http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/13/artist-saber-fights-to-li_n_1009758.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu2uzGQJ0tQ

Tamara Gilmore

Professor Slobod

English 113B

8 March 2012

Urban Art is a Crime ?

            Vandalism for decades has been a huge problem all over the United States. Currently, it can be classified as much more than just “writing” on public property. Instead vandalism consists of defiling previously owned items of any sort and an act of “disrespect” towards things and even groups of people. It is done in various forms and often faster than anyone expects. While many people are losing sight of punishing small acts of vandalism, many are turning their focus to what has been a serious issue for more than thirty ongoing years, graffiti crimes and tagging. Many people have been caught and punished due to the crime of vandalism by graffiti even when it is harmless or speaks a positive message well needed in the community. Graffiti has been done to mark territory and still has. However, there are various art pieces that are graffiti and are mind boggling. Many of these marvelous works promote the positive well being of people and their willingness to change their current ways while introducing change for the future. Graffiti is an urban art form that is often misunderstood and misrepresented but Graffiti artists should be free to express their artwork but only in permitted areas.

            Graffiti initially classified as an underground art form, started to surface its head around the late nineteen sixties and its birth place stands identified as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Around that time the individuals engaged in the activity were known as “political activists” that wanted to promote change in their individual lives or even throughout their country. Many would see this as an ineffective way of gaining attention but it did the exact opposite. Before any messages were written, people first needed to be known so they wrote their name. Early names that could be found throughout the cities were “Cornbread and Cool Earl” (History of Graffiti). Shortly after Cornbread and Cool Earl made headlining news, a few others began doing the same thing and arose in Manhattan and gave birth to what was known as “writers.” This name “Writers” was a positive way to classify these individuals in fact they were rarely ridiculed for their work. People saw it did no harm and in fact it was done so often that it became part of the offered sub culture in the poorer neighborhoods according to Professor Goldman (Graffiti Art: An essay…). Many of these writers were creative enough they created aliases, or nicknames, of their choice in which many included the street name they lived on. Such names were: Taki 183, Julio 204, Frank 207, and Joe 136 (History of Graffiti). These artists were a mystery to the public and so they were given the most recognition throughout the city and people wanted to know who they were (History of Graffiti). The nature of a writer was becoming so common that people sought out to change their way of making a difference. Instead of merely writing their names, they began to write sayings and logos and different things that would make people stop, think, and wonder about the world they live in. Works like “Stay High 149” and much later on “Hope” with Obama’s face on it, were inspirational, had meaning and kept people thinking. However, influential people in the government and higher sources of power disliked this work and they created laws against it. Due to the uprising of the law against “writing”, many artists were forced to do their work elsewhere, more so in much more dangerous areas. These dangerous areas were more like last resorts because there were no permitted areas in which the artist could do their work. If there were permitted areas then the artists did not have to risk their health or well being for the work they love to do. If there were more places like Venice beach around where people were free to do their art, there probably would not be many laws against it. Even though, they have a great love for the work, there were a lot of negatives things that arose because of it.

            While graffiti was blossoming by way of recognition and positive thinking, some trouble that arose had many people saw it was a “cause to be famous.” If one was known they could earn respect and in most cases people began becoming known for their work in dangerous areas and places people would think twice about going before actually going. When graffiti first started out it was done in the open, for everyone to see and they were done in more forbidden areas mainly due to safety from being caught but not from the heights and depths they were being done. Their artwork moved from the side of abandoned walls to the bottom of bridges. Once those places filled up then people began moving their work to the bottom of subway and train entrances. They even moved their work to freight trains. The artwork was seen practically everywhere but public officials began making laws that forbade the painting of any type of publicly owned item of any sort. So painting on any wall, any train or anything they once enjoyed painting on was off limits and considered a punishable crime. The law had changed many times and saw it was unfair to be punished in the past for a changed law. Few fought to lift the law like famous graffiti artist “Saber” significantly later in 2009 where he fought to lift the mural ban after the city of Los Angles painted over his mural. Known as an international graffiti legend, Saber holds the record for the largest graffiti art piece in the world. It was completed along the LA River in nineteen ninety seven where it stood untouched for a total of twelve years. After such a long period of time, the city of Los Angeles spent approximately eight hundred thirty seven dollars to paint over it in two thousand and nine. Their reasons consisted are that “the art work was done without the consent of the owner and that the place was a privately owned space” (Saber, Graffiti Artist…) It is arguable that the owner could have given Saber permission to paint on the LA River, because the river has been vacant long before he began working on it. There is no doubt that Saber knew of his rights but he had no idea he would be sent to jail for a total of two years for a long finished work. What he did had consequences but he knew very little of what  followed but with continuously changing laws, it would be hard to say if he really knew the worth of what he did or not. It should be impossible to charge people on past crimes they unknowingly commit and for that he should not have had to serve the time he did for an act. Something as harmless as writing ones name should not be heinous enough just to throw someone in jail. Instead there should be specified places where graffiti artists can let go and express everything they have bottled on the inside waiting to be set free. There have not been any type of places such as these until one opened up in the early nineteen eighties in Venice Beach.

