Dateline NBC had a Homeless Special featuring the encampments around Venice’s 3rd Ave, Sunday, 19 August.
“A few of the people around 3rd were interviewed,” said Swinger. “I walked 3rd with Craig Melvin and showed him what we have to deal with as residents here. Also took the producer Alan Goldberg of Dateline and 60 minutes and showed him the feces contaminated pool of water location that’s right next to a playground that these camps help create.
“I thanked producer Alan Goldberg for showcasing our problems here in Venice and he said ‘citizen photo journalism’ like my site are doing a great job for our neighborhoods.”
A homeless man was stabbed on 3rd Ave between Sunset and Rose Ave by another homeless man at approximately 3:15 pm Thursday. The victim was taken to the hospital and the man who did the stabbing was apprehended.
According to Captain John Roberts of LAPD Pacific Division, “The attack was the result of a fight between two homeless men. One, a man in his early 70’s, had a knife; the other, a man in his 50’s, had a cooking pan. The younger man was stabbed multiple times in the chest and remains hospitalized. “
According to a neighbor who wants to remain anonymous, the two men lived on opposite sides of the street and the two of them along with a woman, who was also homeless, were arguing and had been arguing for days. The argument heated up.
The neighbor called St. Joseph Center’s emergency help center at 12:15 pm and asked for someone to help. St. Joseph’s Center has an outreach team and one of the members is trained to handle mentally ill. The neighbor said the one who got stabbed was observed to be mentally ill.
Two nicely dressed people from St. Joseph’s Center passed the neighbor on the street just prior to the stabbing. Neighbor asked if they would help and they said they were in “fund raising.”
This in from Rick Swinger who is so conscious of the possibility of Hepatitis A in and surrounding 3rd because of the concentration of homeless. Here is report from CDC.
A large hepatitis A outbreak is ongoing in California. The majority of patients in this outbreak report experiencing homelessness and/or using illicit drugs in settings of limited sanitation. The outbreak is being spread person-to-person and through contact with a fecally contaminated environment. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that person-to-person through close contact is the primary way people get hepatitis A in the United States.
San Diego, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Los Angeles Counties have declared local outbreak status. Outbreak associated cases have been confirmed in other California jurisdictions.
Table. Outbreak Associated Hepatitis A infections by California Jurisdiction
We are moving forward with the cleanup that has to be done everyday for the safety of the children that play at the beach, and of course, not forgetting our surrounding neighbors.
This is the latest condition. This requires St. Joseph Center to provide signs and bags to pick up dog waste in the landscaped area along Hampton Ave. The following came to my attention this week, which was an addition to the April 3, 2015 conditions.
Enforcement. Compliance with these conditions and the intent of these conditions shall be to the satisfaction of the zoning Administrator and any other designated …
If this is St. Joseph’s attempt to clean up this area, they missed a spot.
This man was seen on Rose ave and the alley pulling this trash can around with wheels. Is this St Joseph Center’s Janitorial Services now in action? After a 14-year hiatus, they are here? No poop shovel or brooms so I was wondering if he was going to pick up feces with his hands? Hmmmm Lame!
This is only sign posted and it was posted on the North side of Rose Ave storm drain. If one were coming from the south, one would not see it at all! If there is Hepatitis A in the feces that drains down to area kids love to play in, there could be a serious health problem.
Community meeting of residents around 3rd Ave in Venice will take place Monday, 26 February, starting at 5 pm, at St. Joseph’s Center, 204 Hampton Drive.
Swinger and members of his area have been listing questions to ask at the meeting.
1. What is their public statement on the dumping of perishables on 3rd and boardwalk?
2. Why were their feces and trash not clean up in a timely manner in front of their building?
3. What happen to their security and cleanup crews promised in the allies around Hampton dr near their facility.
4. Why are some of the homeless saying your caseworkers are telling them to camp close while their paperwork is done.
5. Where are all these hotel vouchers I’ve been hearing about and why don’t these folks get them?
6. Where is your C3 team and why did they run away from me when asked about Hepatitis A vaccinations on 3rd?
7. Since we know RN’s can’t diagnosis diseases during the MRSA and Hepatitis A warnings why weren’t doctors sent in to examine the homeless on 3rd?
8. Why are the trash cans on 3rd not rat proof when the LA County Animal control has been picking up dead Norway Rats here?
9. Why were you not out spoken when Occupy Venice had their Sunday homeless feedings on 3rd without washing stations and a commercial kitchen set up?
10. What is your view on 3rd st camp being off limits to camping because of the on going uncontrolled pollution coming from Public Storage?
11. Are you aware of the homeless feces infested cesspool with out warning signs next to a playground at Rose Beach storm Drain exit?
12. Are you aware the owners of homes on Flower had to pay for trees and cactuses to be planted on their sidewalks because your Lincoln facility was allowing the homeless to camp in front of their homes 24/7? Did you help pay for that or would you?
13. Would you support the neighbors on Hampton to do the same thing and plant cactuses on their sidewalks and would you pay for that?
14. How are they spending the money that the City provides them for ‘services.’
Marie Hammond, long-time resident and one who worked on conditions for St. Joseph Center, said “It would be interesting to see if the parents of the preschool students will defend St. Jo’s for allowing filthy streets and their homeless clients to camp on their sidewalk near the preschool.
Another long-time resident and one who worked on conditions for St. Joseph Center, Barbara Gibson asked: “Don’t you think their Case Mangers should be on the street at 6:30 am getting the people up and guided to get help and trained for jobs??? Our money is enabling SJC and the transients to do nothing. The people need to learn discipline; they already know how to take care of themselves on the street. They need to be taught how to pack up their belongings neatly. Clean up their space.”
