Rock Concert at Center for the Arts Leads to Neighborhood Trashing

The offers lots of interesting events—writing workshops, art exhibitions, music concerts—that make the place a focal point not just for Eagle Rock but also the entire Northeast L.A. “Everyone comes here for something,” the Center’s executive director, Julia Salazar, told Eagle Rock Patch earlier this year.

But sometimes, visitors can get out of hand. And when that happens, the Center’s residential neighbors tend to suffer—as was the case the other day.

According to Hal Collier, a resident in nearby Rockland Avenue who says he has lived in Eagle Rock since 1950, a rock concert at the Center this past Friday night had some unpleasant consequences: When he went to get his newspaper the following morning, he saw that his yard and the street outside were littered with beer bottles, cans and other trash. (See the accompanying photos.)

“It took me 30 minutes to clean up the trash, and I also noticed people had urinated in the street and on the sidewalk,” said Collier, adding: “I have heard complaints about the parking problems with businesses along Colorado Boulevard and spilling into the residential side streets. The Center for the Arts is our problem.”

On numerous occasions Collier has had to ask people attending events at the Center not to block his driveway. "They also park in the red zones, sometime blocking fire hydrants, but this is a minor problem compared with what happens some nights,"   he said, adding: "The Center rents out the building for wedding receptions, celebrations and other functions, some of which are suspicious at best."

Meagan Kadish, the Center’s public relations coordinator, said the Center was not responsible for Friday's concert, which was mainly managed by FYF Fest, a local festivals and events organizer. As for the trash on the street, Kadish said the Center did “not have a comment at this time.”*

Sean Carlson, an organizer with FYF Fest, said this was the "first time we've had these problems—they seem to have a few knuckleheads drinking by their cars." Carlson added that FYF Fest organized the concert together with the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, and that "for the next event, we'll make sure everybody in the neighborhood is comfortable, that no neighbor is unhappy."

Three rock bands played at the Center on Friday night to a packed audience of about 225 people. The main attraction was an alternative rock band called the Thee Oh Sees. Shortly after the band came on at about 10 p.m., scores of youth in the audience danced and romped around the Center’s auditorium, bumping into and all but toppling amplifiers. Empty beer cans and plastic cups flew through the air from time to time.

“Other nights I have observed illegal drug use and loud boisterous activity,” said Collier. “I'm trying to be a good neighbor to the Center, but I think they need to do more to be a good neighbor to us, the residents.”

*CORRECTION: The Center's Meagan Kadish says she has been misquoted in the sixth paragraph. "I was not responding specifically to the trash on the street," she told Eagle Rock Patch in an e-mail. "The Center was unaware of any complaint made about this event and therefore had no response."