            Venice Beach has been known as a tourist attraction for more than thirty years. People come from all over just to experience the joy in the weird and quirky atmosphere. One can experience the joy of walking along the shore and lying in the sand. Or they can walk along the boardwalk and buy collector’s items from vendors as well as engage in street performing. What also makes this place unique is its graffiti wall. Famous for various artworks, Venice Beach has a few walls dedicated to those that feel the need to let go and paint. In any way shape or form, artist have come and gone leaving their names and whatever else they feel free to portray. This wall was specifically donated for that purpose and has been part of the reason for lowering rates of graffiti t and vandalism crimes throughout the city of Venice. If we want to see a change in the rates of graffiti and vandalism, there should be some sort of investment in places or walls where they can paint instead of penalized for the laws they do not know.

            Although graffiti started off as a way to be well known in an area, over time it transformed and took the role of something greater. It became a way to express ones motives and its way to political change. It even challenged the law and justice to itself as an art form. Many times we as people might find ourselves writing on public property and getting away with it, while there are those who paint murals and go beyond themselves for a greater good and are being thrown in jail for it. We as a people, if we want to keep this art form alive in a positive way, need to invest in areas where we are free to express ourselves and influences others for a greater good.  

Work Cited

Akabr, Arifa, and Paul Vallely. "Graffiti:street Art or Crime?" The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 18 July 2008. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. graffiti-street-art-ndash-or-crime-868736.html

Eric Aka Deal Cia, and Spar One Pft. "History of Graffiti." Davey D's Hip Hop Corner-Where Hip Hop & Politics Meet. 1998. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.daveyd.com/historyofgraf.html>.

Goldman, Professor. "Graffiti Art: An Essay Concerning The Recognition of Some Forms of Graffiti As Art." Graffiti Art. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.graffiti.org/faq/stowers.html>.

Post, The Huffington. "Saber, Graffiti Artist, Fights To Lift Mural Ban In LA." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/13/artist-saber-fights-to-li_n_1009758.html>.

Venice Beach

Venice Enforcement

Christopher Cedillo

Professor Slobod

English 113B

1 March 2012

Law Enforcement is a Must

Tourist attractions bring different kinds of people from all over the world into one place. When visiting Los Angeles, one of those tourist attractions is Venice Beach. Venice beach is well known for the amusement along side the beach, the different kinds of people walking the streets and the ocean water. “The area along the boardwalk - with its eclectic mix of tourists, street performers and bohemians - is among the most popular visitor destinations in the Los Angeles region”(Blankstein and Lopez). It’s a perfect place to relax with friends on the beach and walk on the boardwalk, which is a small road along the beach. What police officials acknowledge is that there are many dangers that undergo Venice beach. One of them includes the promotion of drugs and people of all ages consuming these illegal substances on the beach. The fact that there are many people on the beach, the lack of security makes people think its okay to break the laws at Venice. These acts of violence and danger also include theft, gangs, assaults and murder. Venice is a big place with minimal security, which means they don’t spot everything. There needs to be more security and law enforcement on Venice beach to minimize crimes and keep this tourist attraction safe for everyone.

