Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Says Sunset Junction Needs an Overhaul

They put my braces on using a special way. I had to get a mould of my teeth taken a week before the appointment to get the braces on.   

It makes me sad that so many people fail to recall the history of the fair, or of the neighborhood. Before the fair, 29 years ago, the neighborhood was not a community. The fair was one of the sparks that ignited the area into the wonderful place that it is now. Show some gratitude, people - not by lionizing Michael McKinley or anyone else - but by supporting this Silver Lake/Los Angeles cultural icon and the good works it has rendered for the community. If you don't have direct knowledge of Sunset Junction's activities, try talking to some of the kids who have had their lives literally changed by the program. I'm sure most of the neighborhood residents and other complainants here support Obama's vision of hope and change. I find it ironic that the attackers believe the propaganda that City Hall has disseminated to the public by using the kangaroo neighborhood councils as their faux-legitimizing mouthpieces. McKinley and Sunset Junction are the real deal, not the disgusting politicians who pretend they're for the people. City Hall are the power-hungry crooks, not Michael McKinley. Get it straight.

this is a frickin fascist event. i live in the neighborhood, though just outside the borders of the festival. after they started charging 20bucks i stopped going. i can afford the fee, i just find it ridiculous to charge to enter a street fair. how can it be for the community, when i now there are many in the community who can not afford 20bucks? all over the country there are street fairs that simply ask for a donation (which SJSF use to do).

the people who run this are full of crap. there is nothing on their website that indicates who they are and how they help the community (with specifics, not just vague statements of supporting this or that community project. most reputable non profits have a very clear and explicit link to board members and other staff. when you cant find that information, it's a red flag for scummy scam artist).

today i ventured into the fair to do some errands, two thuggish looking security guys try to stop me. i just continued walking. they told the cops who checked my i.d. and let me thru. on the way back i had to re-enter on the west side. again they called the cops on me. this time the police said i had to leave. i told them i was walking home. they said i should go another way. i told them i was walking whatever way i wanted and if they wanted to arrested me then so be it. THEY PULLED OUT THE HANDCUFFS AND WERE ABOUT TO CUFF ME. I then backed down because i had no desire to spend the afternoon at the station/jail. I asked them what the charge would be and they said "tresspassing." really? a public street?

i'm all for street fairs, but the assholes running this thing need to be booted.

STOP it, or move it where it isnt a complete invasion for private property owners. We HATE it!!! Residents become trapped in or out of their homes ALL WEEKEND, because there is nowhere to park for if you leave (many homes like mine in the area were not built with driveways). Seems like permit parking would solve this, and the city could clean up on violations. Only one year did they block Junction-goers from filling up residential parking. And the constant wall of NOISE is a totally unwelcome invasion of privacy. The few friends who wander down there always report how inane the whole proceeding is. 'Just a bunch of people getting drunk, and bands you dont want to hear.' Someone knocked over my friend's motorcycle, and my wife and I have had both of our cars seriously dented Junction idiots.

I can't understand what you're saying "yo mama". Phonetics are fun, I know, but if nobody can understand you, then what is the point of writing? As my momma used to say, when I was 3, "Use your words."

LA WEEKLY GETS MAMAS KUDOS FO A PERFECT PICTURE! YOURS PHOTO OF CONFUSED LOOKIN, LOST AND MOST LIKELY BROKE LA DOUCHE BAG MOFO WITH SOME NASTY ASS LOW V NECK UNDERSHIRTS - (COMPETING HARD! DOUCHE 4 SHO YO) I DON'T WANNA SEE YOUS ADOLESCENCE PUBERTY PATCH YOU GOTS OVER AT THE 99 CENT STORE WHEN YOUS BOUGHT DAT PAPER FIDORA AND WHITE BREAD. NICE NECKLACE - YO AND DOZE BANDS BLEW ME TO SLEEP AS MUCH AS THAT CROWD. BORING! AND THE FOOD. THE 20 BUCK COVER TO PAY FOR YOUS MONOGRAMMED COLLARED SECURITY SHIRTS AND CHAIN LINK FENCES BARRIERS. SERIOUSLY YOU ALLS GOTSTA - GO FUCK YOUSSELF

Michael McKinley uses a non-profit front strategically for some questionable ends. The Sunset Junction claims to help the community. But if the organization is really serious about helping the community, it should give detailed information about its annual plans and strategies online. But it doesn't, and there's no credible information about the man behind this event. He doesn't even show up on neighborhood council meetings. He should put up his biography online, on the street-fair's website. But I doubt Michael would do this, because Mr. McKinley is a crook, hiding behind a gay-pride flag, because of gay bashing incidents years ago. And Michael uses Tsunami coffee house as his headquarters/office. Give us a break. There's something fishy about this. Seriously, the fair should be abolished, because it insults those who live around the junction.

Prior to moving form LA to Atlanta in 2003, I attended the Sunset Junction Street Fair non-stop each year from inception. Initially, it was a small community affair of diverse people which I enjoyed tremendously. In the early 2000's, it started to grow out of proportion and became a crowdied nightmare with mandatory entrance fees. In addition, the introduction of more rock-oriented bands and expensive food just ruined the whole atmosphere of the event. Hopefully, the upcoming changes for the 2009 event will include the elimination of the mandatory entrance fee, a reduction in rock-bank exposure, and more reasonable food prices. Although I didn't attend the fair in 2008, I will definitely be more enticed to return this year if the fair organizers drop the mandatory entrance fees and bring back the good old days.

Sunset Junction Fair is amazing!!! I support it must take alot of work to put on and is not easy!

