(Photo provided courtesy of neighbor.)
Fire started at 5:30 am and was put out immediately by firemen. Before 10 am Sunday this writer passed by on bicycle and saw man sleeping in his sleeping bag in middle of blackened debris.
Monday Morning
One man sits on curb as one sits in beach chair at other end, like bookends outlining the charred remnants on the sidewalk. Second photo shows more explicitly what was burned and the area involved.
Several questions arise from this. First of all, who is going to clean this up? Second, is the 9- pm-to 6-am law not applicable to this encampment in Venice. Is the BioHazard crew going to verify to neighbors and tourists that this area is fit? (It is obvious that it is not certifiable at this point.) What steps will be taken to assure that this event is not duplicated here and throughout Venice?
Neighbors who have witnessed the deterioration on Grand Blvd at the Post Office Annex have talked with police regarding situation, called the fire department when fire broke out, and have written the following letter to Senior Lead Officer Peggy Thusing and emailed such Monday. (Letter is reprinted here courtesy of the neighbors.)
Hi Officer Thusing:
You’ve been helpful with questions before. We’re hoping that you can help with this.
For months & months now, at least 2 homeless guys, sick, coughing all night….with big piles of crap are camping every night under the trees in front of Postal Annex on Grand Ave.
Neighbors do not like them camping there, & passing officers have been notified, but they are still camping there this morning.
Sunday, the neighborhood was awakened at 5:30 am by one of the homeless guys yelling his head off because he somehow caught his piles of crap on fire (see photos below).
Neighbors immediately called 911 & engine 63 arrived within moments to put it out (in the nick of time, tree was engulfed….)
Our question from the neighborhood is: can/will police enforce no camping laws & get these guys out of here?
Also, all the burned up crap of the homeless guy is still there today. Is it up to neighbors in area to clean this up?
Thanks in advance for your reply ASAP Officer Thusing
Members of Neighborhood
Reta, you’re an idiot. Address the questions with a solution, instead of supporting garbage and human urine in the streets,if you’re so smart, Ms pea-brain.
This post was submitted by the fictitious name of Hans Gruber but was tagged to Monday Morning. That story was later incorporated into the main story, which is above. So here is his comment.
“W#hat a load of crap. One of you gentrifiers set John Buck’s belongings on fire and now you’re going to blame him for setting the fire himself. I hope whenever they catch whichever one of you gentrifiers is the arsonist they send you to state prison to serve the maximum term with no chance of parole.”