BILL ROSENDAHL: The Frank McCourt of Venice Beach boardwalk. Allows permitted events in public space and NO COPS IN SITE. THUGS ENFORCE THEIR OWN LAW, IN VIOLATION OF REAL ONES! (Bryan Stowe-type incident, WAITING to happen...as Rosendahl's Rec & Parks keeps eyes closed. Just like Frank McCourt.)
To: Bill Rosendahl & City Council
Fr: Zuma Dogg
Re: Venice Beach "Special Event Permits" on PUBLIC SPACE! (LAPD Needs to Enforce Security, NOT RANDOM THUGS!
Dt: 11/17/11
Part of 42.15 draft is allowing for city to issue permits for special events in the skate park area, like the film shoot that took place, yesterday (11/16/11).
The have yellow caution tape, but the area is NOT CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC, and is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. The permit is to allow the crew to come in with their equipment and set up, but does not authorize the loss of speech or movement in the area. In other words, there are SOME permits issued, where the film crew has the right to block off the area, and prevent people from entering the area; even to the extent that if I am yelling from across the street, and it is interfering with the film shoot, the police can tell me to stop. (Because police are on hand for these types of fully permitted film shoots.)
HOWEVER, now, Rec & Parks are issuing permits for the skate park area, like the film shoot, yesterday. And NO police are on hand. There were some people with security tshirts, but that's not official, and they don't have the right to tell me not to walk around or sing, or do anything I am allowed to do, if they were not there, at all. (To highlight this point, after describing this occurrence to a local friend, I was informed that two other people were paid money, by the film crew, that day, to go away and stop making noise. Because the crew knew they did not have the right to prevent others from their own expression in the area.)
However, as soon as I pulled out my phonecam, and started to narrate the event, a THUG, with no identifying security shirt, grabbed me by the shirt collar, with both hands, as he yanked me off the cement park area, across the grass area, and ejected me onto the boardwalk. He uttered threats to my life. And when I told him he could let go and I would keep walking away and leave, he did not let go, and said, "I'm gonna make sure you do..."
At no time did any security (on set security wearing shirts) say anything to me, at any time, prior to the thug grabbing me by my shirt collar and dragging me across the park. And at no time did security make any attempt to do anything about this. (So what are they there for?)
First of all, the new 42.15 has not been passed/approved, yet, so I hope Rec & Parks is even allowed to be issuing permits.
Secondly, since this issue is part of new 42.15, I demand they make a revision to require the inclusion of LAPD at all special permitted events, like the movie shoot. In this day and age, we cannot leave it up to a rouge film crew to have their own THUG enforcing set-law, that violated FEDERAL LAW. Venice is known to be riddled with gang members, and I am now, first hand witness, through my own experience, that left unchecked, without real and actual municipal authority, on hand, these event teams let THUGS do the enforcing, because it's a lot quicker and easier. BUT IT WAS A VIOLATION OF MUNICIPAL AND FEDERAL LAW.
Additionally, Rec & Parks plans on having staffers select and rotate performer acts in the big space, in front of Sidewalk Cafe. There was no Rec & Parks staff, on hand, at the permitted event, yesterday, and enforcement was left to a gang member thug, who had NO PROBLEM DRAGGING ME ACROSS THE SET AND PARK AS HE UTTERED THREATS TO MY LIFE, AS EVERYONE WATCHED!!! HE SURE DID FEEL COMFORTABLE! HE COMMITTED A MAJOR CRIME OF FALSE IMPRISONMENT, and had NO PROBLEM DOING SO IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, WITH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WATCHING!
SO WE NEED LAPD AT ALL OF THESE PERMITTED EVENTS. And we need police to do the rotating of performers, too. Are you going to put Rec & Park staff lives at risk, trying to manage these Venice performers. There have been stabbings and beatings over these spaces. What if a thug doesn't agree with the Rec & Parks staffer? Who is there to break it up? Did the city addressed the staffing issue of rotating performers, every day, every 45 minutes, on the boardwalk? NO, they DID NOT.
42.15 is scheduled for the city council agenda Dec 13, 2011.They'll be rushing through 100s of items, getting ready for year-end vacation break. I think they will continue, AGAIN, till after new year.
It's called, "Rec & Parks," but it's not a picnic or summer camp, out there on Bill Rosendahl's Venice Beach boardwalk, and it requires actual police to enforce the enforcers.
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