The West LA winter shelter opened yesterday, 1 March, at 5 pm and will remain open until 7 am Sunday, 3 March.
St. Joseph Center will have one of its Community meetings to address neighborhood concerns regarding the Hampton facility, 6 March at 5 pm at the St. Joseph Center, 204 Hampton Drive.
Last week you read about the encampment under the 405 freeway on Venice Blvd. Los Angeles jurisdiction side (north side) was packed with homeless; Culver City jurisdiction side (south side) had none.
Today (Friday) the sidewalk at the underpass on the north side is closed. Sanitation is there with the police. The homeless on the north side are being told to move because Sanitation is cleaning the area. Sanitation does not operate without at least a 72-hour notification.
Yolanda Gonzalez, who took the photos, said the people were trying to move to the south side but the police would not allow that. Then they tried to move to the narrow median and the police would not allow that. One fellow settled across the street.
Rick Swinger’s photos of previous article explaining the jurisdiction.
Yolanda Gonzalez’s photos taken today during the cleanup.
Totally different attitude among the homeless this week. Perhaps, because it was sunny and no immediate threat of rain. Consistently, the people encountered were kind and thoughtful of their surrounding neighbors, They were the people one would want to help. None looked or acted like he was on alcohol or drugs. They looked like they were worthy of proper lodging. What a difference. Maybe the bums are moving on??
The sites have changed so much since the weekly Encampment Updates started. You read about the Grand Canal. That is over. Hampton, north of Rose, was a disaster. 7th Ave, north of Rose was another disaster. Penmar Park, area west of it, was unbelievable as was the alley adjacent to it. Today there was a different sidewalk encampment in Venice. Let’s hope it lasts.
Grand Canal area at Venice Median is free of any encampments and has been since the BID team took over. Lady at the old post office on Windward is still there. She keeps collecting things. The nasty lady on Main with the two pit bulls left area, came back, and was gone Friday. It wasn not just her; there were several with her. Would not want to walk my kids past her in the morning to go to school.
South Venice Blvd at Dell still has an encampment.
Ocean between North and South Venice Blvd is growing. There is also one on North Venice Blvd near Ocean. One at the apex and then the camouflaged area looks like wood will be added for some reason. (Photos are terrible. Sorry.)
The van row on North Venice Blvd is growing. It looks like police have been there and talked to them about being capable of moving their vehicles. Much of the stuff on top of the cars and vans were removed. Vehicles on the road have to be capable of being moved. One commenter on the VeniceUpdate.com said this was all they had, etc. If it is all they have, then they should be even more concerned about abiding by the law and being considerate of their neighbors — cleaning up after themselves. One can be homeless and clean and thoughtful. All that stuff all over the cars and vans is unsightly and unnecessary and makes the vehicle unmovable. One van was an exception.
4th Street between Sunset and Vernon looks about the same.
Noticed someone was storing stuff between the planters on Sunset at 3rd.
Hampton south of Rose was about the same.
Hampton north of Rose on west side was totally cleared for cleaning. 
Mary was sitting across the street waiting for the cleaning to be over. Mary has been here in Venice a year and a half from Ohio and Florida. She said they clean the west side of the street every day with water and bleach and she really appreciates it. Two other fellows in her area she said had been there many years, one 10 years and one 6 years. She said there were about 10 camp sites. The one guy who messed up the east side when they were all on the east side is gone she said. No one knows where.
7th, north of Rose has repopulated with a different crowd, apparently there are those who do drugs but not to the extent of what was. There are about 15 to 20 tented camp sites. Jerome was sweeping the street. A fellow from Whole Foods comes and picks up what Jerome sweeps up. One lady said a 66-year-old camper was waiting for the bathroom at Whole Foods this morning when a guy who was shooting up came out and hit him. May have been Charlie of last week who got hit.. At the end of the street was Shogun. Shogun goes from New York and Miami to California. He had just gotten back from Newport Beach area. He isn’t looking for housing, he said. Last time in Venice he was on 3rd. He is a delightful camper to talk with.
Penmar Park, area west of the park, only has three campsites. One is most elaborate. The gal and guy who live there were asked if they would accept housing. They said not likely because they wouldn’t give housing to the two of them. They want to live together and they have a dog. The mess in the front of the photo is debris that they picked up around the site. Site is totally different than it was before Sanitation took a liking to the area.
It is a pleasure to go to most of the campsites because the rain has washed away the debris and the streets in Venice look clean. Tents are lined up and for the most part there is little debris outside to clutter up the scene. Today one could see the beginning of kicking the trash to the curb and throwing the trash out the window. That is what one day without rain will do.
Rain has gotten the campers anxious. They came to California to get away from bad weather and sun and fun at the great California beach. Rain has dampened their game plan. Hampton, north of Rose, on the west side is growing as is 7th Ave while Penmar Park is decreasing.
And by the way, it is always a pleasure to drive by Staples, Harrison, Harding, Lake and a few others to see them clean and remember what they once were.
When driving by Sunset Friday morning, I watched a lady who didn’t look like she belonged on the street but only her head was visible. She was definitely having a drug reaction. Her hair was well combed, she had earrings on, and possibly lipstick. I saw Officer Kristan Delatori looking at her so I moved on. Later in the day, Rick Swinger called to say that there was this gal who was going to take her clothes off. Rick talked her out of it and sent me a picture of her. He was trying to get police to pick her up. It was the same gal. One wonders if she was given something and her escort did not like her reaction so he dumped her off in Venice. She was definitely the poster girl for “Say No to Drugs.”
North Venice Blvd at Dell has a new encampment.
Ocean Ave between North and South Venice Blvd has a new one right next to Farmer’s Market sign. To the North of that is the guy who has been spreading out on Ocean but has now camouflaged his total encampment.
