S A N TA M O N I C A
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY
smmirror.com
July 21 - July 27, 2023 Volume CCIII Issue 204
INSIDE New Barnes and Noble Store Coming to Santa Monica PAGE 4
What’s the Story Behind Santa Monica’s Most Memed Homes? Their Stark Contrast Have Led to Memes and Tweets Referencing the Upcoming Oppenheimer and Barbie Movies By Zach Armstrong A pair of adjacent Santa Monica homes alongside the Pacific Coast Highway have sparked widespread internet attention for their aesthetic analogy to the upcoming Oppenheimer and Barbie movies.
An all-black narrow home sits adjacent on the left side to one of identical height and length resembling a dollhouse with pink and purple features. Their stark contrast in color and aesthetic have led to many memes, tweets and social media posts comparing it to the excitement around the upcoming Oppenheimer and Barbie movies. Both being released on July 21, the Barbie movie appeals as a fun, playful feature based on the classic doll while Oppenheimer centers around the intense story of the man who invented the atomic bomb. A Twitter user posted a photo of the homes with the caption “Oppenheimer and Barbie releasing on Jul 21, 2023” Another user posted a photo with the caption “Their entire lives have led up to the Oppenheimer/Barbie release. The pair of homes was originally part of a trio referenced as the Sherbet Homes,
according to an Instagram post by @welcome. jpeg. The home on the far right has maintained its color scheme while the other two, painted in baby blue and seafoam-green and yellow, have since changed appearance. After the middle one was purchased in 2012, the new
owner installed its current look. According to the post by the Instagram account, the current owners are aware of the memes and have no plans or intention of changing colors.
Councilmember Phil Brock Attacked on Third Street Promenade
The Man Doused Brock and His partner With a Sticky Liquid From a Bottle
Santa Monica Councilmember Phil Brock was assaulted on the 1300 block of Third Street Promenade after confronting a man tearing apart signs from a storefront. Around 2 p.m., Brock says he saw the man tearing signs off and asked if he
could place the material in the trash. After the man shouted profanities at Brock, the councilmember picked up the trash to throw away. Soon after, the man doused Brock and his Partner kathy with a sticky liquid from a bottle before throwing the bottle at them. While kathy was on the phone with 9-11, they kept track of his direction to inform law enforcement. On the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Third Street, the man attempted to steal Brock’s hat then began shoving Brock. While following the man to
retrieve the hat, the man fell in front of the Anthropology store where Brock said he held the man down while officers arrived. Brock said the man was arrested on a felony of aggravated robbery. The man was also deemed mentally unfit to be on the streets by mental health professionals following the arrest. The DA will decide whether the man will be charged, Brock said. “The problem of homelessness and mental health is huge, whether it’s drugs or mental breakdowns, and that’s been a factor
for all residents and residents are of course weary,” said Brock. “We’ve hired 45 new replacement police officers in the last two years, so we are doing better.” Despite the incident, Brock says it was a lovely afternoon spent with his wife and that Promenade still looked fantastic with shoppers. After the incident, he and kathy enjoyed dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and saw a movie. “Yes, it was a terrible incident. But I’m resilient,” said Brock. “We’re not going to let that defeat us.”
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