Oxnard?

Saturday morning found me on a bus headed back towards L.A. Union Station where I would catch my train to Oxnard, California. The bus dropped me off a short ways from the station, and as I walked the rest of the distance I found myself in Little Tokyo. It was quiet and I got the feeling I was seeing a rare side of this city that hums itself to sleep in the early hours of the morning. Past the closed sushi shops and kimono stores, I reached the station and was stunned at its splendor that I hadn't realized when arriving late Thursday evening. Palms lined the drive up to a grand arching entrance, and as I stepped inside I saw the ceiling yawning wide above me, and large ornate rooms branching to either side. It seemed to hold a history I was coming to recognize and appreciate about train travel. In juxtaposition with the seriousness of the building, I had a giggle that kept tripping in my mind every time I said the name Oxnard. Was I pronouncing this correctly, maybe the 'x' really sounded like an s, making in kind of Frenchy. So as I got on the commuter train with my day pack, I was all ears when they announced our train's destinations. Sure enough, just liked I’d been saying it, Ox-nard. That settled, I sat back and enjoyed the mountain scenery as I anticipated my meeting with Gustavo and Thomas, two leaders of Arts4Action.

When I arrived, the two men were moving furniture and varnishing a newly painted image on the floor. Among introductions they explained that they were preparing for a exhibit this evening. While they worked they let me fire questions at them as they demonstrated the hard work and dedication that makes their organization run. In turns Gustavo and Thomas explained what their programs do, how they got their start, and how they have continued to make an impact in the community. Started by Crystal and Shawn, the first actions of the organization were largely political and in concert with local strikes and protests. From there they began to write grants and take shape more formally as an organization, eventually moving from home, to office, to bigger office. As things took off they developed a pilot program Paint Not Prisons, which is still running today. This program was developed in partnership with the probation department, and works with about 25 youth, half of which are referred through the court system. The program focuses on one project per year, more if possible, and works with a curriculum based on restorative justice and conversations about the current prison system. Youth are given formal arts training as well as training in community organizing and leadership. The youth put these skills to use by leading a community meeting in the neighborhood where the mural will be produced, gathering input for the images and design. This input is then developed into a final image that is created and then painted by the youth. The youth that participate in Paint Not Prisons are then eligible to come back and work with other younger kids in Arts4Action's after school programing, taking on leadership and mentoring responsibilities.

Arts4Action advocates for youth through their programing as well as by engaging legislators in important conversations and pushing for change. One example of this is their work to reduce sentencing for graffiti and tagging charges, as fines were soaring to an average of $1,000 with some cases reaching the ten of thousands. Members of Arts4Action talked with city counsel members about the reasons youth take these actions, and the effect such fines have on both them and their families. However, many individuals feared being seen as lax or not 'tough on crime' and the changes they advocated for were met with a lot of adversary. Final, with some turn over in positions of power they were able to make headway on the issue, addressing the need to use educated vernacular that distinguished between tagging and graffiti-vandalism and graffiti-art. The city's zero-tolerance policy did not allow for distinction between these different expressions, and did not question the reasons youth take these actions or what message they are really trying to convey. Arts4Action was able to act as a resource for advocacy and education by providing both a voice for the youth going unheard on the matter, as well as educating legislators in cultural competency and vernacular. In addition to changing the way the community talks about graffiti and tagging, Arts4Action pushed for the removal of parent-accountability for fines. Previously when youth were unable to pay their fines, which was frequent, parents were held accountable to pay for them. In this system youth were given no guidance in how to legally find ways to pay for their actions, and families felt the heavy burden of the growing fines. Meanwhile the court system could continue to raise fines as long as the families found a way to pay them regardless of the discomfort. As Arts4Action pushed for youth accountability, the courts started looking for alternatives to hold youth accountable for the actual harm done by their actions. One alternative to these high fines is community service, but as this cost the courts money in the supervision of youth, the courts looked to Arts4Action as a resource. The courts are able to refer kids to Arts4Action who are experienced youth workers and artist ready to supervise, teach, and mentor youth in a way that creates real positive change. In addition to this the youth who cannot pay the fines can restore the harm they did through the art they create for the community, as well as learn invaluable life skills while developing their artistry.

Growing out of their location at a personal residence, the organization now works with many community partners to both fund and run the programs that work with over 100 youth directly, and over 300 youth that pass through their doors to access various arts programing. The men brought out images youth had created and pictures of previous mural projects, and we swapped sentiments about the power and potential for youth to gain voice in their community through art. The art and programing matched the quality of their clear enthusiasm and dedication. Thomas had encouraging words about starting small and growing into a vision, as well as setting healthy expectations for youths' success and not taking it to hard when they do relapse into negative behavior. In addition to this he gave tips regarding successful scouting and application for grants, and to look for in-kind donations of supplies and volunteers. Wiser for our conversation, I left the meeting with gratitude and handshakes I let the two men complete their preparations.

Walking around Oxnard for the rest of the afternoon, I enjoyed the beachy flavor of the city's flat streets lined with palm trees. I was happy to visit perhaps the cutest museum of all time, it looked like a mock-model of a grand capitol building, but was just a couple rooms big. However, the art inside was fantastic and the main exhibit was done by two brothers, one who paints portraits and the other who does landscapes. Leaving the building I smiled at the receptionist who had given me a student discount just because she wanted to, and realized the stop had been one of my favorite unexpected delights. Ready for meal time, I re-boarded the train taking me back to L.A. and watched the sun cast light and shadows over mountains creating valleys. All in a days work. Thank you Thomas and Gustavo, thank you lovely little Oxnard and art museum, and lady at the front desk for a great experience.

Coming soon is a report on my meeting with Glenna Avila from the California Institute of Art, and their program connecting the university with disadvantaged youth and communities in L.A. I hope you all are well!