PHOTO/LYNN ROSSI
LOS ANGELES, CA —Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN) held its first Town Hall Community Meeting in February at the James Woods Center in the heart of Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles.
The LA CAN Town Hall Community Forum invited community members, leaders and citizens who support the needs of the positive call to action movement here in Skid Row.
This Community Forum was inspired from the Town Hall Forum (a.k.a.: “Plan for Hope,” as it’s been called) that District 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar and his supporters put on in 2014. I say “his supporters” because residents of Skid Row, such as myself, were not invited to the table. As a matter of fact, Jose Huizar would later tell me (when I asked him about this shameful oversight) that “Tom Gilmore, a developer, was asked to be part of this panelist presentation to represent the needs of Skid Row residents.”
In the midst of a re-gentrification surge in downtown Los Angeles, where residents and homeless alike feel they are being pushed out . . . that statement alone shows the disconnect of humanity when it comes to those who have been elected to offices and hired to various supportive services for this “recovery community.”
This two-hour forum talked about: Human Rights, Culture/Public Space and Housing. The event opened with an improvisationalist “theatre of the oppressed” piece depicted by Skid Row resident and trans-women activist, Chella Moore and community supporter, Cynthia Ruffin. I even spoke a few words regarding my journey here to Skid Row.
General Jeff (a.k.a: Jeff Page), considered by many as the “un-official mayor of Skid Row,” made an impact statement regarding the need for Skid Row to have its own Neighborhood Council and going as far as to hold all accountable who are not in favor of this progressive action that many feel is vital to moving forward the residents here.
On the Housing panel there was a strong community supported ensemble: Downtown Women’s Action Coalition (DWAC), Skid Row Housing and Trust and AWARE (Alliance of White Anti-Racist Everywhere), spoke passionately about the need for more affordable housing for homeless and the poor, and how many in the community adjacent to Skid Row recognize that even the poor deserve human rights and housing. The need for a comfortable, safe space to live is not only vital for one to survive but is vital for one to thrive . . .
The Culture panel, which consisted of many mainstay supporters from Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD), spoke about the history of Skid Row, its barriers, such as the criminalization of Black and Brown folks and how to broaden community through cultural engagement.
Ariana Alcaraz, moderator of the Human Rights panel, eloquently told me, “Because of the lack of resources and community input in city policies, the Skid Row community ends up suffering human rights violations. If our community was given the opportunity to be at the table when decisions are made about our community, there would be actual community-based solutions that could work!” Well said, Ariana Alcaraz . . . well said.
[homeless footer]
