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MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM | CITYD49ER@GMAIL.COM SCREENING
Gentrification documentary moves in
“City Rising” sparks conversation about displacement and gentrification in Long Beach. By Hannah Matt and Kylie Canales Staff Writers
A new documentary criticizing gentrification brought loud cheering from a full audience at Long Beach’s 4th Street Art Theatre Wednesday night. The theatre hosted a screening of “City Rising,” produced by non-commercial educational and independent television station KCET. The film focused on the issue of displacement in six California communities: Boyle Heights, South Central Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Ana, Oakland and the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento. The documentary reveals the issues that arise when cities push for development. This development, known in the documentary as gentrification, promises growth and regeneration of low-income communities. But as the film explains, gentrification often drives up home values and displaces those who are not able to afford it after renovations are made or are priced out of their residency. According to the film, this makes it nearly impossible for certain members of these communities to ever have a chance at home ownership. The film shows communities changing, culture
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In addition to federal law [the Controlled Substances Act], executive orders 930 and 1108 also inhibit marijuana from being legal on campus. According to these executive orders, a campus that fails to enforce federal law will be met with consequences. “It really comes down to money,” said Detective Chris Brown of University Police Department. “The school gets a lot of money from the federal government, and until the federal government changes their mind on what they classify as a dangerous drug or not, the university is not going to change their stance on it. Not unless [Cal State Long Beach] wants to give up their pell grants and FAFSA grants.” Both Chapin and Brown confirmed the school allots no distinction between medicinal and recreational marijuana. Possession of any form of cannabis,
diminishing, and homelessness increasing within “developing” neighborhoods and cities. Despite the struggles that low-income residents face with the rising costs of rent, it’s no secret that Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia has opposed rent control — a regulation which advocates have collected signatures in hopes of land a spot on the November ballot. The film was followed by a discussion panel led by community leaders around Long Beach, including Eva Ramirez from Long Beach Residents Empowered, Brenda Caloca from Latinos in Action California, Susanne Browne from the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and documentary director Rita Baghdadi. Browne explained the zoning plan for downtown Long Beach that was passed in 2012. The plan proposed massive amounts of renovation and development to increase the value of the area. “It’s basically a huge gentrification plan,” Browne said. “The plan promised development, but it didn’t include a single unit of affordable housing.” Jorge Rivera is a community organizer and the program director at Libre, one of the organizations that contributed to the making of the film. He explained how the community came out fighting against the gentrification plan and demanded a community benefits package. “Ground zero is downtown Long Beach,” Rivera said. “If the plan was going to move forward we wanted to make sure there was some sort of affordable housing. They moved on anyways and
whether it be flower, concentrate or derivative, including cannabidiol are strictly forbidden on university property. “We’re taking a hardline stance on [marijuana] possession,” said Brown. “We do not want possession on campus. We understand people have it for medicinal purposes. [You] can’t smoke it on campus, [you] can’t have it in your car.” Your dorm room isn’t an exception either, according to Brown, who has witnessed cases where students were removed from on campus housing after the discovery of marijuana in their rooms. Any amount exceeding 28 grams of flower or edibles and four grams of concentrate are grounds for arrest. In comparison, alcohol is legal on campus in designated areas and situations. Previously, anyone found consuming alcohol outside of designated selling sites would be cited, but recent changes in policy have made it possible for individuals over 21 years old to legally carry closed containers as long as they are not publicly
Hunter Lee | Daily 49er
In response to the issue of gentrification in Long Beach and other cities, KCET’s documentary, “City Rising,” captures the negative effects increasing development has on low-income residents.
property values went up and people became displaced.” According to Rivera, Libre has seen an increase in calls from people who have problems with renting in the area. “The process has already begun,” Rivera said. “It’s sort of like stopping a moving train — and I don’t know if you even can stop it.” Rivera said he encourages people to get informed of their renters rights and volunteer their time. “It’s going to take a movement of renters to put a halt to it and until we have enough power we won’t see any change,” Rivera said. “We know it’s a hard task,
but unless we come together it’s gonna be hard to stop.” Beto Rodriguez, a member of the organization Housing Long Beach and a Cal State Long Beach graduate, did a routine walkthrough in a Long Beach neighborhood that morning. On his cellphone, he had hundreds of pictures of broken thermostats, water-damaged ceilings and improperly covered windows on homes being painted on the outside. “The homes I saw today received a $500 rent increase and the people living there were given a 60 day notice,” Rodriguez said. “Now, the people not part of the organization were left to go to court; but the people that were
part of the organization, they can form a rent strike against the landlords.” Rodriguez encouraged anyone renting in the community to join the organization so they can fight together rather than stand alone. According to Rivera, college students are specifically affected by gentrification. Student homelessness is a problem at CSULB and universities around the country. He elaborated that younger community members and students should speak and let their voices be heard since they will be the ones who will deal with these issues in the future and they have the power to change the community.
We’re all about academic success here. We want students to be successful, so the thought is we can get students into some kind of sphere of student conduct and ethical development or counseling to get them to understand what abusive consumption looks like.”
and a “criminal citation for infraction violation of the health and safety code.” Although underaged violators can technically be arrested on misdemeanor charges, according to Brown they typically are not. Anyone between the ages of 18-21 will receive a $100 fine, while individuals over the age of 21 will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development for counseling. First time offenders are required to attend a four-hour Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs class. Second time offenses result in required counseling. By the third offense, the situation must be evaluated to see if the student has a dependency issue or is a danger to themselves or others. “We’re all about academic success here,” Brown said. “We want students to be successful, so the thought is we can get students into some kind of sphere of student conduct and ethical development or counseling to get them to understand what abusive consumption looks like.”
Despite pot’s firm status as an illegal substance on campus, some students suggest the possibility of establishing a hypothetical compromise. “Maybe they [can] have dedicated locations to smoke marijuana if students need to, especially if it’s prescribed,” said Maria Moreira, second year communication studies major. “I feel like I’d be pretty pissed too if I used marijuana as medication and had to walk off campus.” Other students are in consensus with Moreira that a regulated smoking policy and area should be acceptable. “I think maybe during school hours or during the week or a certain time period it shouldn’t be allowed,” said Ryan Bell, sophomore human development major. “If it’s like in a certain area then it should be fine.” But no official action can or will be taken to set up designated “smoking” grounds on campus until marijuana is no longer federally considered a Schedule I narcotic.
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Detective Chris Brown consuming in unauthorized locations. Those caught with marijuana will be forced to relinquish their paraphernalia, which will be taken into custody by authorities. The punishment that follows depends on the age of the individual, the circumstances and how an officer chooses to enforce the law. For those under 21, punishment entails special counseling