CRIME LA Mayor Eric Garcetti signs order criminalizing homelessness

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti signs order criminalizing homelessness

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Eric Garcetti wearing a suit and tie: MailOnline logo

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recently signed into law an ordinance that criminalizes homelessness in most parts of the city, a motion that has drawn just as much fierce support by some as it has opposition by others.

The law specifies certain times and locations where it will be 'unlawful for a person to sit, lie, or sleep, or to store, use, maintain, or place personal property in the public right-of-way'.

The ordinance, which will go into effect 30 days from last Thursday, makes it illegal to sit, lie, sleep, or set up encampments within 500 feet from 'sensitive use' properties, which include schools, parks, libraries, overpasses, underpasses, freeway ramps, tunnels, bridges, pedestrian bridges, subways, washes, spreading grounds and active railways.

The ordinance also makes it a crime to sit, lie, sleep, or set up encampments within 1,000 feet of or on a 'street, sidewalk, or other public right-of-way'.

Individuals who violate the law will be issued a citation from the City's Administrative Citation Enforcement Program.

However, individuals who refuse to comply or obstruct a city employee from enforcing the law will either face a misdemeanor charge, imprisonment for up to six months in the LA County jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000, as laid out in Section 11 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code.
  • Eric Garcetti wearing a suit and tie: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recently signed into law an ordinance that criminalizes homelessness in most parts of the city
  • a group of people in a tent: The law specifies certain times and locations where it will be ‘unlawful for a person to sit, lie, or sleep, or to store, use, maintain, or place personal property in the public right-of-way,’ the ordinance reads
  • text, letter

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recently signed into law an ordinance that criminalizes homelessness in most parts of the city
Garcetti and other proponents of the law say that its intentions are not to punish unhoused individuals, but to promote public safety and cleanliness.

'The homeless crisis has reached epic proportions across the City of Los Angeles,' the ordinance reads. 'It is the obligation of the City to keep its public rights of way clean and available for public use, and to protect the public health, safety, and access by City constituents.'
Garcetti signed the law Thursday, following a 13-2 vote in favor by the Los Angeles City Council.

The following night, about 50 protesters rallied outside Garcetti's house with some leaving protest placards on the sidewalk and others vandalizing the exterior with toilet paper and graffiti.

Police in riot gear responded to the protest and cleared the area, but no arrests were made, according to Fox News.

According to the Greater L.A. Homeless Count, there were 66,433 homeless people living on the streets of LA County in 2020, a 12.7 percent increase from the previous year.

Over the last decade, Los Angeles County has seen the number of homeless double from about 40,000 to about 80,000, according to the Los Angeles County Homeless Count.

Mike Bonnin, one of two city council members who voted against the ordinance, said at Wednesday's city council meeting, 'There are far more people who want housing than we have sufficient resources for.

He added that the city only has enough shelter beds for 39percent of the unhoused population, but 'What about the other 61%? Where can they go? Where can they sleep?'

Bonnin previously spoke out against the motion and gave a personal anecdote about his experience with homelessness, as reported by Spectrum News.

'Some of those nights I slept in the car, some of those nights, when my car was in the shop, I slept on the beach,' he said.
'I cannot tell you how much turmoil is in your heart when the sun is setting and you don't know where to sleep. I cannot tell you how demoralizing and dehumanizing and defeating that experience is when you don't know where you're going to sleep.

'That's what it comes down to for me ... where can people go, where can people sleep when they do not have an alternative.'

Ricci Sergienco, of the LA People's City Council, spoke at Wednesday's meeting against the ordinance and said that it's 'basically saying that poor people just existing will be criminalized'.

He added, 'This law unfairly paints unhoused people as a threat to children and the public. The lack of appropriate housing is the real threat to public safety.

'I've been down on the Venice boardwalk in the middle of the night for the past month or so and the cops are moving people from 2 to 5am. How the city is handling the homelessness crisis is not appropriate. And if you all think that you're all doing a good job, you should take a long look in the mirror.'

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Many took to Twitter to express their dissent for the new law. Yoonj Kim, an MTV News correspondent, tweeted, 'So instead of responsible policy reform around affordable housing, zoning, or even rent control, Los Angeles—the epicenter of the housing crisis—has officially criminalized the act of sitting and sleeping outside. Context by @ananyaUCLA @BryantOdegaLA'

A left-leaning podcaster called Lefty-Desiree McLefty Face, Milkshake Whisperer, tweeted, 'The City Council in Los Angeles is pretty much outlawing homeless instead of addressing the very real structural issues that cause it. Minimum wage should be around 30 an hour for starters. Tonight protesters will be heading to Garcetti's house to press the issue.'

