Category Archives: Civil Rights
The Fire Next Time
By Jim Smith Christine Burrill’s stunning exhibit of photo collages of the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising has an impact and immediacy that few other art forms can convey. Three of the large collages were printed on brushed aluminum sheets by … Continue reading
Filed under Civil Rights, Crime/Police, Jim Smith
Santa Monica College Students Blind-sided by Campus Police
By Roger Linnett Santa Monica College has joined the list of places where the police have used pepper spray for crowd control under questionable circumstances. A dubious honor to be sure, SMC joins UC Davis and the original Occupy Wall … Continue reading
Filed under Civil Rights, Crime/Police, Roger Linnett
Scene of the Crime: Marker Unveiled Where Japanese-Americans Were Taken to Camps
It was 70 years later, to the day, that more than 100 Venetians gathered in support of a handful of Japanese-American survivors of the Manzanar Concentration Camp. In 1942, they had been taken away from the very spot of the … Continue reading
Filed under Civil Rights, Japanese-Americans, Jim Smith
Celebrate the Coming of the Marker
A permanent monument commemorating the incarceration of a thousand local Japanese-Americans during World War II will not be istalled on the 70th anniversary, April 25, despite high hopes of many Venetians. Instead an open-air event will take place beginning at … Continue reading
Filed under Civil Rights, Human Rights/Constitution
Free Speech on Ocean Front Walk?
By Bill Mitchell ‘Dissident speech’ is the revolutionary Right protected by the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States. It is not a permit to make a buck, but awaken public consciousness to … Continue reading
Filed under Civil Rights, Ocean Front Walk
Martin Luther King, Jr. – The Unknown Anti-War Activist
On April 4, 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City and called for an end to the Vietnam War. Exactly one year later, King was assassinated in Memphis. King’s speech … Continue reading
Filed under Civil Rights, Human Rights/Constitution, Politics
Venice Memorial to Japanese-Americans Incarcerated During World War II Moves Forward
By Don E. Geagan and Suzanne Thompson In a time when we are consistently threaded by the loss of public space and facilities, such as the Venice Post Office, a very special building continues to serve the community. On Saturday, … Continue reading
Filed under Civil Rights, Don Geagan, Events
Growing Up Latino: How Cesar Chavez Inspired A Generation
By Yolanda Miranda Latinos were once known as the “sleeping giant.” Not only did they wake up, but they have roared in disenchantment over the proposed policies of this government against them and their families. ¡Ya Basta! Enough is Enough! … Continue reading
Filed under Civil Rights, Culture, Labor
Lest We Forget Japanese-American Memorial Marker Groundbreaking
69 Years Later: Returning to the corner of Venice and Lincoln Blvds on April 25, 2011, Japanese-American camp survivors and friends gather to launch a reminder of their ordeal. Top row (standing): Noboru Kamibayashi, Linda Lucks, Hideyo Takimoto, Mitzi Takimoto, … Continue reading
Filed under Civil Rights, History, Venice
Recognizing A Tragedy: 69 Years Later
It has been nine long years since a small group of Venetians came together to call attention to a terrible wrong that had been committed in our community. On April 25, 1942, approximately 1,000 Japanese-Americans living in Venice, Santa Monica … Continue reading
Filed under Civil Rights, Culture, Events
