Speak Out!

Silence is not golden. Silence is how an idea fades, how a movement dies, and how change never comes. Although I have been quiet on the blog, I have been making noise in my offline life. About what? Almost everything

• The state of race relations in the United States as seen in the unrest in Mizzou and the nation.
• The way cities are pushing out the poor and unwanted. They call it Beautifying. I call it Displacement.
• The inaccessibility of major cities, for those with disabilities, and the cities’ reluctance to even address the matters in an open forum.

I can’t in my right mind sit quietly. I’ve noticed that the more noise you make, the more waves you cause, the more likely it is that someone with some sway will pay attention. Notice that I said “likely” because, it is not guarantee. You can’t tackle the big mountain until you’ve at least traversed a small hill, right? That is what I am trying to do.

The Long Beach said that it cannot fix its #crappycurbs until there is construction in a specific area with such curbs. In other words, they are unwilling to do what is needed to ensure their residents with mobility and other disabilities have equal access to the city. To say that it’s not in the budget, or that it depends on the schedule of redoing the streets, is just another way of saying that the City would rather put its attention on the easy things. I have come to realize that anything worth a little effort is not worth anything. If that is not true, well, Long Beach, CA has a strange way of showing it cares.

So I picked my battle. I chose something that is incredibly easy compared to fixing crappy curbs. I reached out to Mayor Robert Garcia recently to ask about getting accessible beach paths installed in various spots along our shores. I sent a message via Facebook, by email and tried to call. Finally, I just wrote an open letter. I have yet to hear anything from him on the matter. No one from the office has actually reached out except to say there’s a beach wheelchair renter somewhere no where near me.

Next step: Start a petition. I started a petition that I intend to use when I present to the city council…because I will present to the Long Beach city council. The petition calls for the Mayor and councilmembers to look into making Long Beach a city of equal access for all of its residents.

Sidenote: I tried to post it on a Long Beach community Facebook page - it was deleted because they do not allow petitions. I sent a private message to the admin…no response. Further proof to me that Long Beach, CA cares about pets more than the disabled.

How can you help? Sign the petition! Then, share the petition! I need your help to make this successful.