The Palacio Podcast
Brian Addison has Something to Say…and He’s going to Say It!
Brian Addison is a writer, journalist, critic, advocate, and in love with Long Beach. Brian is also not shy about the topics he tackles whether for the website he co-founded, Longbeachzie.com or for the Long Beach Post where he is an editor and columnist.
Brian Addison
The question for Brian was simple: if you had come up with a slogan for yourself, what would it be? His answer was so…well, Brian Addison.
“Grab life by the Brian.”
That is the slogan you hear in his interview with PalacioMagazine.com on the Palacio Podcast. From his days “on the mountain (Big Bear)” to coming out as a teenager to the hard lessons learned as a “white American” in Africa, Brian Addison shared how he has tackled important topics and life as only he can.
Brian Addison on…
We asked Brian to share his opinion on three subjects that he has written about over the years.
On Affordable Housing/Homelessness:
“This is a subject we choose to exacerbate but we know how to solve it. It is a societal choice that we have these issues.”
While Brian admits that it’s complicated, the issue for him is all about society’s commitments to enacting solutions that have been explained for years.
On Gentrification/Displacement:
“You know what’s funny is that I think this conversation is more complex than the Affordable Housing and Homelessness conversation.”
Brian cannot cut a break on the subject. He’s been both praised as an advocate of diverse neighborhoods and as one who promotes and markets the causes of gentrification. The complex issue will get a full hearing on September 20th. Brian Addison and other presenters (City Fabrick, Housing Long Beach, Longbeachize, Art Theatre Long Beach, Long Beach Post, Los Angeles Streetsblog ) will tackle the subject in a forum titled Emphasize Displacement on Thursday, September 20 at 7 PM – 9:30 PM at the Art Theatre, 2025 E 4th St, Long Beach, California 90814. The event is sponsored by Port of Long Beach.
On food culture and Long Beach:
“Well, it’s personal. I cook. My close friends know if Brian invites you to dinner that’s not light. Food is important to me…Food is the one way for people to inherently face and get over their differences.”
That’s a noble goal but Brian also knows that the so-called foodie scene in Long Beach is tied to the gentrification issue. For many activists, what are new and exciting restaurants for some portends the changing of a neighborhood for others.
For more on Brian Addison
You can find his stories and opinions on LongBeachize.com, Long Beach Post, and social media Facebook, @BrianAddisonLB, and on Instagram as brianaddisonlb.
