Hello, Highland Park, one and all!
As your newly, duly elected secretary of your very own Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, Land Use Committee, may I say, I will proudly serve you. However, of late, I have had some personal difficulties. I think, the Lord will give me the grace to proceed, as He always has in times past. But, I have to apologize, because, I'm afraid I lost the minutes to our last land use meeting. I am not sure how. I think I am able to write them by memory, anyhow. Hector assures me he was taking minutes, too.
What is troubling, is that my landlord called the cops last week, and made patently false allegations against me. First, let me say, this all began when my grandfather, Margarito R. Diaz, went to be with Jesus, three years ago.
I guess money is involved, and some scoundrels will stop at nothing to cut me, the eldest grandchild, out of something. I don't know. The false allegation was that I was a severe schizophrenic, who threatened to snap my cousin's neck. (I don't have a cousin, and I have never threatened physical harm to anyone, nor would I ever threaten to harm anyone.) This false charge resulted in my dining room being filled with about 10 old men, in blue, with only 2 stripes on their shoulders. They woke me out of a sound sleep, and put the cuffs on. I tried to explain the situation, that they were dealing with The Avenues Gang, and a gang family. I made other substantiated allegations.
A heavy dark, smarmy Senior (2 stripper), walked about my sleeping area, going through my things, and picking out medication from my desk. He put a few bottles in a plastic bag, and they took me down to the station, where this paunchy Senior asked if I knew why I was there. I said I did not. He said, "Well, you're not under arrest." I said, "Well, that's good to know."
As I sat there, my hands painfully cuffed behind me. (It's okay. The LAPD NE DIV already have killed the nerves in my veins many years ago, when the gave me their infamous hog tie treatment. I guess I was young, angry, and maybe had a big mouth.) The man said, "You're here for a mental evaluation."
This evaluation turned out to be two bespectacled youngsters, who seemed intrigued with me, I guess, would be the word. We talked about four minutes, if. Then the County EMTs came, strapped me down to a gurney, hands, arms, legs, chest, everything. Where I lay till 2:00 the next morning. Without my heart meds, my glaucoma, meds, my diabetic meds, my nerve pain medications. I did without for a day. I was placed on 72-hour hold. This stretched into the weekend, five days in all, because the hospital, which was in Hawthorne, by the way, has policy of not discharging over weekends.
When I finally was out, and back to my former residence, I discovered my personal property, which was boxed, and ready for my move elsewhere, were all now completely gone. In fact, the entire room was rearranged. I had no idea where my phone was, even. When I finally got it, someone had flippin' locked the thing!
All hell broke out, when I observed a known gang member, physically push a two-year-old toddler, who already has a Mandatory Reporter CPS Referral on him. This criminal began to threaten me. So, I walked across the street, to use my neighbor Michael Spence's phone, to call 911.
When the cops finally arrived, it was a fat, old Senior, again. This time accompanied by an older, tired looking patrolman, who was probably once a Senior too, when he was young. In truth, the fat Senior was probably once a Sargeant ... a couple of times. Oddly enough, these oldtimers are always in a training capacity for new officers. Which, I must say, I find very odd indeed. These cops told me, after I explain all, again, that I had no rights. I had a few minutes to grab what I could. I had no idea where anything was. The landlord told the cops that I had made a huge mess. And then only cleaned up. Again, I went without my meds, because I couldn't find them. This was an illegal eviction. The young cop even said that he knew the gang member in question, and in fact, it was he that called them, not me! I simply complied, and said, " I wonder what Capt. Murphy will make of this."
These uniformed officers basically told me I had no rights, and under color of authority, enforced an illegal eviction.
Now, I am Homeless. I always have been anyway.I ran for a seat on the board of the HHPNC as a homeless candidate/advocate. If any would care to recall that ugly affair. I don't. In any case, I should say, that Highland Park has no worries when it comes to Land Use. Charles Fisher is on it, so is Tina Miller, of the Garvanza Improvement Association. Antonio, of the Highland Park Heritage Trust. As well as Linda Phelps, and Nancy Wyatt, founding former members of the HHPNC. This is a wealth of experience, and know how. Lucky me! All I have to do is write minutes! Bike Lanes, a proposed reroute, that will include a Master Plan, with The Veteran's Square, as center piece. That will even include the long sought after Hospitality Services for our Homeless neighbors. There is an 108 year old tree in Garvanza that needs our help to be protected.
Let me say, I personally feel a strong responsibility to Phillip Sun, and the residents of Greater Oak Circle, and Burwood. If it were you, or I, we would want someone to aggressively fight for our interests, and livelihoods. Those stakeholders deserve no less. and I think the HHPNC should not adopt a "done deal" attitude. That's it!
