By CHARLES ANDREWS
MONEY
Power. And the power money brings.
I’m writing this column on the day we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr,’s birthday so it is appropriate that I preach, but — NO, NO, DON’T GO AWAY! PLEASE! I WON’T!! I PROMISE!
Like many of you I have been especially bothered by the completely unnecessary pain and damage to real people and the nation that tRump’s fantasy-crisis wall and his holding the government and all of us hostage over it, and his refusal to back down, has wrought.
I wrote last week that I heard from a reader who was likewise upset and did a lot of research to see if there was some way to help out at least those Santa Monicans affected by it. She found nothing.
Cheryl Drymon wrote, “Maybe we could connect people who want to help with donations, or interim jobs or …? If we could get it going here, it might spread across the U.S.” She contacted some national media and got interest but no commitments, because there’s no story yet. She finally thought of at least a Go Fund Me campaign for our hurting Santa Monicans. Seems like a good beginning, though administration and disbursement might be tricky, but not impossible. Anyone want to jump in? I’m sure Drymon will be glad to spread the word.
SO MUCH PAIN
To people, our land, our institutions, our businesses, our national reputation. Some of it may never be undone, most will take years and decades. Why? In this case, tRump’s monstrous, heartless ego. He may never compromise on his fantasy issue, and the Democrats must not let such blackmail prevail in our system of government. SMDP columnist Jack Neworth has been bothered no end, for at least three years, by such Tr-omposities and does a fabulously funny job of lampooning them (especially good column last Friday).
The same happens on a local government level, with lies and distortions being used to forward false agendas that benefit only a few, giving them money and power, while condemning all the rest of us to a future we would not choose. I get so weary of it, and then I remind myself of all the incredibly brave and strong people who have fought for so long to make this nation fulfill its founding promises, and especially of those of color who have risked and suffered so much. They got really weary, but kept moving forward.
Justice delayed is justice denied. No taxation without representation, SMMUSD school board. I have a dream — quite a few, really, and one of them is that occasionally you do let me preach. Sorry if I fibbed.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: An extension of last week’s question: When the owners of the property on Montana came to the very first step, the first form to fill out, the first City staffer, to apply to build their children’s garden where once there was an 18-unit apartment building with low-cost, truly affordable housing for many elderly occupants residing there for decades, why weren’t they told (this is my wish for the future of SM) —
“Surely you know, everybody knows, in Santa Monica if you have Ellised your building and especially if you have thrown out longtime, elderly residents who now will have to leave their hometown forever, you will not get approval from any Santa Monica government body for any project, because of what you’ve done. Go ahead, apply, you have every legal right, but I’m telling you, it won’t happen, so you can either have a vacant lot forever or refurbish those apartments and bring those residents you evicted back in.
“That’s just the way it is. In Santa Monica, we take care of our own. Residents matter. Affordable housing is our top priority and it starts, obviously, with preserving existing affordable housing. You should have thought of that before you bought the property. Isn’t there some other place you could have built that children’s garden? Maybe in some corner of one of our elementary schools that have shrinking populations? And… you do know, we already have a community garden at Ishihara Park, where school children have been visiting and learning such things, for a couple of years.
“I mean, think about it folks, if our top priority is our residents and affordable housing, why would we allow existing affordable housing to be demolished? Then turn around and build new housing, much more expensive, much less affordable, to be occupied by new residents at the expense of the old? C’mon, that would be crazy, right? No way to justify that, right?
“Oh, I know, it flies in the face of what Sacramento wants, and the practice was challenged in court but we won, because we’re a pretty creative and resourceful city, with a trainload of lawyers on our payroll to make sure our residents are taken care of. Have you seen our beautiful new bus stops, and the hi-tech bathrooms we’ve ordered? Why, we’re spending around $140,000,000 on new City offices, and since it’s your tax money, you should go by and marvel at the fancy composting toilets once it’s done.”
CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS — only Gleam Davis has accepted my invitation to sit down and talk, nicely. Thank you, Mayor. Maybe the others don’t read my column, after all?
QUOTES OF THE WEEK: Monday, as I write this, was Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday celebration. Sunday night I watched the lunar eclipse of the “super blood wolf moon” and it was a sight to behold. I was reminded how powerful nature is and how vast the universe, and even though we tiny humans go about our self-appointed tasks, usually unconsciously, there are higher powers at work, surrounding us. Call it God, nature, Allah or science, best to get in tune with all that, it seems, or you may be laboring fruitlessly. Dr. King was, he had his eyes on the mountaintop, and his work left an indelible mark that elevated us all.
“Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.”
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude."
“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” — all Dr. King
Charles Andrews has lived in Santa Monica for 33 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or rebuke to him at therealmrmusic@gmail.com
