FRIDAY
10.02.15 Volume 14 Issue 278
@smdailypress
WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 LAUGHING MATTERS ....................PAGE 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ............PAGE 5 FILM REVIEW ..................................PAGE 11 CRIME WATCH ................................PAGE 12
Santa Monica Daily Press
smdp.com
Activists unite for police reform
Pier board weighs car access, bridge replacement
Community workshop follows controversial arrest at Virginia Avenue Park BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
On the night of April 21, Justin Leland Palmer was attempting to charge his electric vehicle at a Virginia Avenue Park charging station when Santa Monica police approached him. Palmer, who is black, was asked to leave the charging station by officers who said the charging stations were closed for the evening. He didn't. When he was asked for his identification, he refused. Then, in an incident that was caught on camera, Palmer was tackled to the ground, peppersprayed and arrested. Palmer and police have offered differing visions of the dispute, which sparked concerns in the
community about police protocol as tempers flared across the country over numerous high-profile shootings and altercations involving authorities and minorities. The local arrest was enough to rattle Michele Wittig, a longtime member of the Santa MonicaVenice branch of the NAACP. “Now there's a videotape of an instance of questionable policing, and I think that has animated the community to examine further how we can develop a better relationship with the police,” said Wittig, a professor emerita of psychology at Cal State Northridge. “The advent of new technology has made it possible for us ... to understand how some of these events SEE COPS PAGE 8
Documentary examines Santa Monica sports icon 'The King and Me' to highlight life of late fastpitch softball player
Nicholas Salazar editor@smdp.com
NO PARKING: Some residents have expressed their negative opinions regarding parking on the Pier.
BY JENNIFER MAAS Daily Press Staff Writer
Residents want the Pier experience to remain basically the same, albeit with potentially fewer cars and better pedestrian access. The Santa Monica Pier board recently held a community workshop to discuss plans for the future of the Pier. Organizers said the meeting went well but highlighted the need for better communication between officials and the public. “The beginning of the meeting was a report on what the consultants were thinking and sort of options for what could be happening on the Pier in the future, including the bridge replacement project,” Pier board chair Judy Abdo said. “What I realized from listening to the comments on that was the need for the bridge replacement wasn't fully explained by any of
us, and that the complicated issues that are raised by the replacement of the bridge need to be further communicated.” Abdo said the bridge project is necessary because the bridge has been identified as in need of seismic strengthening, and the decision to replace the bridge was made by the federal government. “So right now the City is in the EIR (Environmental Impact Report) process about how that bridge will be replaced,” she said. “And there are many opinions about what the bridge should look like, whether there should be two bridges and how cars will get on the Pier in the future.” The most important feedback Abdo heard was that people don't want to see great changes SEE PIER PAGE 9
BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
Dave Blackburn accomplished plenty in his life, but there was one project he didn't get to finish: his own. The late Santa Monica resident was a decorated fastpitch softball player who traveled across the country and around the world for the sport he loved. He threw 70 nohitters in his career, won four gold medals with Team USA in the World Maccabiah Games and was inducted into the International Softball Congress Hall of Fame. When he died last May, Blackburn was putting together a SEE FASTPITCH PAGE 7
PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Yes, in this very spot! Call for details (310) 458-7737
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339 In today’s real estate climate ...
Experience counts! garylimjap@gmail.com www.garylimjap.com
BLACKBURN
BACK OR UNFILED
TAXES? ALL FORMS • ALL TYPES • ALL STATES SAMUEL B. MOSES, CPA
(310) 395-9922 100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1800 • Santa Monica 90401