This week was encouraging.   The poster child for Venice homelessness on Venice Blvd was towed thanks to LAPD.  Penmar Park was cleaned as was the alley encampment  at the northeast corner of Venice and Lincoln.

Ocean Ave between North and South Venice Blvd
Area is the same,  One fellow on Ocean is in violation of ADA requirement and both are in violation of penal code 601 for being on private property.

The problem is that North Venice Blvd is repopulating because of Ocean.  With the exception of the one hanging out into the street, they are not in violation.  That is Mike’s green tent.  Mike is an artist who has been around a long time in Venice.   He watched this writer take a photo and made the comment that photo would make a good coffee table book.  We talked for a while and I took the photo of the clown on the back of his sweatshirt that a local artist on the boardwalk had done.   Forgot to ask why he was carrying those big scissors.

The area on the north side, where BID cannot help with the Clean Team, seems to attract trash … in the street, on the sidewalk.

Westminster Senior Center Park
The park has three areas. The one under the tree is gone. There is one in the park near the center on the north side. The other two are parked on the sidewalk. The ones with the wooden tents are travelers. They were parked at the library months ago. They constructed their wooden tents and bike all over. They told this writer that they neither drink nor do alcohol.

Hampton, south of Rose
Hampton, south of Rose, retained its full contingency of tents. All violated the ADA law. The lady, who was walking, just walked in the street to get by.

Hampton, north of Rose
Hampton, north of Rose is usually exemplary. The west side of the street had a few who were slow to move.

4th Ave
Fourth Ave has a fewer campers but one is totally noncompliant with ADA.

7th Ave
Seventh is still clean and clear and has the red bollards. One person was looking for a place to light and then realized the area was not the place. Drove around the block and homeless are stopping on Machado.

Penmar Park
The area west of Penmar Park with the encampment was cleaned last Wednesday. The alley was also cleaned this time. They picked up the trash that was in the middle but everything still looked messy and littered. Asked one camper if Sanitation raked the area and he said “yes they did.” Perhaps, it is the reconfiguration or placement of the tents that makes it look littered. Some keep reconfiguring their areas.

Alley behind the Thai Restaurant
This is the area where young kids on drugs (they told this writer) have lived for some time. When this writer was alerted to the area, trash was lined up to the garage or the length of the open area. The SLO for the area was emailed and he said sanitation was scheduled to come. A story was done on the fact that they were living in an alley.  See story on the background.  It is illegal to block an alley.

Last week Katy Tucker,  board president of the  Boys and Girls Club of Venice, wrote a letter addressed to Councilman Mike Bonin and Deputy Taylor Bazley stating “I feel it is imperative to bring to your attention a serious health and safety issue that is potentially harmful to the 160+ youth who visit our facility on a daily basis.”

Friday was a major cleanup.  The young people left with all they could take.   All the rest of the stuff was removed.

By 3 pm they were moving back.

Ms Tucker  should consider alley vacation as soon as possible.  She will certainly have the support of the people who live in residences on the other side.