            One of the most common crimes at Venice beach is the use of illegal drugs and alcohol of all ages. The streets of Venice themselves smell like Marijuana and are filled with the promotion of drugs by advertising medical cards and smoking devices. The fact that medical marijuana clinics are along the boardwalk should catch police’s attention because it lures in the wrong people sometimes. Among these people include underage teenagers and anyone who does not posses a medical card, which gives them access to buy marijuana. Anyone who is not allowed to purchase these items might find some who will buy it for them. The arrests of purchasing illegal substances to minors happen all the time in any city. Imagine the number of times it has happened at Venice beach, a place where they promote drugs? This is something that law enforcement should take a bigger stand on because it causes people to have easier access to drugs. With drugs being sold, people flutter the streets with narcotics or later use them on the beach. Along side marijuana, the use of alcohol is something people go there to do. With little law enforcement around, people think it’s okay to do whatever they want and abuse beach laws. These things also influence underage teenagers to do the same, which causes a bigger problem for Venice. “Dozens of people have been arrested for smoking pot and drinking in public, minor transgressions but ones that set the tone of public order on the beach”(Hoag). With more and more people abusing narcotics, the beach becomes more threating to public safety. With more law enforcement on the beach, the use of drugs and alcohol will minimize to hardly any police arrests because people will finally respect the laws.

            Everyone is always worried about the thought of getting assaulted or robbed at any given time. Venice beach poses a big threat to robbery because there aren’t many police officials to maintain a situation at any given time. Especially since there are so many people, anyone can rob something from a store or a person and disappear into the crowd of people before police has time to approach the scene. There have been many cases in the LA Times where people have been arrested for assault and a couple of them being murder. Citizens and people visiting Venice beach should feel safe all the times but with murders happening consistently, it is hard for someone to enjoy the beautiful beach. Still to this day, there is an unsolved beach killing incident that happened four years ago where a young man was found dead on Venice beach. “Nathan Alan Morgan, 25, was found beaten to death and buried under a mound of sand on Venice Beach on the morning of March 10, 2008. More than a year later, police still don't know who killed him or why”(Pesce). Cases such as the unsolved murder should spark a thought to someone, to have more security patrol at Venice. The feeling of being unsafe can cause people not to return to Venice and give it a bad reputation. “Overall, the number of violent crimes reported this year along the Venice boardwalk is roughly on par with the last two years, according to a Times analysis of LAPD data”(Blankstein and Lopez). These numbers will not decrease over time by itself unless more police officers are stationed to patrol Venice Beach.

Other incidents that involved gang related problems cause another threat to the safety of patrons. Gangs involve a numerous amount of corrupted people who are always up to no good. With gangs walking around and claiming their so-called “territories” in Venice, danger can strike at any given time. Incidents such as fight are common along the boardwalk and should be put to an end because these fights cause serious injuries and deaths. An LA Times article explains how just two years ago a massive fight broke out that police needed to call reinforcements and clear out the beach to protect civilians. “A giant brawl involving as many as 70 young men broke out on the Venice Beach Boardwalk on Sunday evening, prompting the Los Angeles Police Department to briefly declare a citywide tactical alert”(Hoeffel and Blankstein). It’s outrageous how seventy people were in a fight? Police should have been aware when large crowds started to come out of nowhere. Or were there even any police officials there to even spot this massacre. The fight lasted about an hour but luckily there weren’t and serious injuries. Theses fights have an effect on teenagers as well because they imitate what they see happening on Venice beach when police are not there to stop them. With more law enforcements’ making arrests, these “territories” that gangs owned will disappear. People of all ages will see that Venice is no place to cause a ruckus because you will get arrested in a second. These territories are not to be claimed by anyone because Venice Beach is a space for everyone to enjoy.

            It should also be kept safe because it is a home and attraction to many. Many people gather up on Venice’s boardwalk to make a living by selling their merchandise. Sometime they even put on acts to earn a couple dollars from the people. This beach should be protected from thieves who try to break into homes or steel the merchandise that people live off of. Venice beach is a hot spot to many who can’t afford going to an entertainment park because Venice is their entertainment. Just like in the shorty story by Sarah Bryan Miller called “Winstead’s Best Burgers,” she sees Winstead as a place she can visit and remember good memories. Whenever she had the chance she would go back to Winstead embrace the same feeling every time she went there. It remained the same. Sarah mentioned a woman named Connie Llamas who enjoys working at Winstead and has been there for twenty-five years. Connie states, “the place is pretty much the same. It just got bigger. People who retired and moved away come back on vacations-they think that Winstead’s the place to be. And it is.” Venice Beach is a Winstead to many because they like Venice the way it is and every time they go back it is just as amusing as before.

