Interview with new Venice Neighborhood Council President Suzanne Thompson


Suzanne Thompson, a resident of Central Venice, became the second person to be elected president of the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council (GRVNC).

Two years ago, Tisha Bedrosian was elected unopposed to become the first president. Bedrosian resigned after a year in office, and the Board appointed to replace her until the June 2004 election. Thompson, a member of the Venice Progressives slate, was elected last year to an at-large position on the GRVNC Board. She now begins a two-year term as president. She was interviewed for the Beachhead by Jim Smith.

Beachhead: How does it feel to be elected to a position with no compensation but lots of headaches as the leader of Venice's emerging government?

Thompson: I'm honored to have the support of my community and look forward to advancing the Venice Progressive's Platform along with the backing of a group of committed, highly talented individuals elected to the Board. It's great to be monetarily compensated for one’s work. However, I find great satisfaction working for social justice and for the good of my community. I feel very fortunate to represent Venice and I know I gain strength, courage, and patience working with this Board. I see my role as President of GRVNC to inspire others to join in, get involved and make a difference in Venice. This will not be a one woman show. I'm happy to share the headaches.

Beachhead:: Tell us a little about yourself. What do you do for a living? How long have you lived in Venice? etc.

Thompson: I first moved to Venice in 1984 and lived with my partner at the time, Ed Ferrer. This is where I found community and knew this where I wanted to spend the rest of my life. I can remember waking up in the morning and phoning Steve Clare and Susan Millmann to join us for breakfast at the Merchant of Venice on Abbot Kinney Blvd. (then known as West Washington Blvd.) and it was like party. All our friends were there having breakfast. Our social time was spent discussing current events, especially the war in Central America and what was happening with the homeless on Venice Beach.

I became politically active volunteering for El Rescate, the largest Central American Refuge Center in the country, located in downtown L.A. which led to a development director position. Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt were very committed to the cause and I was successful in securing them for many benefit concerts. In the early 80's I spent two weeks in Nicaragua and El Salvador and witnessed the destruction and violence my country was imposing on these people.

I spent years fundraising for non-profit organizations which included the American Red Cross and the American Lung Association where I produced a three-day outdoor adventure, a Bike and Hike on Catalina Island. My love for the arts and politics grew even stronger and I was fortunate to be asked to manage Sabía, a Nuevo Cancion music group based in LA which then led to work with Huayucaltia, an L.A.-based Andean Jazz fusion ensemble. That led to working with the music group Soul Vibrations from Bluefields, Nicaragua. We toured the US and Canada.

I’ve also done a lot of work about the founder of the ILWU (Longshore Union), Harry Bridges. I helped develop two radio documentaries, "From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks: The Life and Times of Harry Bridges" and "From Piers to Plantations: A Union in Hawai'i". Last year, I produced the live performance of "From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks" in front of an audience, mostly ILWU workers and brought in Haskell Wexler to film it.

Beachhead: What do you see as the most pressing issues before the GRVNC?

Thompson: For me, it is the neighborhood council being recognized by our Councilwoman, Cindy Miscikowski, as the official representatives, or "voice" for Venice, as the city charter provides. We need better relations with her and her aides.

The other pressing issue is communicating with the Venice stakeholders, media and City Hall. GRNVC has not done a good job of that and I feel it has really hurt the organization and its credibility. It is a major priority for me and I believe the organization can make a recovery and involve more people in the organization as well, by informing people of our accomplishments, goals and upcoming meetings and events. There are several GRVNC committees doing great work for Venice. Check out the website, www.grvnc.org. This too will be improved.

Beachhead: It's still up in the air whether DONE will certify the June 27 election? What do you think should be done (pardon the pun)?

Thompson: The GRVNC board members need to meet with DONE and try to work this out. The neighborhood council and its committees can and should continue to meet over the summer. I'm committed to doing whatever it will take to keep this organization alive.

Beachhead: Getting past the current adversities, what do you want to accomplish in the next two years?

Thompson: I want to work to improve the organization's communications, as I earlier stated and to involve more stakeholders on committees and form new committees. Two that come to mind are a Community Garden and an Arts Committee. We need more public art in Venice and to celebrate our community of musicians, actors, poets and visual artists. We have several artists on the board, two of whom have beautiful murals in Venice. I know there are lots of people who care about what's going on in Venice and are looking for opportunities to improve their neighborhoods and to make a contribution. If I can help make that happen, along with the Board, then I'll be happy.

Posted: Thu - July 1, 2004 at 07:37 PM          

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