Islands of LA (ILA)
Since 2007 Ari Kletzky has been claiming Los Angeles traffic islands in the name of the community.
This year ILA has hosted daylong activities at intersections that stitch together the criss-crossing neighborhoods of Los Angeles, organizing concerts, tetherball games, picnics, birthday parties and public discussions. They aim to redefine expectations of what an island can be used for (mainly that it can be used for a lot more than traffic signals, poor landscaping and trash). They ask, Why don’t we all meet up in public spaces that are free and open, instead of at expensive bars and restaurants? Why do we hang out on beaches and in parks during the day but not at night?” “Is it legal to assemble on a traffic island?”
They’ve only recently had a run-in with the law, which they documented on the project’s blog.
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