            Venice beach is a big time tourist attraction to many because they love the environment and the attractions it has. It brings back memories that will never be forgotten. When given a chance, like Sarah Miller and her Winstead, people will go back to Venice to look at its originality, to look back and see the memory they had. With more laws enforced, people will feel restricted to do what they did before and it will drive people out of Venice. It would no longer be a tourist attraction because there would be no entertainment whatsoever. The people would change and it would not be the same Venice it used to be, however crimes would not do Venice any good either. There should still be some kind of law enforcement protecting the safety of patrons. Venice at the moment does not have that kind security because there are not that many officers to keep watch of everything. The protection of human safety is more important than someone’s memory of a “fun” time because “fun” to someone could be breaking a law. People can still have fun without breaking any laws, in fact people will have more fun because they would not have to worry about getting robbed or beaten to death for some money.

More officers should be hired to patrol the boardwalk of Venice to ensure the people of their safety. Under cover cops should be hired as well to prevent to spread to underage drinking and narcotic abuse. People would not have to ease up or think about getting mugged when they are in a secure place with law enforcement around. In an article written by Christina Hoag in the LA Times, she interviews a police officer to see what he had to say about Venice. "People come here from all over the world and we want them to come," said police Capt. Jon Peters. "But clearly, in my mind, this has become a public safety issue. We're taking an aggressive enforcement posture.” Even the police officer knows that Venice is an entertainment tourist attraction to many but more police officers are needed to ensure safety. “Authorities acknowledge that policing the massive and sometimes unruly crowds is a challenge”(Blankstein and Lopez). With so many people in one place who knows what might happen, therefore safety becomes an issue everyone is concerned about. Having more police patrols on the beach and the boardwalk will reduce the number of crime rates from illegal drug use, robberies, fights and assaults. Better enforcement would only enhance tourist attraction because everyone will feel safe and enjoy the beautiful beach of Venice.

Works Cited

Blankstein, Andrew, and Robert J. Lopez. "LAPD Beefs up Patrols on Venice Beach,

            Boardwalk." Los Angeles Times. 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.

<www.latimes.com>.

Hoag, Christina. "LAPD At Venice Beach: Police Turn Up The Heat." The Huffington

Post. 11 May 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com>.

Hoeffel, John, and Andrew Blankstein. "Police Clear Venice Beach after 70 Young Men

Start Brawling on Boardwalk." Los Angeles Times. 31 May 2010. Web. 28 Feb.

2012. <www.latimes.com>.

Pesce, Anthony. "Venice Beach Killing Remains Unsolved." Los Angeles Times. 23 Aug.

2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. <http://www.latimes.com>.

Victoria Paper

Victoria Cuthbertson

Professor Slobod

113B/Univ Writing

4 March 2012

A Great Place but is it The Right Place

            Venice Beach is a well known and loved place from tourist to locals many go to see the pretty view of the water, street performances, eat at the many restaurants, and shop at the hundreds of vendors at the boardwalk. Though many love the vendors, they have caused much controversy throughout the years. From their distribution of marijuana, bongs, medical cards, etc people are starting to feel negatively about vendors. They feel as though vendors are making it too easy for kids and teens to access drugs and other illegal things. Venice’s lack of security and monitoring of what these vendors sell and who they sell to vendors have become more harmful then helpful to Venice Beach and its consumers. While vendors at Venice do attract many tourists, introduce many different cultures, and provide jobs, As helpful as they are they do more harm than help when it comes to keeping Venice a safe and protected place.

            A vendor is “A person or company offering something for sale.” Vendors can sale a variety of items, the vendors at Venice sell things from “smoking pipes, a "Venice" t-shirt, or a palm frond bent in the shape of your favorite baseball player.”(Vendors - Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California, 2012) You can find all the vendors located along the boardwalk on “the 200 peddler spaces along the 1.5-mile long asphalt strip bordering the beach.”(L.A. Votes To Limit Vendors On Venice Boardwalk : NPR,2012) For a vendor to have a legal shop they must own a street vendors license: food vendors license if they want to distribute food, and a peddlers licenses. Just recently “U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson issued the preliminary injunction last week, effectively stating that the city's permitting and lottery system for boardwalk performers and sellers violates the 1st Amendment.”(Blankstein, Andrew, Abby Sewell, and Los Angeles Times, 2012) Many of the vendors and Venice do not own these licenses and as a result of that many people are against them distributing goods.

