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Michael Sigman

Michael Sigman

Posted: February 8, 2010 06:32 PM

Neighborhood E-lists: Opportunity for Community

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"I couldn't find anywhere else that gave me a sense of community...I used to go all the time. Too bad I haven't been there in years."
--Typical reaction to the news of the impending closing of The Bodhi Tree, the iconic West Hollywood bookstore

Alienation and rootlessness are so deeply ingrained in Angelenos' psyches -- partly because so many of us are transplants -- as to be almost a badge of honor. (Think Raymond Chandler and Nathaniel West.)

But there's nothing cool about the isolating ripple effects of massive unemployment and the shuttering of hundreds of community-oriented government programs and non-profits. People who still have good jobs and homes get caught up in the dread, too. They cut back on social activities like entertainment, eating out and shopping, and inadvertently perpetuate a self-fulfilling cycle of hardship. Throw in long-term trends -- like ever-increasing traffic congestion; technologies like Facebook, Twitter and texting that discourage actual human contact and allow people to work at home; and the conversion of locally-owned shops to one-size-fits-all chain franchises -- and you've got a city where finding community is tougher than ever.

On the one hand, philosophers going back to Rousseau have argued that isolation is the basic human impulse -- we're born free and live our lives in the chains of social obligation and political oppression. On the other hand, common sense and convincing evidence tell us that we need to feel connected to something greater than ourselves and our families in order to be fully human. (See M. Scott Peck's The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace, Roy Oldenburg's The Great Good Place, and Robert J. Putnam's book and website Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community.)

In L.A., despite the obstacles, community may be literally right around the corner, especially if you start small. Say with a neighborhood email group.

Laurel Canyon, where I live, is a gloriously rustic part of town whose privacy-shielding hills and privacy-desiring souls can, at times, make you wonder if there are any actual humans living amongst the raccoons, owls and coyotes. But thanks to long-time resident and brand architect Richard Seireeni, some two-thirds of the area's households are connected via a collegial and helpful email group that's free, easy to access -- just check your email -- and all-inclusive.

Seireeni says, "I got involved [in 2003] because I thought I had been a selfish SOB in my youth and was looking for a way to give back to the community. The original plan was to automate Laurel Canyon Association membership and dues collection. We didn't get our act together on the dues collection, but the collection of emails found another purpose in organizing the community against inappropriate development. That's when the email list grew in leaps as different blocks became organized against specific, local development projects. It's evolved into a combination town crier, switchboard and bulletin board service. In an age when we barely know our next-door neighbor, the service has helped cement the community." (Speaking of next-door neighbors, my friend Sue discovered just yesterday that her next-door neighbor of thirty years had died thirty months ago, and neither she nor her neighbor across the street had had any idea!)

The economic crisis has contributed to "numerous random acts of kindness," according to Seireeni, such as a car service for older residents, beautification and cleanup projects and school drop-off volunteers. The group even helped save the life of Rosie, a very sick coyote: "Today at approx noon, we finally succeeded in bringing this girl in for the care she so desperately needed. We will send more pictures and details later but I wanted to share the good news with everyone who was involved or cared about Rosie. In case you didn't see the video of our pre-capture: http://www.vimeo.com/7259155."

Neighborhood email groups can also catalyze major health and safety projects. How many neighborhoods have well-structured earthquake or fire emergency plans? Very few, I'll bet.

These groups may be the best way to get your communal feet wet because they eliminate the natural reluctance to participate in more formal community or homeowner groups, with their attendant scheduling demands, politicking, socializing and dues-paying.

A survey of friends and acquaintances reveals that while several neighborhoods -- e.g. Nichols Canyon and Mt. Olympus -- have thriving groups like Laurel Canyon's, many others have moribund programs, or nothing at all. And, of course, there are lots of folks who are simply unaware of groups in their areas.

(This is the first in a series of posts about creating community in Los Angeles. Next up: Using email groups to create neighborhood emergency plans.)

 

Follow Michael Sigman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/majorsongs

 
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SaraCatania   05:22 PM on 2/10/2010
Thanks for this thoughtful blog post, Mike.

As parents with two children living in an urban part of Los Angeles, my husband and I are acutely aware of the importance of community.

We moved to a new neighborhood last spring and realized just how special our old neighborhood had been -- there people actually knew one another's names and would stop and chat. The new neighborhood was more typical of what you describe, everyone in his or her own orbit.

