The sad state of Los Angeles Indymedia

I want to preface this by saying that I greatly respect the work that LA indymedia has done and I value their contribution to this area of the world. I've worked a little bit with IMC though more with Killradio, but I think that the people behind LA indymedia and those who have enjoyed its services in the past really need to stop and think about where this project is going. Despite the massive participation we saw in the streets during D2k, LA indymedia has shriveled into a near-catatonic state. What was once a free media for all on the left quickly became ghettoized into radical gangs conflicting with each other (greens vs. greens, anarchists vs. communists etc.). Frequent site-stoppages and "waiting for technology/orders" from the central sites has broken continuity and faith in the site among those who once read it. LA indymedia has been most successful on the street and when organizing/participating in events such as Democracy When, Life and Debt and many other mobilizations. But often these street stories don't even make it onto the website or are quite delayed. Independent media should function as a self-replicating virus that empowers people and gives them opportunities. I'm not sure if I can say LA indy fulfills this function. It seems to be primarily a lack of staff or volunteers and also perhaps a concentration of technological knowledge. This really seems to be dragging the site down. I just can't stand being able to predict who and what I will see on the newswire, LA is a vast city of people who have the power to empower this network . Yet I feel like LA indy outreach focuses on already-active left groups (or at least that's what the results are showing). Perhaps the city just isn't wired enough to take advantage of LA indymedia. The internet is still new to a lot of people, is this part of the problem? I realize that I am a part of indymedia because I use and understand the newswire. We are all indymedia, definitely. And yet, if our indymedia is unreliable, we are just atomized again. Let's fight atomization, ghettoization and reclaim this amazing independent media potential.

-Sk!