Save The Santa Monica Trailer Park
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There’s been some heat on the city of Santa Monica and Los Angeles as a whole regarding the possible demolition of a historic trailer park. Normally, the demolition of such a park would go relatively unnoticed and possibly even championed as a sign of economic stability, but this debate is one of a different kind.
Built in the mid-twentieth century, the well-located park sits extremely close to the ocean and many of its residents, which now number about fifty, have been there for a considerable amount of time. However, a group is looking to buy the land in order to demolish it and build office buildings, residential units, and shops. This plan has drawn quite a bit of heat, much the same way that the possible demolition of the “Hollywood” sign did.
Acclaimed writer and director Dave Mamet, one of the major supporters of the park stated the following, “So here we have not two but three groups of interested parties: developers, the residents, and the City Council, who, wise and pure as they may be, are politicians, who, in my experience, only act other than for their re-election by accident…”
To battle the investors who seek to relocate the residents of the Santa Monica Village Trailer Park, a fundraiser/campaign is being held at Gallery 169 this Saturday from 5pm-8pm, at 169 W. Channel Road in Santa Monica, CA. The exhibit will feature photographs by Willa Mamet, with text by her Pulitzer Prize-winning father.
Mamet’s wife, Rebecca Pidgeon, explained to BANGSTYLE how the family became involved. “Tom Francis was the person who drew our attention to the campaign. When he told us the caravan park might be sold off, we really felt for the people who had lived there for 20 years whose lives were threatened by displacement. We wanted to help him in any way we could.”
