of usconsidered to be hurting precious property values, such as Food NotBombs.
The law, very simply, is being used to further a gentrification agendaand rid Venice Beach of any remaining low-income people, people livingan alternate [Venice Beach] lifestyle, and any unsightly homelesspeople. Bring in the cookie-cutter artists and get rid of the likes ofus!
Venice/Santa Monica Food Not Bombs members were not vending orsoliciting donations, not blocking a throughway, and not taking somepermit vendor's assigned space won in the rotten lottery system. Theywere protesting war and poverty by giving away free literature and freefood to hungry people in unoccupied public space, which is supposed tobe set aside for First Amendment activity.
Further to this, the west of the Venice Beach Boardwalk was officiallydeclared a Free Speech Zone (maybe they really meant on Mars!) in themotion accompanying the passing of the latest LAMC 42.15, andVenice/Santa Monica Food Not Bombs firmly believes that the intent ofthis act should be to protect First Amendment activity, not to create a"Police State Zone" law used to harass or arrest political activists,the homeless, or anyone else they do not like on the Venice BeachBoardwalk.
For these reasons and more, the Venice/Santa Monica Chapter of Food NotBombs demands that the City of Los Angeles, including its paidpoliticians, its City Attorneys, and the Los Angeles Police Department:
- Stop making or enforcing laws that violate our constitutionalrights to assemble, give out free political literature, protest war andpoverty, and give away free vegetarian food on Venice Boardwalk.
- Stop harassing or arresting any person for violating ridiculous"vending laws"in a publicly declared Free Speech Zone on VeniceBoardwalk, especially if they are not vending.
- Stop working with developers and citizen groups, such asneighborhood watch, to actively remove homeless, low-income, or peoplewith alternative life-styles from Venice.
- Publicly apologize to the homeless, musicians, artists,activists, and low-income or working-class people in Venice fordestroying their "Quality of Life."
The City of Los Angeles has enforced LAMC 42.15 on Venice Beach with anarmy of police using high-tech surveillance to crush the bohemianartist/activist Free Speech Zone community - paving the way for a NIMBYmaximized "Profit Control"
Venice Santa Monica Food Not Bombs
venicesantamonicafnb@fastmail.fm
June 11, 2006 - Food Not Bombs Activist Arrested in Venice, CA
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