I recently obtained a book from the Santa Monica Main Public Library (aptly named, wouldn’t you say?) relating a personal account of a renowned journalist’s bicycle journey across America circa early 1990s.
The author was ending his journey at the Santa Monica Pier and I was struck with sadness as he related his impression of what he encountered as he entered Southern California in general and Santa Monica specifically. To quote from pages 239 and 240: “I had lived in Santa Monica after moving to Southern California from Denver in 1970 but something had happened to the upscale town of my memories. On every street I turned down looking for familiar sights were vacant-eyed, raggedy homeless people. They were urinating in alleys, pawing through dumpsters, sprawled in grassy parks, a babble of incoherent voices and gnarled fingers that reached out for money... I accelerated. The headline that flashed to mind said: ‘Visitor Crossing USA on Bicycle Mugged, Killed Two Miles Short of Finish Line.’ After the normalcy of the back roads of America that had been my home, I felt as though I had been plopped down on an alien planet.”
What more can be said! I live and work in Santa Monica and feel abandoned by the city. I am tired of the prolonged discussions of both sides regarding the homeless and so many other topical issues. I am tired of dealing with panhandling, of stepping over sleeping bodies, and the overall unsightliness of this ocean side city among so many other issues. Apparently, the homeless, the tourists, the wealthy are the preferred demographics for this city as the infrastructure is in place to meet THEIR needs. Excuse me, while I fight traffic to go shopping in one of our neighboring cities.
The author ended his 3,012-mile journey in Santa Monica, with, what I consider the ONLY real negative/horrified perspective in his entire account of dozens of cities across America. I am truly ashamed.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 18, 2002. Read the original PDF.