There are many wonderful things about our new house, including an enormous and prolific Meyer lemon tree. In early December we were so overwhelmed with fruit that we decided to make lemon curd and give it to all of our neighbors as a holiday gift. My husband and our children walked door to door with the beribboned jars. When no one answered (and many did not) they left the jar with a note and our address. For the next couple of weeks we were showered with thank-you's, as well as a cutting of a rare plant and a box full of chocolate-covered pretzels (the kids' favorite).

One especially grateful neighbor told us that in his 15 years on the block, no one had given him anything. Suddenly our unfriendly block is a little more friendly. It has to start somewhere.
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D.C. Douglas   11:29 PM on 2/09/2010
How cool to see a blog post about Richard and the email list! I live in the area, too, and for the first time in my life I feel like I belong to "something" in LA. It's home now. Their Photo Day is cool, too: http://www.myvoiceoverguy.com/voice-over/picture-perfect-laurel-canyon/

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Jennifer Kromberg   04:19 PM on 2/09/2010
What a great idea!
dgales4   01:49 PM on 2/09/2010
I love the idea of having a neighborhood email group. As much as our Valley Village association is very active with political issues, we don't have anything in regards to this email group. I would certainly welcome this as I know my neighbors would. Do you have any suggestions as to how we would set this up?
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Michael Sigman   05:44 PM on 2/09/2010
I'm gathering stories from other groups like the one in Nichols Canyon and will report on "best practices" in a forthcoming blog.

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mereTen08   02:01 AM on 2/09/2010
thoughtful and interesting - I posted contributed something, but not sure where that went. community in this city is difficult but within small areas it's happening - in walking distance - driving makes it so difficult to connect to events I'd love to go to - especially music! I Love the Broad theatre - going to a brilliant concert on a Friday night, a mile's drive away and easy parking to hear music in a gorgeous theater with great sound...heaven.
But hard to get over to the valley from the westside to hear music friends - and hollywood - is pretty much a big forget-about-even-attempting-it....sad.
rroberto18   10:01 PM on 2/08/2010
Call me an old curmudgeon transplant with the ingrained ennui of a true New Yorker. But I've lived in L.A. since 1975. And my naturalized native instincts tell me that even here, mere proximity is often an out-dated basis for true community. Especially where neighborhood skylines are dominated by multi-family dwellings -- and garages are filled with cars instead of things one's willing to share. I think my neighbors would agree -- if I could get them off their cell phones long enough to ask..

Unless I have a rare pre-existing conditional relationship with an individual who hasn't moved without telling me, no one responds to a door knock by actually opening their door. Not without a forewarning telephone call to their unlisted number. Or a peep-hole that actually functions to visually answer the "who's there?" question.

I'm happy to hear things feel more communal on streets where private homes dominate. But my community's sole email experience thrived after traffic circles appeared one morning on our narrow street. It all came to a screaming halt after we beat city hall and our neighborhood watch commander resigned without a willing successor.

Where does one find a community organizer who lives in the absence of a community to organize?
Looking in the mirror has never motivated anyone to do much of anything -- except perhaps to shower and shave. And in wealthier zip codes, to run to their cosmetic surgeon.
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Susan Haymer   08:43 PM on 2/08/2010
Michael,
Very good post. I'm glad you mentioned Nichols Canyon. We have a thriving group, which includes a block party every year, a book club, meditation group, emergency preparedness, recommendations for everything from plumbers to script doctors. Although we still hardly see our neighbors, it's good to know we are there for each other virtually.
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Wendy Block   10:05 PM on 2/08/2010
Can you tell more about your emergency preparedness plan?
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BeWrite   11:57 AM on 2/10/2010
Keep it up Michael. Community interaction is so important in this time of technology, too busy to call, over-booked schedules, and our consuming worry about our own problems. But some neighborhoods lend themselves more easily to bonding on geographic boundaries.In an area of apts and condos, people still don't know each other, except when they meet in the hallways or the check-out line at Trader Joe's. But you're right, we have to find a way to connect, through neighborhoods, political or social groups, whatever brings us together.
Isolation isn't limited to one city, when I lived in New York everyone talked about how New Yorkers could live next door to each other their entire lives without more than a nod of the head in passing.