But some residents were just as passionate about their support for the law. Sulman Mancus, who's on the board of a local condominium association, spoke in favor of the motion and said that when it comes to seeing dozens of homeless people camped on public streets, 'we all feel our hands our tied to do anything about it.'

'Children are feeling unsafe, people are feeling unsafe in my building to walk around the neighborhood,' he added. 'Previous speakers do not speak for most Angelenos. We are a compassionate city, the city council members are compassionate as well, but there has to be a balance between a full heart for people that do not have homes and also a full heart for our community and our sense of neighborhood and safety.'
Councilman Paul Krekorian, who voted in favor of the law, told The Independent earlier this month that the law does not make it illegal to be homeless. 'It does not make any conduct that is fundamental to being human illegal,' he said.

'What it does do is it guarantees that we will reestablish passable sidewalks. It protects the users of our public infrastructure and the unhoused residents of our city from being put into positions of interaction with automobiles, around loading docks, driveways and so forth. It guarantees access to our fire hydrants, entrances to buildings.'

A statement the mayor's office sent to The Independent describes the city's attempt to find a balance between public safety and the homeless crisis.

It reads, 'We don't need to choose between keeping our public spaces clean and safe, and connecting Angelenos experiencing homelessness with the housing and services they so desperately need.

'We can and will do both, and I support the council action because it will help achieve that goal in a way that is humane, compassionate, and responsive to the urgent needs in our communities.'
  • a group of people standing around a plane: Meanwhile, the morning Garcetti signed the law, authorities cleared dozens of homeless encampments dotting Venice Beach
  • a group of people sleeping on the ground: The homeless encampments have become a virtual tent city with violent crime and rampant drug use, pushing tourists and families out
  • a group of people sitting at a beach: City workers began the process of tearing down homeless camps along Venice Beach ahead of the July 4 weekend this year


Meanwhile, the morning Garcetti signed the law, authorities cleared dozens of homeless encampments dotting Venice Beach and, starting last Friday, camping is no longer be permitted in the area.

The homeless encampments have become a virtual tent city with violent crime and rampant drug use, pushing tourists and families out. City workers began the process of tearing down homeless camps along Venice Beach ahead of the July 4 weekend this year.
The move followed the discovery of a dead homeless man in his tent on the boardwalk, according to Fox News. And another homeless man was arrested in connection with the killing.

Fox News reported that Venice had a 132 percent increase in assaults in which a homeless person was a suspect in 2021 and a 126 percent increase in cases in which a homeless person was a victim as of the end of May.

Meanwhile, robberies in which a homeless person was the victim increased by 1,100 percent while robberies in which homeless person was a suspect increased by 160 percent.
 
Probably because the city looks like a third world refugee encampment. Going to be interesting to see how this works out.
Well, in a way if they go to jail they will have a clean bed to sleep in and hopefully 3 meals a day! So ok put em jail and let the city house and feed them. I feel bad for them that they are losing the few belongings they have. And some of them have dogs.

But I agree the city can't have poop everywhere and drugs too. City needs to take care of it's poor. What are we now? A 3rd world country?
 

Macgyver

Has No Life - Lives on TB
So I have an address. I nod off on a park bench on a nice afternoon. I guess I just became a criminal.
Probably not.
Cop wakes you, you have a chat and you go on your way.
Passed out in your own shit with liquor bottles and drug paraphernalia around you then your getting cuffed and stuffed.
 

33dInd

Veteran Member
Th country. Every city used to have vagrancy laws. That’s a fact
The Supreme Court struck them down in the late 60’s
Those was came about as result of the Hooverville s
 

Double_A

TB Fanatic
If they really go through with it, all they're going to do is fill up LA County Jail, then the Sherrif gets sued for over crowding and then it's rinse and repeat.....

Don't forget the LA County District Attorney's office, that operates a revolving door policy.
 

helen

Panic Sex Lady
Cops in other counties give away nice backpacks to bribe homeless men to get in the van. They drive them to a dumping spot a block from elder.
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Interesting. I don't think of homeless as criminals. They are just an unlucky subset of the regular population.
Unfortunately the bad portion of that subset is more visible by the damage they do and the issues they cause. Most of them try to stay out of trouble and as far out of the law's sight as they can.
Butt CA homeless contain a large portion of illegals as well. And there is a different value set there.
And my heart hurts for the veterans trapped/lost in homelessness. That is no way to support those who fought for our country.
 

mistaken1

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Left-wing feelz policies have created hardship and suffering for tens of millions of people in this country. Now that they have stolen the federal government fair and square they are on a path to create hardship and suffering for hundreds of millions of people in this country. Yet they still manage to elude jail cells. Amazing.
 

greysage

On The Level
Now out of compassion for not wanting or being able to arrest all these homeless, it is a criminal act not provide your spare bedroom to a city sponsored homeless person.
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
They do have to try to look like they are doing something, but the County Jail isn't going to be big enough to stuff all these people into it - nor do the local animal rescues in Los Angeles have the ability to take in all the dogs, cats, and even pet rats overnight.