            Though we enjoy all the wonderful things we get from vendors, many of the residents at Venice do not approve of vendors selling on the beach. “This has longtime storeowners and artists steamed, and residents in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood clamoring for a clamp down on the increased noise and transients”( As economy sours, vendors crowd into Venice Beach,2012) Many of the people who oppose vendors at Venice are the store owners on the beach who are losing business, money, and customers because of all the vendors. “It's become a real free-for-all, really aggressive," said Therese Dietlin, who has distributed alternative political literature for nine years on the boardwalk, which is lined with cafes, medical marijuana clinics and souvenir shops.”( As economy sours, vendors crowd into Venice Beach,2012 ) Because the owners of these vendors are there illegally they are not paying to be out there, where as the store owners who are paying rent to be where they are. While still continuing to compete with the vendors, which long time store owners see this as unfair. Lastly the reason most of the Venice residence do not approve of or like vendors is due to the bad reputation and attention that it is brings, because there are so many controversial and illegal things sold by vendors also because they sale them without following the proper guidelines.

            While the vendors at Venice know what they are doing is illegal there is no one around to stop them or monitor what they do. As a result of this these vendors have gotten away with selling drugs to kids, soliciting inappropriate items, and promoting sex. I have personally experienced this first hand while at Venice a vendor trying to sell me a fake medical marijuana card and a smoke bong. I was out at Venice with a group of friends on a summer day when we were walking down the boardwalk and a guy approached me and asked me if I would like to own a medical marijuana card. He never asked my age nor to see an ID and frankly I don’t think that was a real concern of his. Once I turned him down and told him that I was not interested he then proceeded to offer me a bong and see if I wanted to buy some. I again turned him down and rite after he asked my friends the same question; we were standing there for 5 minutes trying to get away while being harassed by this man. It really just amazed me how easy it would have been for me to get access to drugs and how this man was literally trying to force me and my friends to take action in such an illegal act. What also came as a surprise to me was the fact that no one around me seem to be fazed by what was going on and also that there were no security guards there to stop something like this from going on. This is one of the many cases that I have experienced or people that I know have experienced, and one of the reasons why people are so against vendors being out on the boardwalk.

            Although these are all negative aspects of having vendors on the boardwalk there are also still some positive aspects toward having vendors. For some of the vendors they bring many different cultural and artistic things to Venice which we would not have if it was not for them. From tribal art and artifacts to different types of clothing these things are all accessible to people at Venice and without vendors many of these things would not be available to the public. Also Venice and its vendors are a very big tourist attraction for people from out of town, it is something that many tourists want to see before they leave California, and if you took those things away it would take a tourist attraction. Lastly for many if not all of the vendors this is their livelihood, this is the way they feed there families and pay their bills and they work hard to do all these things so is it fair to take that away from them? We may not approve of or like their methods but vendors at Venice Beach do benefit the beach by attracting tourist and providing a since of culture to the beach.

            We all love Venice Beach and the many different vendors that they have but the controversy they cause and the negative attention they bring has made many people/residence want to get rid of them all. Because of the lack of security and carelessness of the law at Venice vendors have been able to get away with things like selling marijuana, medical card, and sexual items. Also not having the proper papers and license that they need to own these shops and distribute goods to people. As a result many if not all of the legal shops on the boardwalk are working to get rid of the vendors that surround them. Venice is not a bad or negative place, it is however a place with a lack of security and surrounded by people who don’t seem to care what is really going on. Though Venice Beach does provide us with a since of culture and jobs for many different people it also promotes many negative things. I love going to Venice Beach and tend to have a good time every time that I go but I could live without some of the vendors that they have. I just recently took a trip down to Venice Beach and some of the things that I did not enjoy was the strong smell of marijuana everywhere also the constant hassling of people trying to get me to buy a medical marijuana card and lastly people offering me marijuana every ten sec while I walked the boardwalk. As much as I love Venice and walking down the boardwalk these things are really making me not want to visit the beach anymore. It takes the fun away when you are constantly being bugged and hassled by people, especially about something that you’re not interested in. If something doesn’t happen to stop these vendors or monitor what they’re doing many people are going to stop visiting Venice and the stores, vendors, and restaurants are all going to suffer as a result.

