GRASSROOTS PROTEST HITS HOME FOR FRANK RAHBAN

At face value, the grassroots signage protest at Frank Rabhan's estate was an unanimous success -- along with a pleasant surprise!

How much of an impact will it have on city government? We'll wait and see.

Roughly 40 folks banded together to get out of bed early Sunday morning on the 5th of April to meet at 251 N. Bristol Ave, L.A. 90049 and troop with signs and slogans up and down the block where Frank Rabhan lives - an individual that has brought quite a lot of attention to himself due to his blatant disregard for public safety at one of his office buildings at 10801 National Blvd. He has also angered city officials and surrounding neighborhoods by supergraphics both at his National building as well as his building at Overland and Pico. To top it off, he used technicalities in the lease to "evict" (force out) Dr. Allan from his building where he practiced there for over 16 years.

If you're new to this saga, we suggest you first read "For New Comers - Start Here" located on the left side bar of this blog.

The idea of this protest has been floating the thought waves for some time now, and it was amazing to see how quickly it came together. Knowing that the KCET camera crew and other media outlets would be there gave us the motivation to go for it! The protest was born out of frustration with the fact that citizens of Los Angeles have been dealt a crummy hand when it comes to the out-of-control billboard and supergraphics' issues that plague the city. The bungled dealings and closed door decisions by city government that has placed the signage regulatory mechanisms on it's heels, leads us to believe that the mayor and city council really don't care what most citizens think.

Below is a closing statement made at the protest by Barbara Broide that poses some great questions and messages to our city government, building owners and the sign industry about the signage problems in L.A.


BARBARA BROIDE DELIVERS A COMPELLING MESSAGE TO THE FRANK RAHBAN, L.A. CITY COUNCIL, THE MEDIA AND THE SUPPORTERS AT THE FOOT OF FRANK RABHAN'S MANSION. A MUST LISTEN!


Oh... And The Surprise? Well, we had no idea whether or not Frank Rahban would be home, but nearing the close of the protest -- with a thundering exit, his slick Mercedes throttled out the gated entry, handed Karen Foshay of KCET a document and raced down the quiet residential street at speeds way beyond the speed limit.



WE BELIEVE FRANK WAS STUNNED TO SEE OUR PROTEST. HERE'S FRANK'S GETAWAY CAUGHT ON FILM PLUS SOME REACTION FROM THE CROWD.