If you allow yourself to take a closer look, it‚s possible to hear the voices of the subcultures that would otherwise go unheard and unnoticed. On the outskirts of the so-called „Artist‰ district in downtown Long Beach, these voices are amplified. Here exists a populace that isexplicitly screaming for reform, solutions, and unity.

After passing a few blocks of brick buildings, barbed-wired and gatedcommercial lots lit by tranquil orange splashing security lights(„Buzz*‰), I approached the an alley that would lead me in the direction of No Regrets. After stopping to help an elderly man out with some spare change, I started making my way through the passage that would open up to the 500 block of Pine Street. Having been there once before I found the place with little difficulty ˆ a vacant lot across the street has been disemboweled and reconstructed by a strip mall company and serves as a landmark. Making my way in I can smell the sent of fresh paint, of raw corrosion and welded metal, all overlapping the familiar smell of glue that has yet to dry („this‰, I tell myself, „is what contemporary is all about‰. You can practically see that blood of the artist that was created for the latest contribution to the forum (just then Lil‚ Rodney tells me that it‚s his own blood that Charles used to paint with). Immediately I was made to feel at home, so I sat back on a pleather couch and took in all the over stimulating fare that presented my senses. After spending a good deal of time hanging out ad talking to some of the No Regrets artists and musicians, I was invited to display some of my artwork. I have since been dropping in on poetry readings and checking out the occasional gathering of new visual artists. So, having these experiences I put together this consensus: No Regrets-Remonstration*We have the power to shape and reshape the culture of our community. We can't rely on the corporate media to feed us accurate information of the world around us. Here at No Regrets we are all about are seeking truths, speaking our minds and building a communal environment that harbors those that need a venue to be heard. We encourage freethinking; we share ideas, promote the creative arts and provide a forum for artist to participated in an ongoing nonjuried inter-media accumulation (Dr.Timothy Leary would be quite proud). The

basic philosophy is in backing an effort to place an importance on the artist in our community to be able to communicate their ideas through the universal logic of visual elements. We allow these artists to conquer the power of creating and reshaping an identifiable cultural characteristicof our community.

Please stop in everyone is welcome.