Work Cited

"As economy sours, vendors crowd into Venice Beach - Travel - Destination Travel –

msnbc.com." msnbc.com - Breaking news, science and tech news, world news, US news, slocal news- msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36077368/ns/travel-destination_travel/t/economy-sours-vendors-crowd-venice-beach/>.

Blankstein, Andrew, Abby Sewell, and Los Angeles Times. "Venice Beach | Judge blocks

Venice boardwalk permit system - Los Angeles Times." Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/27/local/la-me-venice-vendors-20101027>.

"L.A. Votes To Limit Vendors On Venice Boardwalk : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio :

News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://www.npr.org/2011/12/21/144087068/l-a-votes-to-limit-vendors-on-venice-boardwalk>.

" Vendors - Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California." All About Venice Beach Artists,

Restaurants, Hotels, etc... - Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://www.aboutvenicebeach.com/Vendors.shtml>.

Littering Problem at Venice Beach Essay

  

Jasmin Olivarez

Professor Slobod

English 113B

6 March 2012

Littering Problem at Venice Beach

           

The littering problem at Venice Beach needs a solution. Because there are a lot of different activities going on there, littering has become a pretty big problem. Venice is one of Southern California’s famous attractions, so it’s always full of people. There is so much to see, so much to buy, that people forget about the actual environment. Not only does littering make the beach dirty, but it can also harm the animals such as the birds or actual sea animals by having them mistake some type of trash, thinking it’s food. This is why food or anything that’s going to make the beach dirty shouldn’t  be sold at the beach. A beach is to be kept nice and neat at all times because it’s part of our environment and we should take care of it.

       
   Food or anything that will make trash at the beach should not be sold at Venice Beach. Beaches are supposed to be places where one just enjoys nature and admires how beautiful it is without planning to harm it with trash. There are people who get too excited when they are at the beach and just throw their trash anywhere without thinking about the harm they do, not only to the beach itself, but also the ocean. That trash can roll into the ocean and hurt the sea animals and possibly even kill them. Out of the top ten ways that we can keep our beaches clean, not leaving trash at the beach comes in as number five (10 Ways. . .). Venice Beach may be one of the beaches that will be very harmed in the future because what attracts most people to go there is not the beach itself, it’s the boardwalk where you can shop for whatever you want (Venice Beach California). When this beach is described, the boardwalk is what is promoted the most instead of the actual beach’s’ beauty itself. The way this beach is promoted can also be a problem because most people find the shopping part more attractive and forget about taking care of the beach by not just throwing any type of trash in the area. Since Venice is a pretty busy beach, it can get very dirty and sooner or later it may become one of the ugliest beaches in California. This is why there should not be any type of business going on at the actual place.

      
    Many people may argue that it’s not fair to close these types of businesses down because it’s part of the entertainment on a nice sunny day at the beach. Not only would customers argue but the employees would most definitely be the ones arguing the most because that’s their way of making money and supporting themselves. If they really cared about our environment though, they would know that the best way to keep it clean and safe would be by shutting down their businesses and letting the beach stand on its own. The beach should not be a place to sell things because it’s one of the places where our environment can be hurt the most. There are other empty spaces where this type of stuff can be sold without harming the environment, so it would just be a matter of moving one’s business somewhere else.

    
      Littering at Venice can be a problem because there are not a lot of trash cans, and this is why there should be more located around the beach. Having more trash cans around the beach would keep the beach cleaner and there would be no excuse for anyone to say that they could not find one. Since there are not enough trash cans at the beach, many people just find it easy to throw their trash on the floor and let it just blow away. Little do they know though, that the trash eventually hits the actual ocean and damages it. Although a beach cannot talk and speak for itself, I’m pretty sure the beach would if it could. After all that littering that is done to it, it would not be so happy about it. People need to put themselves into environmental shoes. Would people like it if others came by their house and just threw trash in their front yard? I do not think anyone would so why not take care of our beach? The Santa Monica beach put up 500 bright blue trash cans last year that read “TOES IN THE SAND TRASH IN THE CAN” (Santa Monica…). Trash cans like these would be very effective at Venice and draw people’s attention so that they would not miss the trash can and easily just throw their trash there. Honestly, walking up to a trash can and throwing your trash in there is not that hard.

