January 9, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

4th Annual Santa Monica Sidewalk Talk

By Keldine Hull

Head out to the sidewalk this evening and walk to talk.

Sidewalk Talk is a global listening movement dedicated to providing the public with safe opportunities to be heard. Four years ago, Sidewalk Talk Director and Founder Traci Ruble was inspired to take to the streets and simply listen. Ruble explained, “I’m a psychotherapist, and I work full time as a psychotherapist. A couple things really motivated me to want to put my chair on a sidewalk. One was sort of the hatred and violence going in our society. And two, it seemed like people were struggling. I wasn’t going out there to say, ‘Hey, you’re broken, and I’ve got all the answers.’ It was more saying, ‘What’s going in our society today that we are aggressive and mean?’ People are shooting each other, and we’re being non- inclusive to people that are different from us. There’s so much inequity.”

In May 2015, Ruble along with 27 other volunteers sat out on San Francisco sidewalks in 13 different locations, catching the attention of several press outlets in the process. Ruble continued, “NPR actually mic’d me while I was listening, and one of our talkers was willing to be mic’d. On the air, he publicly came out as being somebody with Acute Bipolar 1 Disorder. He wanted to say, ‘Look, people struggle with stuff that you don’t even know.’ He looked like a regular tech worker; you would never know.”

Following the listening event, several organizations throughout the country expressed interest in doing something similar in their cities. Ruble continued, “Over time, it’s grown to over 50 cities in 12 countries now. And there are 6,000 of us that do this.” Ruble added, “What we’re actually trying to do is generously say, ‘I’m here to hear you,’ with whatever it is going on for you. It could be I just fell in love, or it could be I’m really depressed. What we know fundamentally is that we as a society don’t connect with each other anymore, yet it’s a biological drive that we have as people.”

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Sidewalk Talk will be holding its 4th annual listening event today from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Co-sponsored by SimplePractice, 60 volunteers will be stationed in several locations throughout Santa Monica including the Pico Branch Library, Espresso Cielo, Metro- Transit Hub, Philz Coffee, Santa Monica City Hall, Santa Monica Pier, WeWork by AMC, St. John’s Hospital, UCLA Health. Their sole purpose is to listen to anyone who needs to be heard and amplify the mental health of the community around them.

Ruble added, “It’s the disruptive element of being out there on the sidewalk that wakes people up to our need for connection. It also gives people walking by, who maybe didn’t have the courage to sit down, to at least have the courage to talk to somebody later because they watch so many other people being courageous. We’re planting that seed. Look at how many people sit down and talk to other people about what’s going on with them. You can do it too.”

To learn more, including a full list of locations and chapters, visit: www.sidewalk-talk.org

<>Related Posts

Pedestrian Killed in Marina del Rey Hit-and-Run, $50K Reward Offered For Information

January 9, 2025

January 9, 2025

The Driver Failed to Stop, Render Aid, or Identify Themselves, as Required by Law Detectives from the Los Angeles Police...

Beloved Westside Restaurants Destroyed in Palisades Fire

January 9, 2025

January 9, 2025

Iconic eateries like Moonshadows Lost to Destructive Blaze Sadly, several historic and well-loved restaurants were lost in the Palisades Fire....

Palisades Village Area Unrecognizable As Smoke Clears

January 9, 2025

January 9, 2025

Several Businesses are Skeletal Embers of Themselves By Zach Armstrong Downtown Palisades is unrecognizable with several beloved businesses and structures...

Santa Monica Issues Emergency Order, Imposes Nighttime Curfew Amid Pali Fire

January 8, 2025

January 8, 2025

Approximately 2,472 Households in Northern Santa Monica Are Currently Under Mandatory Evacuation, With an Additional 8,338 Households Under Voluntary Evacuation...

Historic Will Rogers Ranch, Topanga Ranch Motel Wiped Out in Palisades Fire

January 8, 2025

January 8, 2025

The Destruction of These Sites Are Among Many in the Palisades, Where a Multitude of Landmarks and Establishments, in Addition...

Breaking News: Day Two of the Palisades Fire: Updates and Latest Information

January 8, 2025

January 8, 2025

This Devastating Fire Has Spread to Santa Monica and With Zero Containment After 24 Hours In one day, the Palisades...

Here’s What’s Been Damaged After One Day of Devastating, 3,000-Acre Palisades Fire

January 8, 2025

January 8, 2025

An evacuation center at Westwood Recreation Center, located at 1350 S Sepulveda Blvd., is open for evacuees and accepts small...

Authorities Extinguish Small Fire on Side of Marina del Rey Apartment Building

January 8, 2025

January 8, 2025

A Video Posted on the Citizen App Showed Multiple Police Cars on the Scene By Zach Armstrong Deputies extinguished a...

Breaking News: Santa Monica Has Issued Mandatory Evacuations Tonight Above San Vincente

January 8, 2025

January 8, 2025

Residents Between Ocean and 26th St. Must Evacuate Immediately The City of Santa Monica has issued an evacuation order for...

Gov. Newsom Deploys Firefighting Resources to Southern California During Severe Windstorm

January 7, 2025

January 7, 2025

State Pre-Positions Crews, Aircraft, and Equipment To Los Angeles County  Because of the Red Flag and severe windstorm warning issued...

Palisades Fire Erupts Amid Severe Windstorm in Moving Towards Santa Monica, Brentwood and West LA

January 7, 2025

January 7, 2025

Pacific Palisades Wildfire at 2920 Acres, Mandatory Evacuations Ordered in Multiple Areas This article will be updated as events unfold....

Palisades Fire Erupts Amid Severe Windstorm in Moving Towards Santa Monica, Brentwood and West LA

January 7, 2025

January 7, 2025

Pacific Palisades Wildfire at 2920 Acres, Mandatory Evacuations Ordered in Multiple Areas This article will be updated as events unfold....

Gov. Newsom: “New Offshore Drilling Has No Place in California”

January 7, 2025

January 7, 2025

The Biden Administration’s Recent Move Safeguards Over 625 Million Acres across the U.S., Including The Pacific Coast of California California...

Volunteer Registration Open for 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count

January 7, 2025

January 7, 2025

Community Support Needed for Annual Count, Taking Place January 21-23 Volunteer registration is now open for the 2025 Greater Los...

(Video) At Vistamar School – Discover the way high school should be

January 7, 2025

January 7, 2025

Students achieve remarkable outcomes with our strong academics, small classes, andpersonalized approach. Our graduates don’t just attend college—they excel. Vistamar’sunique...