“Maybe the shoes are on the other foot for this one,” said Swinger. “Employees and parents can track all the bacteria from the street onto the preschool floor where little ones place little hands….and then into their mouths.”
Who is suppose to clean up what is in front of a residence on Hampton as shown below? There is a designated time for both cleanup and dumping on 3rd.
Is Hampton Drive (one street west of 3rd) becoming the new 3rd? The picture above shows an encampment in front of St. Joseph’s Call Center. Are caseworkers telling homeless to camp out there and wait for housing? Notice it is on the same side of the sidewalk as muti-family units. This is a total disregard to all the families that live on Hampton and the surrounding area! Pollution effects everybody including our nearby Ocean.
(Photos courtesy of Rick Swinger.) North end of 3rd seems very normal. South end, near Sunset, is starting to repopulate with homeless on the sidewalk.
The infamous 3rd Avenue in Venice is showing signs of possibly evolving as a normal Venice Street with people parking and women pushing the baby carriages.
Rick Swinger, resident of Rose near 3rd, took an active part and started a Go Fund Me account to help with the costs. One Friday in mid September, the Sanitation department took the “stuff” lined up on Rose fitting the category of too big for the 60-gallon can in accordance with LAMC 56.11 and stored the items in the downtown storage facility. People came back from the beach to find that their “stuff” had been put in storage.
Close to this happening, the County Disease Control declared a Hepatitis A outbreak in County and stated that homeless were particularly vulnerable. At the same time residents and homeless were complaining about produce being dumped on 3rd and creating a rat infestation.
Couple weeks ago Update ran an article asking where the homeless had gone from 3rd Ave between Sunset and Rose. Suddenly, 3rd was vacant and clean. Sanitation had picked up items for storage in accordance with LAMC 56.11 and as a result, people vacated the area.
It looked like a new street. It got cleaned. … as clean as 3rd could get.
Well, the homeless had scattered to various areas. One went to Ocean/Mildred/Venice, some stayed in area and settled on Sunset and 3rd, which was just around the corner, and some were nestling in overgrown alleys.
This Friday, 20 October —
Sunset at 3rd is totally vacant. The Ocean/Mildred/Venice resident in the pocket park was moved out somewhere by the LAPD Hope Unit enforcing LAMC 56.11 and it is vacant. Overgrown alleys will always have a tenant until homeowners clean the alleys.
3rd is starting to repopulate
Update wanted to take picture of trash that could easily have been put in trash barrel provided. Man suddenly appeared from the sidewalk and was irate that someone would take a picture of his trash. When asked why he did not just put it in barrel, he got really angry and mentioned he did not have a truck and went on and on. He then stood in front of camera to prevent picture of his trash and continued to yell.
East and West sides of 3rd Avenue show avenue almost devoid of “stuff” and people Thursday, 28 September. There are indications that the area is slowly starting to re-populate.
History
People remove “stuff” from 3rd to put on Rose for the scheduled cleanup. Cleanup use to be weekly by Department of Sanitation. Sanitation would clean up trash and steam clean and sanitize portions of the sidewalks. Now cleanup is monthly. Also new is Sanitation coming by on Thursdays and removing all bulk items in coordination with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and in accordance with LAMC 56.11.
Residents of 3rd stored their stuff on Rose Ave Friday, 8 September so that 3rd could be cleaned. Department of Sanitation removed items for storage in accordance with LAMC 56.11. Street was cleaned.
Where are the homeless now?
One resident who stays on 3rd in his vehicle said “they were all taken to jail.” When asked what really happened, he calmed down and said “half went to jail and rest scattered, probably on Hampton.” When checking Hampton, Update found few remnants of homeless belongings on Hampton either direction of Rose. Meanwhile, Public Storage steam cleaned their portion on the east side of 3rd.
Rick Swinger and his effort to clean the alleys and stop dumping on 3rd has been a major part of this cleanup and movement. The Hepatitis A outbreak declaration by the County Health Department also encouraged the homeless, who looked for comraderie, to find other places.
On Sunset
Some were found on north side of Sunset between 3rd and 4th. There were belongings indicating they were moving to south side too.
In the alleys
Update received two emails asking for information regarding homeless in their alleys. Clean the alleys of debris! This alley presents a covered, sheltered area for homeless. One alley had campout cooking facilities. Get neighbors together and clean up those alleys. Call LA311. Alleys should be cleared sufficiently for a firetruck access.
Encampment at Mildred, Ocean, Venice Blvd
Well, this one, originally designed with mounds and balls by Robin Murez to make a City corner area beautiful and desirable, has turned into an encampment that just keeps growing with things, and perhaps, people.
Lava Mae is now doing about 30 showers a day each Thursday on 3rd. They had been doing 20 – 25. Jerry, a Lava Mae worker, said it was just that we got more efficient. People are coming from all over Venice to take a shower. A team from St. Joseph and LAHSA was there to provide services for those needing services.
A man at the other end of the block told Update he had been in prison for 26 years and could not get a job because of that. He was told when he was in Skid Row, Los Angeles that he could collect social security but he did not “stick around” as he said. He said he was from Toledo and indicated he was not going to be around too long on 3rd.
His predicament was mentioned to the C-3 team at Lava Mae and they said they would talk to him. He apparently has to sign into the services before someone can help him. I asked him what his name was and he said “I’m the second book.” I told him it was nice to meet a Mark out here. Gave him my name and told him I had a nephew who was number one book. He proceeded to give me all the abbreviations for Matthew and we laughed. I told him it was hard to do that to a Mark.
