Eagle Rock Businesses vs Parking Day LA and the Eagle Rock Farmers Market

Participating in Parking Day LA last Friday was an eye opening experience. Simply sitting in a parking space would not have left such an impression on me had we not had so many individuals comment on and ask questions about what we were doing and why. The typical conversation consisted of us discussing the necessity of more public space and the overabundance of space devoted to parking.

Often times the conclusion that was reached was that, realistically, for parking space to be converted to public space it would necessarily require an advancement and reworking of public transportation. As of now the transportation system in the LA area cannot support those living and working in the city. It was not atypical for those riding their bikes to be extremely open and supportive and those who were looking for parking to scowl in our direction. Neither reaction was really all that surprising. We also were passing out booklets produced by UEPI on the importance and availability of local fresh foods in the LA area. This prompted a very interesting conversation with the owner of the store in front of which we were stationed.

Although the storeowner was supportive of our ideas and goals, she expressed annoyance at our use of what she deemed “her parking space”. The storeowner was open to our greater goals of a better transportation system for LA and seemed to be less annoyed with us after understanding where we were coming from. Her customers on the other hand seemed frustrated with us and one costumer even went as far as to chastise us for taking away the storeowners business. Returning to the storeowner, our discussion about our food pamphlet brought up the most interesting point. At the mention of our support of all local farmers markets her demeanor returned to a serious one. The farmers market for her does not represent a place where local fresh organic food can be purchased, but instead an opposition to her wellbeing. As a business owner she expressed the frustration the farmers market causes due to the fact that it has no designated parking area and instead, all those visiting the farmer’s market block up and congest parking for the customers of her stores. She described that typically the days in which the farmers market is held, her total revenue is lower than usual since fewer people can actually visit her store.

I found it shocking that something like a farmers market, which to me represents a positive community project, would be seen as detriment to those actually working and living in the community. This brings up the important point of balance. I think as we progress as a culture towards a more sustainable system it is necessary that actions be taken to bring together the community instead of tearing it apart. Perhaps the farmer’s market could be held later in the day or at a venue where more parking is provided. It is undeniable that oppositions will always exist to community projects (as someone is always getting the short end of the stick), but I think it is necessary to minimize them so these projects can be seen for what they truly are – positive changes to our current system.

The many reactions to "Park"ing Day LA

During "Park"ing Day LA, I observed varied reactions to our "park" including anger, gratitude, and enthusiasm. Although the negative reactions were unexpected and unfortunate, they still accomplished the goal of creating a dialogue about the use of public space in Los Angeles. The most brazen and aggressive reaction I observed was from senior citizens attending a salon that our "park" was located in front of. One man told us, "For college students, you're pretty dumb, pretty dumb." Despite the explanations Prof. Vallianatos and I gave to him, he went back into the salon and undoubtedly riled up more senior citizens because a lady with her hair still in curlers and half of it dyed red staggered out to berate us, "You think people are going to drive by and say whoopee for green!? I don't think so....Where are all the customers going to park?...I'm calling Huizar. I worked for the city council for 23 years!...Do you think you're representing Occidental? Oh, yes you are! Oh, yes you are!" From this I learned that sometimes old people are stubborn, they fear change because they don't understand change. I understand that it may be difficult to watch your neighborhood grow from a sleepy suburban community to a progressive urban environment, but I think that educating senior citizens about why change is happening and why it's important would be beneficial for both young and old.

Ultimately, it was really fun to argue with these ignorant people. The whole time I was explaining our project to them I couldn't help but laugh in their faces. Fortunately, Prof. Vallianatos was more composed than me. I should finish by mentioning that the majority of the reactions I observed were positive. Dave from Dave's Chillin and Grillin loaned us chairs for the day and offered discounts on sandwiches (I took him up on one of the incredible meatball/sausage combos). One woman thanked us and said she had chills. We were also successful in handing out the fresh and local food pamphlets that UEPI printed. In conclusion, I had a lot of fun participating in Parking Day LA and think that it was successful because it forced people to reevaluate the use of public space in LA.

parking day LA 2009 countdown ... 4 days

The class will, spur of the moment, be appropriating a parking space in Eagle Rock for this year's Parking day LA. When we decide where to create our impromptu park (probably on York, maybe Colorad0), we'll post an update.