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Editorial
People Still Have the Power
The opening then apparent quick closing of an adult video store in the Historic Core is a relatively minor news story. But it is also an important reminder that individuals have the power to affect and improve their neighborhoods.
Last week Los Angeles Downtown News reported how some residents of the Bartlett Building, at 215 W. Seventh St., raised an outcry when the store opened on the ground floor of their building. These inhabitants had invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in their homes, and rightly felt that such a business would not only lower their property values but slow improvement in their neighborhood.
They complained, and when building developer Barry Shy learned of the turn (an underling negotiated the deal) pressure was applied. Soon the storeowner said he had been told that he could no longer sell the videos, and added that he would have to move. A poster of a woman in chains was also swiftly removed from a store window.
This is a clear example of the power that individuals have, even if they don't always realize it. One may not be able to fight City Hall every time, or stop a mega-project, but sometimes all it takes to turn the bad into good, especially on the neighborhood level, is raising a voice. People still have the power. Just ask the residents of the Bartlett Building.
page 4, 6/11/2007
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
Last week Los Angeles Downtown News reported how some residents of the Bartlett Building, at 215 W. Seventh St., raised an outcry when the store opened on the ground floor of their building. These inhabitants had invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in their homes, and rightly felt that such a business would not only lower their property values but slow improvement in their neighborhood.
They complained, and when building developer Barry Shy learned of the turn (an underling negotiated the deal) pressure was applied. Soon the storeowner said he had been told that he could no longer sell the videos, and added that he would have to move. A poster of a woman in chains was also swiftly removed from a store window.
This is a clear example of the power that individuals have, even if they don't always realize it. One may not be able to fight City Hall every time, or stop a mega-project, but sometimes all it takes to turn the bad into good, especially on the neighborhood level, is raising a voice. People still have the power. Just ask the residents of the Bartlett Building.
page 4, 6/11/2007
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
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