HOLLYWOOD, CA -- Dozens of ghosts, grim reapers with bank logos on their scythes, and oversized banker puppets occupied the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Halloween Night as activists from Occupy Fights Foreclosures and Occupy Los Angeles portrayed the "Ghosts of Wall Street."
[The] rally assembled at dusk outside the mosaic-covered Chase Bank at the corner of Sunset & Vine. Familiar icons associated with Occupy Los Angeles filled the courtyard, including Nowhere Man's plea to "Imagine Fairness" and a black-and-glitter banner bearing the message "Fuck the Police."
. . . Led by a wide "The Nightmares From Wall Street" banner, the ghosts, reapers, and bankers marched north on Vine St, then west on Hollywood Blvd towards the intersection of Hollywood & Highland. The crowd responded positively to the procession, shouting out remarks that the "Ghosts of Wall Street" was both creative and true.
On the sidewalk outside the Dolby Theater, across from the El Capitan theater, the activists paused for a moment of street theater. . . .
Full story and photos: Ghosts of Wall Street Occupy Hollywood Blvd Halloween Night by Occupy Los Angeles OWS
If we wish to honestly "clean up" Venice we need an expanded storage program, an adequate number of trash cans and 24/7 bathrooms. The current city program of criminalizing unhoused people does not solve anything and wastes hundreds of thousands of dollars. "Cleaning up" cannot equal criminalization. That is discrimination, and is illegal. The act of being without housing is not a crime.
. . . If we had an expanded storage program and adequate public hygiene, like they do in other communities, like Costa Mesa, [Councilman Mike] Bonin could accomplish his goal of "cleaning up Venice" but without being punitive or harassing vulnerable people. He could actually help them. He could help all of us! It would cost the city far less and be a huge win/win for Venice.
. . . Why not try? Bonin has been made aware of this inclusive program but has not seen fit to implement one yet. He needs to feel public support. . .
Full story: The "Cleaning Up" of Venice by Deborah LaShever