Mighty Companions

Instead of people being on devices while waiting for a movie to start, on line in a market, or drinking coffee at Starbucks, it will get people connecting with each other, person to person. This project will create a wave of friendliness washing over the city, enhancing the attraction of L.A. as a place to visit and to live. Making L.A. a Friendlier City will burst into reality when we are out of lockdown, helping us come together as one city let alone as one humanity.

We all want L.A. to be a friendlier place, and all we need to do to make that happen is to get us talking to each other. Making L.A. a Friendlier City will get people to do that. It gives people permission and encouragement to take a break from their devices and engage with one another in short conversations the old-fashioned way, person to person. Imagine how the vibe of L.A. could change if we were connecting with each other at the movies, in a market, at events, or on a line at Starbucks!

How about creating Sister Blocks, where the richer parts of town partner with the poorer parts? It would be hands-on, where real people would get to shake hands and listen to each other’s stories. If this were a happening thing, it would give affluent people a simple way to be volunteers, where it wouldn’t be a big decision for each individual about which organization to give themselves to, but the group nature of it and the widespread practice would make it a natural for many people to participate. One of the unofficial ways I “give” is to the people who work for me, who clean my house and do my gardening. I am generous to them beyond the fees they charge for their services. When you know people personally, if you are of a generous nature it is very satisfying to help them. This would be the same thing, writ large and systematized. So, let a block from Beverly Hills get to know a block from South Central, with the idea of seeing how they can help. Facilitation would be needed at the start. And meeting places, like schools or banks or community rooms. But it is so simple and so doable and could be so far reaching, even creating a model program for the rest of the world.