I suspect this is step one towards building a giant semi-detention facility/internal displaced person's camp outside of the LA metro area, maybe built by FEMA or the national guard. It won't quite be like the fabled "FEMA camps" at least not right now, but instead, it will essentially be a tent city with fences. It may or may not be part of a formal prison system and it might be a "choice" given to people after their 3rd arrest and fine they can't pay - go live here under supervision or go to the State Penn for a few years - I think most people will take a tent or trailer.

They do HAVE to get these people off the streets en mass because it is a public health nightmare, but just making it a criminal offense to be homeless never works (at least not in modern Republics). That's because people who really have nowhere to go are not going anywhere unless moved, and if they are not moved to someplace that is at least close to food, water, and some sort of shelter they will simply walk back to someplace that has those things.

Most homeless people are not stupid, ignorant in some cases but not stupid, they know they are more likely to survive the winter in Southern California than in New York City.
 

33dInd

Veteran Member
Interesting. I don't think of homeless as criminals. They are just an unlucky subset of the regular population.
Unfortunately the bad portion of that subset is more visible by the damage they do and the issues they cause. Most of them try to stay out of trouble and as far out of the law's sight as they can.
Butt CA homeless contain a large portion of illegals as well. And there is a different value set there.
And my heart hurts for the veterans trapped/lost in homelessness. That is no way to support those who fought for our country.
homeless is not a new phenomena
we used to call them hobos
then saddle tramps.
not for sure what was before.\The Great depression certainly created a lot of the homeless.
and Prior to WW1
and a large portion of the current homeless are a result of the loss of sanitoriums and insane asylum's. That started in the 60's and pretty much emptied out those havens for the insane. Good or bad conditions not withstanding. there was a state sanctioned place for them. Another democrat failure closing those places enmass, But that also opened up a voter population for them.
 

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Pardon the thread drift, but the other state that has a large per capita homeless crisis is Hawaii.....And this is what the state government has posted on their web site as to how they plan to address it.....

Posted for fair use.....

Home » Homeless In Hawaii : Facts and Resources

Homeless In Hawaii : Facts and Resources
Hawaii’s Homeless:


  • Estimated to be around 15,000 homeless individuals in Hawaii
  • 1,500 – 2,000 chronically homeless individuals (“Chronically homeless = Have been homeless for more than 6 months + mental and/or physical health conditions)
  • The average life expectancy for Hawaii’s homeless is 53– almost 30 years less than the general population
  • They suffer high rates of mental illness, addiction, and PTSD
  • Disproportionately Native Hawaiian

The High Price of Homelessness in Hawaii:


  • Chronically homeless individuals are most of the highest Medicaid utilizers in the state
  • 3.61% of Medicaid users consume 61% of the 2 billion dollar annual budget
  • 13,000 people spend 1.2 billion in Medicaid each year
  • There is almost total overlap with these high utilizers and the chronically homeless population
  • The average cost per person to the health system is $4,650 per day
  • The highest utilizers spend an average of $82,000 per year

Housing is Healthcare:


  • Housing a homeless individual drops their Medicaid costs by at least 43% and as much as 73%
  • Housing Hawaii’s chronically homeless would result in at least $300,000,000 per year in Medicaid savings
  • People’s overall health outcomes drastically improve when they’re housed

Health complications from homelessness:


  • Exacerbates existing medical conditions
  • High levels of stress
  • Cleanliness challenges that result in infections
  • Exposure to the elements
  • Heightened risk for injuries
  • No safe place to store prescriptions


Projects and Initiatives


Kauhale


  • Master-planned tiny homes communities for the chronically homeless
  • Places of social respite and community-oriented
  • Three initial locations have been identified on Oahu at Kalauloa, Waimanalo, and Nimitz
  • They follow a traditional cultural model of communal housing with shared bathroom, kitchen, and leisure areas

**To learn more about the Kauhale Initiative and how you can be involved, click here**


Hawaii Homeless Healthcare Hui (H4)