North Venice Blvd, west of Ocean, is the row of “ugly vans.” The white car and the brown van below do not belong on the road. They are inoperable in that they are not movable in the state they are and there are laws addressing this. These are the same laws of the road that protect citizens from someone who drops a trailer on a street. All vehicles must be capable of being moved. Call your local senior lead officer and tell him to get rid of that junk … probably a health hazard too.
Lady at the post office sits concealed in her chair with her stuff neatly surrounding her.
The encampment at Main seems smaller. The one gal came out and yelled. She is not nice and has two pit bulls. With an attitude like she has, she needs two pit bulls. Approach with caution.
Fourth between Sunset and Flower looks about the same. It was added last week as a place to watch.
Hampton, south of Rose, may have lost one or two tents but is still there. David Busch stays on the west side of the street awaiting his day in court for having his tent up when it should not have been. All tents can remain up when it is raining.
Hampton, north of Rose on the west side, is growing in front of the commercial. Rick Swinger has been calling St. Joseph Center and asking them to clean that side of the street. There is debris and some are using it for a bathroom. The feces is piling up. St. Joseph’s Center is suppose to keep the perimeter clean as part of their conditions of approval.
7th Ave is repopulating, not with the same people, but with new ones. Charlie came out of his tent upset, but when he found out no one wanted to fight with him, we had a wonderful conversation. He said the way to fix all this is to get rid of the liberals and enforce the laws. “Homelessness can be fixed by putting the mentals in hospitals and then make all the rest go to rehab,” he said. Charlie is from Durango, Colorado and is here only for the winter. He said on 7th the meth people live on the north end of the block and the older ones live on the south end of the block. He also told me that meth people have to be tearing up stuff and that is why you have these campsites that look like someone took the grinder to everything. One learns something every day. There was a car across the street and he said someone lived in it and “just throws his stuff out of the car.” That must be nice for the resident to have that parked in front of his house.
Penmar Park, western edge, is so much better than it was. Because of the rains some are leaving. Since Sanitation was there to clean up the debris and the alley debris, some may not feel at home and have decided to move on but there are fewer sites. The one site that had no room service left and someone cleaned up part of the site.
(All photos courtesy of Rick Swinger.)
Rick Swinger reported this electrical tap the homeless had made at Gold’s Gym parking lot on 3rd last Wednesday. Swinger reported it to the Clean Team of the BID and to Gold’s Gym. Today, two days later, he saw the above string of wires hooked into the tap. Gold’s Gym was charging all the homeless phones on 3rd. He told Gold’s Gym again, wire tap was removed, and a lock was put on the box.
A resident, home owner or resident tenant, should be able to obtain an account of who lives in that tent in front of his house, across the street, in the alley. There is no law known to this writer that prevents such. Perhaps, the police could accompany one to obtain this data. Your address allows public documents to be available so everyone knows who lives in your house and goodness knows what else. Residents have a right to know who the other guy is too.
One would just like to know the name, approximate age, what state or country person is from, why he/she chose Venice? How long he plans to stay. Does he want a job. Does he have a record and for what? What is his purpose for being here. How long he has been an addict. His addiction of choice. Or what kind of rehab he was in and how long he has been out. Does he need medical help. Someone to call in case of an emergency. The CES (coordinated entry system) people ask more intimate questions.
One has a right to know in order to protect himself, his children, his animals, his possessions, his property. These would be just a few little notes to assure the person who has his life savings and loved ones in the structure inside that they are safe and secure as well as his property. One does have the right to protect himself and his family. Don’t think it is too much to ask.
This data would not be for public consumption but for the people in close proximity to the encampment. Am sure the homeless guy sizes up the area, gets a mental picture of what is across the street from him. Homeless guy already knows what the laws are here and that is why he came here. (For example: A couple of redneck beer parties on the front lawn with a hefty, group might discourage some homeless from settling down in that area.)
Also a security deposit for cleanup on that space is necessary to assure the neighbors that it will be cleaned so neighbors are free of any possible infirmity of disposing of the trash and the time consumed in doing such.
There should be a curfew imposed also. Most homeless like to sleep during the day and party at night. This is unacceptable to those who have the opposite schedule. Something should be worked out.
Yes, this is a bill of rights for those who own in proximity to what the City allows on their street. These rights, if adhered to, would promote a cleaner and safer neighborhood with more understanding, perhaps more empathy, and probably more harmony.
(Photo courtesy of Rick Swinger.)
(Photo courtesy of Patrick Guzman.)
A transient living on 3rd Ave tapped into an electrical box designated for Gold’s parking lot. This was discovered by Rick Swinger, resident and local activist. Both Gold’s Gym and the Clean Team from BID (Business Improvement District) were notified.
The Venice Pier electrical box was tapped into last year causing the pier to close for a short time and costing the City money to fix.
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) has a phone app called LA-HOP that one can download. Could not find such for iPhone. Fill out info and a LAHSA representative will be dispatched to help individual being reported.
Bruce Campbell sent this information to MYLA311 and will be sending it to LA-HOP. MYLA311 probably sent info to LAHSA. It was an individual under grey blanket trying to get out of rain Saturday morning. It looked to Campbell that this individual needed some help.
Wednesday morning, 6 February. It appears the good stuff has been bagged, the garbage removed, and the elderly lady is underneath the blanket resting. It is unknown who helped the lady or if anyone did.
Yesterday, she stated to two St. Joseph’s workers that she did not want help. Sanitation via MYLA311 app had been requested 4 February, and 5 February, a note was sent to the applicable senior lead officer for help thru the LA Homeless Task Force. No one knows at this point who helped her or if someone did. She did not want housing or any other type help. She said she would bag everything and dispose of garbage herself.