     
     Many may argue that putting trash cans all around the beach would be a waste of money and time. They may also argue that it would not be as effective because there are still those who do not pay attention and would not want to go that little extra step to help out the environment by throwing their trash away in these bins. So money would be wasted and the beach would still not be 100% clean. Although this may be true, it would not hurt to try and put effort on trying new things to keep the beach healthy. I’m sure that if there were plenty of trash cans around the beach, people would actually throw their trash since they wouldn’t be that far away. One cannot expect the beach to clean itself; it takes a little bit of everyone’s effort.

 
         Another solution to keeping Venice clean would be hiring people to clean the beach, especially when the beach is the busiest. Having people work at cleaning the beach, would be a great idea because they would just be on the lookout for any type of trash that’s flying around the area. All they would have to do is carry a bag with them and something to pick up the trash with. This would be very convenient because whatever people would not pick up, these workers would. This would keep the beach a lot cleaner on a daily basis. Since the beach would be a lot cleaner, people wouldn’t have to worry about birds trying to get near them and get something to eat from the trash that’s lying around. The trash at the beach calls a lot of attention for the birds, and is something that bothers people when they are there. Without the trash being an attention to birds, they would mind their own business and would not be around the people as much. Not only would these workers help, but they would probably be an inspiration to people. With that said, there would be a lot of people working keeping the beach clean much faster.

      
    Some may argue that hiring people to clean the beach would be a waste of money. As the economy is right now, people would argue that money needs to stop being spent on little things like this. Also, others may argue that having people clean this beach for the visitors who leave their trash everywhere, would only make them lazier knowing that they don’t have to go to a trash can if there’s workers cleaning up for them. If hiring people would be a problem, that’s where community service or volunteering would come in. There are many organizations that clean the beaches for community service hours, or they just do it voluntarily. Organizations such as “Heal the Bay” or “Save Our Beach,” (Other Cleanups) have a group of people who clean the beach voluntarily once a month. Even though this may not seem enough, if one talks to the organization, maybe it can do clean-ups more than just once a month. There are actually people out there who want to help keep the environment clean.

There are many people who visit Venice Beach, and do not even know how much they hurt the beach by leaving their trash to roll around the sand. One should not look at the beach just as entertainment and a pastime, but should also focus on how we are blessed to have such beautiful creations like that on this planet. Our environment has been damaged in many ways, and the beach is one of the main places where it happens. Humans need to learn how to pick up after themselves and put things where they belong, like one’s trash. Because of the beach being dirty, may probably even close someday and many people would be disappointed.  This is why taking action now would make a difference for the future. It just takes a little bit of effort from everyone to follow through and fix this problem. As I mentioned before, no one would like it if trash was thrown in their front yard the way it is thrown at Venice Beach, so keeping this thought in your head while at the beach would help people do the right thing.

            There may be those who don’t ever think about these types of things, or even care about them which is sad because we need to recuperate the cleanliness at our beach! Being clean and keeping clean is not that hard. If everyone were to do their part, it would be much easier for Venice Beach to be clean and look beautiful all the time. Therefore, closing businesses, having more trash cans, and hiring people to clean the beach would be great solutions to maintain Venice Beach clean. Since there are many visitors from other countries, this beach should be presented nice and clean. We do not want people from other places thinking that beaches in California are dirty. So for Venice to keep up the positive comments about how fun it is to be there and visit, littering at this beach shouldn’t be an option. Venice is naturally beautiful, so let’s keep it beautiful.

Works Cited

"10 Ways to Protect Our Beaches." - Planet Green. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.

<http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/protect-beaches-tips.html>.

"Heal the Bay." Volunteer. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.healthebay.org/volunteer>.

"Other Cleanups." Save Our Beach Welcome. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.

<http://www.saveourbeach.org/Cleanups/OtherBeachClean.html>.

"Santa Monica Beach Gets Smart Green Trash Cans -- That Don't Recycle." KPCC. Web. 28

Feb. 2012. <http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2011/06/02/3024/santa-monica-

beach-gets-smart-green-trash-cans-don/>.

"Venice Beach, California." City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. Web. 28

Feb. 2012. <http://www.laparks.org/venice/venice.htm>.