The complainers are all deluded and have no clue what they are talking about!

Can't wait for this years fair! Its the best thing to have happened to Silverlake! Its made Silverlake plain and simple.

Either go and enjoy the festival or don't go. Easy as 1-2-3! You love it or you hate it.If you love it then support it = go. If you hate it then don't support = don't go. It's much better to hear positive things about something than the negative things. I'm sure there are 2 sides to everyones stories here. I wish that Sunset Junction 2009 will be a great success = all to be happy with some part of the event. I think everyone should definitely meet somewhere in the middle and let go of their differences. There's way too much going on in the world to be bitching about a festival in Silver Lake. Go or don't go. The more you speak negative about something the more you'll attract it. What you give is what you get = don't think this is meant for just one the sides. It's for both sides to see... Wake up people!

It's the heterosexual males who are causing the problems. Keep them out and it'll be much more peaceful. :)

I support the fair and its orginizers!!!

This mess is from the council office and some unhappy bisinesses.

The whole mess around sunset junction is the coucil office's fault Eric Garcettis puppets Ryan and Mitch have created this mess they are lieing to the public and are bending to a few business sarah from pull my daisy is lieing through her teeth and helping them as well as ron from good restraunt. We support the fair and will turn out in big numbers to prove it if necessary!! Shame on the eric garcetti and ryan and mitch for the lies and games they are spreading. But justice will come.

i've been going to this festival since 1994 when i originally lived in silverlake and did like going to this event yearly but in the early part of 2000 i stopped going because the most of the bands and music started getting too rock oriented and not enough bands with the cultural diversity of the neighborhood. within the last few years i started going again because of some of the great bands that were being booked: cheb i sabbah, medusa, kinky, antibalas, sister nancy, breakestra, j davey, isaac hayes, morris day & the time, ben harper, etc.. etc.. and for only $15 in advance??? i'll gladly paid that to see some of these amazing bands. i do agree that sunset junction since i've been going in '94 has grown tremendously in size but so has the neighborhood. everything changes and grows and sometimes you just got to go with the flow. but if you don't like what's happening either move out, stop going or start your own festival. there are definitely more people that love the festival than hate it - the proof is in the numbers... festival goers and 29 years running. if you feel you need to try to stop it in order to make yourselves feel better or take revenge on something that you used to love or like going to than that's your choice. but there are many local bands, artists, deejays, film makers, writers, actors, emcees, club promoters and creative souls that truly support the festival by bringing their talent and craft to this event and to the thousands of people that attend...

I'm glad that the counsel is not jumping on the Sunset Junction bandwagon. Last year was worse than the year before that and the year before that one. I don't mind contributing for an entrance fee, but a mandatory one is just bad. It isn't like they're featuring bands that remotely interesting. I use to be a blast to go to, now it's just too crowded, too trendy, too expensive, it's just not worth it anymore.

McKinley states that the festival supports the community through funds allocated to various programs and yet he never offers the books to support his claims. How does a man who creates barriers to public lands and charges $20 for the privilege of entry, and then claims to have a philanthropic regard for the community to justify the $20 entrance fee, then refuse financial transparency and get away with it for more than one year? While it may speak to his cynical and shameless opportunism, it says a hell of a lot more about our Silver Lake elected officials that he has gotten away with it more than once.

It's still a great way to close out the summer in Los Angeles, and I like many locals would miss it greatly if it was cancelled. Fix it, don't cancel it.

It did start out as a coming together of the community. Now it's just a money grabbing machine. It won't be missed!

I live at Sunset Junction and I love the festival. It's a nice escape to live at the festival for a weekend every year. I do agree it should return to "donate-at-your-will entry fee" or at least a cheaper fee - they still had great music talent when the fee was set that way and the crowd was more interesting.But please don't cancel the festival. It's a great experience!

Sunset Junction last year sucked! Too big, too clumsy, bad 'flow'.... the steep fee didn't help considering you have to pay an arm and a leg for a beer and a hot dog. It used to be fun.... now it is just a drag. How about a new festival in Echo Park around the lake?

Good riddance!!! Stupid bands, lame pretentious smelly idiots that think they're cool, and high admission charge. Bad value and actually more annoying than entertaining.

The stated purpose of the event was to bring the community together. It no longer serves that purpose. Hopefully this event will go away forever. It could be replace with a free event more in keeping with the spirit of Silver Lake. I would suggest to the High Desert family that you try the Eagle Rock Festival this year instead of the Sunset Junction Street Festival

I have only attended the fest for the last two years, so I have nothing to compare to, but I would be saddened if it didn�t continue. I drive all the way from the high desert with my two children (who are still free) to attend and it has been a great way to expose them to some LA culture. In fact, it has been one of the high points of our summer. Perhaps it�s not the communities intent, but it is a resource and important to those who live beyond Silver Lake. I hope the town council considers that.

The festival has turned into a MESS for the residents. the kids who are attending now are drug fueled, and a menace to the businesses. It is a real shame to see now, as way back in 1996, with Vaginal Davis and everybody, it was a very different experience.

I. along with dozens of my friends, will NEVER again attend the Sunset Junction Street Fest if there is a mandatory admissions fee! We used to go annually but last year's Nazi-run event was the straw that broke the camel's back. This guy, Michael McKinley, is dillusional and sounds greedy to boot. I think he's over-exxagerating his contributions back to the community too. I pray that the city denies SJ all the needed permits until the fest goes back to being free and there's a better relationship between the fest's organizers and the local businesses.