  • A public/private partnership supported by regional health systems and philanthropists to create a new model to address chronic homelessness
  • Their mission is to care for the people of Hawaii who are struggling
  • They provide a safe, functional environment for those in need to get service
  • H4 alleviates the financial and medical strain on emergency rooms and health systems
  • The flagship location in Iwilei has a hygiene center with mental health professionals and social workers on site.
  • By the end of 2019, it will also have a free clinic, long term medical respite beds, and permanent supportive housing units

Joint Outreach Centers


  • Funded and operated by H4
  • Two initial locations in Chinatown and Kaneohe on Oahu
  • The clinics provide free medical services to the homeless
  • They save an average of $105,000 per week in emergency room visits
  • They work in collaboration with law enforcement
  • The clinics primarily provide wound care and mental healthcare, including long-acting antipsychotic drugs

Permanent Supportive Housing (Housing First)


  • Rapid re-housing initiatives
  • Expansion of Section 8 vouchers
  • Emphasis on affordable housing development
  • Emphasis on transit-oriented development

Assisted Community Treatment


  • This new law requires treatment when an individual is deemed a danger to themselves or others or is decompensating due to severe mental illness or addiction
  • It is intended for the most severely incapacitated homeless individuals, many of whom suffer from untreated schizophrenia
  • Over 40 individuals who qualify for this treatment have already been identified in the urban core
  • It is the subject of this Hawaii News Now documentary “Prescribing Hope: Trapped on the Streets”


Lieutenant Governor Green’s Homeless Resources


The Lieutenant Governor’s 10 Point Plan on Homelessness


Housing is Healthcare Brochure




Homeless Services


H4 Hawaii


Institute for Human Services Hawaii


Aloha United Way


Mayor’s Office of Housing


HieHie
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
Decades ago, when I was doing some volunteering with the homeless (mostly via the HIV/AIDs vigil) in San Francisco, the City had a preview of what is happening with the homeless now.

So they made a bit deal about "cleaning things up" and without warning went into the city center with bulldozers, took everything away from everyone, and told everyone to "go to a shelter."

There was just one problem, as was explained on the evening news, there were no shelter beds already not in use and now there were hundreds if not a couple of thousand people with nowhere to go.

Where they went, was instead of congregating mostly in one place where there were some agreed-upon "basic rules" (like where the toilet bush was) and they moved to individual doorways, sidewalks, and parks all over the city.

Businesses were furious because suddenly they had lots of people sleeping in their doorways, on heating grates, and blocking the sidewalks.

Moral of the story: if you really want to move a massive group of homeless people, you need to set up a place to take them first - one that actually has at least water, food, and some crash space; preferably with at least shared toilets and shower blocks.

Back when I was aware of this population, there were "homeless hotels" all over most large cities (including San Francisco and Los Angeles) where a homeless person could rent a room for the night or a week with part of their SSD check or whatever, get a shower and sleep safely for a few nights.

A lot more people just lived in the hotels, they were not exactly homeless but they were not exactly great places to live either.

But they were better than what is there now which is pretty much NOTHING. All of those old buildings (that I am aware of) were either torn down or revamped as Yuppie Apartment complexes because land in these urban areas just got too expensive not to commercialize.

I've seen with my own eyes the homeless population in Seattle and plenty of photos of modern LA and this is much worse than a "hobo problem," this is a massive housing and public health problem.

There will always be some people who are extremely mentally ill or have other issues who want to sleep on the streets or who refuse to cooperate with even the most basic "rules" of a shared living area. But I don't think there have been masses of homeless people (from many different backgrounds) this large in the USA since the Great Depression when eventually the State and Federal Governments did have to build massive camps for a lot of them.

My Mother grew up living in national park cabins, closets, parking lots, and camps during this period as did our member Old As Dirt.

Note to the Los Angeles City Council, be ready to massively extend your jail or be ready to find a way to provide housing at least for the sane portion of the tent people, or be prepared to just have the situation get even worse. Judges waving fingers at the City (who loses in court) when people have no income and can't pay fines, will just be the start of the blowback.
 

Babs

Veteran Member
Wait a minute. There's a pandemic going on. Aren't all these people supposed to be dead?
 

Old Gray Mare

TB Fanatic
Pardon the thread drift, but the other state that has a large per capita homeless crisis is Hawaii.....And this is what the state government has posted on their web site as to how they plan to address it.....
Hawaii tries to catch them in the airport as they get off the plane. If they have no reservations, no residence on the island or return ticket? They send them back to the mainland.
 

Josie

Has No Life - Lives on TB
This is one of the stupidest, meaningless approaches to homelessness. It's like if I have an ant infestation in my house, I can just declare that the ants are illegal and that takes care of things. This moron needs to find the root cause and fix THAT.
 

