Yesterday was historic. The anniversary of "I Have a Dream" and Obama's nomination, but....
There are plenty of posts on Obama and acknowledgment of the King's "I Have a Dream" speech, but I have a dream too. Here it is:
Entitled-I Have a Public Transit Dream aka Wake me up from this public transit nightmare!!!!
(MORE AFTER THE TRANSFER)
I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of late busses and disgusting bus stops, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream of getting from point A to point B efficiently.
I have a dream that one day this city will rise up and for the MTA to live out the true meaning of timetables, which implies schedules, which implies you should be able to plan your day with some sanity.
I have a dream that one day on the streets of Beverly that the currently employed and the formerly employed will be able to sit down together on the MTA 14 bus. That the 14 will come on a regular basis and that it doesn’t leave you rotting in the hot sun in Koreatown when it should have been there twenty freakin minutes ago.
I have a dream that one day even in the 818 area code, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression (because it’s like a thousand degrees hotter out there and the 405 freeway truly is the devil’s driveway) will be transformed into an oasis where people don’t have to sit in their car for two hours to get to work, because there will be a train. A train that is clean and nice and busses that connect you to where you want to go. And those busses will run on a god damn schedule.
I have a dream that my four freelance artists friends will one day live in a city where they will not be judged because they don’t have a car, because public transportation in Los Angeles will work and when that happens my four freelance artists friends will only be judged by the questionable quality of their work.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the City of LA, whose residents lips were in the recent past dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where black, white, brown, yellow, black-white, white-yellow, yellow-brown (and any other combinations of people that I left out and that would also include gay and transgendered people) will be able to join hands with other black, white, brown, yellow, black-white, white-yellow, yellow-brown and take public transportation (with the occasional bike combo) and be able to get to a dentist appointment on time without having to leave the house three hours early.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day that the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys shall be exalted, that the hills of Beverly Hills, Los Feliz and Silver Lake shall be made low, that all of the Eastside and all of South LA shall be made safe and car ownership will be a true choice, because public transportation in LA is the best choice, because it will work and it will connect the entire city, not just the parts of the city that got lucky.
This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the City of LA. With this faith we will be able to build a train system and expand the busses. With this faith we will be able to transform LA from a bunch of suburbs in search of a city into a true city. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pass a bill that pays for public transportation for all, to struggle through the bureaucracy, to challenge cronyism, to stand up for cyclists and pedestrians, knowing that we will be free one day from the ball and chain of car ownership.
This will be the day when all of buddha’s children, god's children, satan’s children and the occasional atheist will be able to sing with a new meaning:
"Walkin' in L.A.
Walkin' in L.A., nobody walks in L.A.
Walkin' in L.A.
Walkin' in L.A., nobody walks in L.A.."
And if Los Angeles is to be a great city this must become true. So let the freedom of the public transportation ring from the Hills of Beverly. Let freedom of public transit ring from the mighty mountains of Tujunga. Let freedom ring from the heightening buildings of Downtown LA!
Let freedom of public transit ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Little Joy in Echo Park!
Let freedom of public transit ring from the curvaceous peaks of Malibu!
But not only that; let freedom of public transit ring from NoHo and through Mike Antonovich’s district!
Let freedom of public transit ring with busses that come on time at least 90% of the time from Compton!
Let freedom of public transit ring from every hill and every molehill of Boyle Heights. From every foreclosured home in the inland empire, let freedom of public transit ring.
When we let freedom of public transit ring, when we get the busses to run on time and trains that connect and places for people to store their bicycles and streets that are safe to walk on, when we build a world class public transit system in LA that goes from every new made-up neighborhood that people pull out of their ass and every old school neighborhood that keeps changing it’s name for public relation reasons, from every neighborhood and unincorporated section of LA, we will be able to speed up that day when all of people green, purple, yellow, brown, black, white, magenta, whatever, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of Ian Dury and the Blockheads:
"Sex and drugs and rock and roll
Is all my brain and body need
Sex and drugs and rock and roll
Are very good indeed."
Because we’ll be able to concentrate on more important matters, because it won’t take two fucking hours to get to a place that takes you thirty minutes to get to by car!!!!!
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