Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study, and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, uploas an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about people they meet.
Also included in Facebook, is an application that allows you and other members to join groups by subtypes such as geography, students groups, or common interests. As we all know, networking amongst youth is quite influential. I came across a group under common interest-beliefs and causes called Sink the Breakwater. The description for this group invites everyone who is "ashamed of the Long Beach surf and would like to walk down the Penni along a pristine beach to the sound of roaring waves that rival any on the West Coast." This group has already captured the attention of the 66 members it holds, and I believe it will carry on to influence the way many people think about the Long Beach Breakwater.
After coming upon this group, I became interested in knowing more thoughts from the creator, Patrick McEveety. I sent a message asking him to share his thoughts, and he responded:
The breakwater is both unaesthetic and detrimental to the city of Long Beach. It was built by the Marine Corps for the purposes of the military, which no longer has a base in Long Beach. Today it serves as a breakwater to calm the powerful Pacific swells from invading the port of Long Beach. However, the size of the breakwater today is not essential to serve its purpose. much of the west breakwater could be demolished and with little repercutions to the stability of the harbor. Furthermore, additional breakwaters could be added in the east toward the shoreline to serve this purpose. But why do this? Why spend millions demolitioning a breakwater only to be in need of building a possible supplementary breakwater? Because the Long Beach Breakwater has the ability to change the economy and culture of Long Beach. Without a breakwater the beaches could be opened up to citizens, and increase tourism and nature.
Today, the Long Beach Breakwater has severely altered the pollution in the surrounding waters for the worse. Just look at the prevelance of redtide, or how dirty the water is after a storm. Not only this, but it has been horrible for the beaches themselves. The peninsula is erroding at an increasing rate while other areas continue to widen, causing the need for sand relocation to the penninsula in the winter months which is financially a heavy burden on the city. But the best reason for demolishing, modifiying or replacing this breakwater with an adjacent breakwater is the effect that it can have on the local economy. If the breakwater were removed, Long Beach could enjoy the same kind of beach goes as Huntington, Manhattan or Malibu. People come to the beach for the waves, for the shops and for a day of peace along the water, but Long Beach doesn't receive this in a substantial way because none of that is there. Just look at photos of the beach in the early century. The beaches were flooded. This could be the case today if the breakwater was removed, even if just at the west end, waves would reform, beachfront property could be rezoned for commercial uses and people would soon follow. It is hard to understand why the city, which seems to be bent on changing Long Beach to an entertainment and tourist destination, cant see the obvious potential of the beaches here, and the revenue it would undoubtedly create. Within years this new revenue (possibly created by a new lively and commercialized ocean avenue along with the attention and increased numbers that would help almost all businesses in Belmont Shore and downtown) would pay for the actual cost of demolition and recreation of the breakwater.
And lastly, Long Beach has the potential, judging from its past, to have some of the greatest waves on earth. For surfers (like me) and for nearly anyone this creates attention, more attention and more advertisement than the city of Long Beach could ever hope for. The military and city officials need to get real about this and open their eyes to the project that changed Long Beach for the worse forever. They need to realize that Long Beach can be a haven, a resort and most of all a place of interest to people from around the world.
I think that McEveety has very powerful thoughts, and there is a lot of information people may want to consider. Even with the help of college students showing their support through a group on the Internet adds an important aspect to the entire campaign to Sink the Breakwater. If you are a member of Facebook, you should look into joining and supporting this group, otherwise consider the thoughts that have been stated above.
1 comment:
I agree with you
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