9idrr

Veteran Member
Not sure I trust figures from National Alliance to End Homelessness, especially the part about a quarter bein' vets. To me, I question that about as much as I do the 500 or so who claim to've been in a cell with John McCain in the Hanoi Hilton. Believe it or not, folks have been known to lie about havin' been in the service. The VA does have programs for vets.
YMMV
 

Doc1

Has No Life - Lives on TB
From the OP:

"The law specifies certain times and locations where it will be 'unlawful for a person to sit, lie, or sleep, or to store, use, maintain, or place personal property in the public right-of-way."

This is pure political feelz legislation. It will never pass state supreme court or USSC muster. It's typical of head-in-the-clouds legislation by the leftist, political elites.

It the first place, making it illegal to sit in the wide variety of locations listed in the OP is crazy. There are hundreds of legitimate reasons for a person to temporarily sit in public areas. This is doubly true for the elderly and disabled. Secondly, enforcing the law as written would prevent a perfectly respectable and fully abled citizen from momentarily placing their briefcase or purse on the ground or sidewalk!

Yes, I know my examples are borderline ridiculous, but it's borderline ridiculous legislation. These sort of laws invariably result in arbitrary enforcement and more litigation for the city. The homeless aren't going to sue the city individually (obviously) but the ACLU or other special interest groups will. Also - and much less likely in the near term - at some point you're going to see some idiot cop cite or arrest a wealthy businessman, student, housewife or tourist who temporarily put their briefcase, book bag, suitcase or shopping bags on the sidewalk or public grass. These people will have the means and motivation to sue.

Additionally, in my latter examples, it's very, very easy for these sort of situations to escalate into arguments and resisting arrest citations and arrests.

As with so much current legislation (of all types), common sense has left the building. It would be soooo easy to rewrite the law to be similar to traffic laws which have time limits instead of absolute prohibitions, i.e. "No stopping for longer than 15 minutes".

Lastly, I'll point out that the supposedly tolerant liberal politicians invariably seem to approach problems with the most draconian and intolerant solutions. Their extreme and ridiculous tolerance leads to problems such as LA's homeless crisis, which then get out of hand. They then go to the opposite extreme and respond with authoritarian and absolutist legislation that would make Stalin blush.

Does anyone ever wonder why you never see massive homeless camps in the conservative states? We certainly have some homelessness, but the legislators, courts and cops usually approach these problems with more common sense. Also, the homeless themselves usually employ more common sense, by finding a place to sleep in the woods or somewhere else that's unseen and unobtrusive. They don't pitch scores or hundreds of tents on Main St.!

Best
Doc
 

Doc1

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Not sure I trust figures from National Alliance to End Homelessness, especially the part about a quarter bein' vets. To me, I question that about as much as I do the 500 or so who claim to've been in a cell with John McCain in the Hanoi Hilton. Believe it or not, folks have been known to lie about havin' been in the service. The VA does have programs for vets.
YMMV

Wait just a minute, mister! Our beloved president, Joe Biden was in a cell with John McCain in the Hanoi Hilton! He got there by driving an eighteen wheeler to Hanoi, after fighting with and stomping Corn Pop, while he simultaneously saved ten little disabled children when he worked as a lifeguard!.

Get your facts straight, buddy...

Best
Doc
 

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________
Wait until he sees the level of "homes" there. Will make his beaches look like Rodeo Drive.

And where is a homeless person going to find $1000 for the fine? There goes the crime rate up too.

They'll attach all of the entitlements that most homeless receive.

You'd be surprised just how much some homeless earned through social security, vet benefits, charitable assistance, etc. The problem is that many individuals need what is called a payee for those funds to make sure their bills get paid etc. rather than putting it in the sieves of their hands where it goes right back out for booze, drugs, expensive daily housing instead of transitional and/or monthly rent which is much cheaper, crap food instead of a cooked meal, etc.

I hope everyone is smart enough to not give a homeless person cash. Most are not able to manage their money, or they get shaken down by the gangs, the money is spent on addictions, etc. If you want to give, join a local charitable organization and serve the population a couple of times a month or give your money to a reputable local charity that knows who to help and not just waste resources.

I've worked with the local homeless coalition off and on for years. They are aware who the scam artists are and what the real needs are. They know who has chosen the street as a lifestyle and who just needs a hand up to escape it. Be a good steward of the assets in your care. Don't just toss it away and assume it is helping.
 

9idrr

Veteran Member
Sorry! Wasn't that right after he single-handedly invaded Cambodia, Belarus and prevented Guam from tippin' over? And I was there when he fought off the Klingons as door-gunner on the Space Shuttle.
 
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