Encampment remnant being removed by LAPD.

(Photo courtesy of Chris Cerbo.)

(Photo of Chris Cerbo.)

The bus benches on Triangle side of Lincoln have been removed because homeless slept on them and used them throughout the day.

Firestone-Walker Brewery cleanup crew pick up feces, needles, trash every week from landscape rocks which is across the street from Walgreens.

City Councilman Mike Bonin

Captain LAPD, Pacific Division

Residents ask “Please stop the encampments in our neighborhood at Walgreens.” Sometimes the encampments go from Washington, past two parking lot exits, to the end of the small shops at the corner on Carter. This is across from residential.

It does vary. In addition to Carter, sometimes they are on Washington and sometimes on Lincoln too. They beg illegally at the corner of Highway 1, Lincoln Blvd, and Washington Blvd. (They beg at corner of Highway 1, Lincoln Blvd, and Highway 90 and Highway 90 at Mindanao.) All this is allowed to continue in Venice, which is known and referred to by many as the “Land of the Homeless.”

The Jones settlement modifies LAMC 41.18(d) to allow people to sleep on the sidewalk between 9 pm and 6 am. It also states that there must be a 10-foot clearance from a business entrance/exit and from parking lot entrance/exit in addition to allowing people to use the sidewalk. LAMC 41.18 is reprinted here at the end of the story.

Address your comments to Councilman Mike Bonin at mike.bonin@lacity.org and Senior Lead Officer Gregg Jacobus at 35162@lapd.lacity.org

Comments from residents …

• Enough is enough. We want this taken care of period. We have lost the City bus benches on Lincoln because the police couldn’t keep them clean. Time to protect the law abiding citizens, not the homeless.
• Who is running the place? Is Bonin in charge or not? The police respond but only if called and never act without a call, even when homeless are violating the law.
• We don’t want any more homeless in Venice. Homeless are having a hay-day here. The homeless say: “We can do and act as we so please. Venice is free. It belongs to the homeless.” The City, the police cannot handle what the City has created in Venice.
• The City cannot allow Carter to become another Rose Ave situation. Just by being present they can fix this. Otherwise it will become an infection.
• Was planning to email Gregg Jacobus to ask what kind of elevated plan is being put in place to deal with this. What is their triage plan and strategy to pay attention to this actively vs. just responding when they are called.
• Please stop the encampments in our neighborhood at Walgreens.
• They cannot allow it to become another Rose Ave. situation. Just by being present they can fix this. Otherwise it will become an infection.”
• I don’t feel safe getting a prescription filled at Walgreens. One guy flipped me off while going in and another flipped me off leaving. I feel cornered when I am in there. We know the gangs feed these people who are on meth or something. What if someone comes into Walgreens and starts shooting?
• We have these homeless bikers biking our neighborhoods all night long. Are they delivering drugs?   Are they looking for open windows? Why do we have to have this?
• I took my daughter to Walgreens’ pharmacy for cough medicine and the heroine addict in front of me bought herself needles with change collected at corner. The hobos were smoking their crack pipes in broad daylight at 10:30 am last week.

SEC. 41.18. SIDEWALKS, PEDESTRIAN SUBWAYS – LOITERING.

(a) No person shall stand in or upon any street, sidewalk or other public way open for pedestrian travel or otherwise occupy any portion thereof in such a manner as to annoy or molest any pedestrian thereon or so as to obstruct or unreasonably interfere with the free passage of pedestrians. (Amended by Ord. No. 137,269, Eff. 10/21/68.)

Whether or not a defendant’s acts “in any manner hindered or obstructed the free-passage” of persons passing is clearly a question of fact for the jury. People v. Firestone, CR A 518.

Where free-passage along sidewalks is obstructed by persons listening to what is said at a street-meeting, the persons conducting said meeting cannot be convicted of a violation of this section in the absence of other facts. People v. Yoneda, CR A 249.

(b) No person shall loiter in any tunnel, pedestrian subway, or on any bridge overpass, or at or near the entrance thereto or exit therefrom, or at or near any abutment or retaining wall adjacent to such entrance or exit, or any retaining wall or abutment adjacent to any freeway, street or highway open and used for vehicular traffic, or adjacent to that portion thereof used for vehicular traffic, or on any public property in the proximity of such bridge, overpass, or retaining wall or abutment.

Sec. 41.18 has not been preempted by State Legislation encompassing loitering offenses. Gleason v. Municipal Court (April 1964), 226 Cal. App. 2d-226 ACA 701.

(c) No person in or about any pedestrian subway, shall annoy or molest another or make any remark to or concerning another to the annoyance of such other person, and no person shall commit any nuisance in or about such subway.

(d) (Amended by Ord. No. 137,269, Eff. 10/21/68.) No person shall sit, lie or sleep in or upon any street, sidewalk or other public way.

The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to persons sitting on the curb portion of any sidewalk or street while attending or viewing any parade permitted under the provisions of Section 103.111 of Article 2, Chapter X of this Code; nor shall the provisions of this subsection apply to persons sitting upon benches or other seating facilities provided for such purpose by municipal authority or permitted by this Code.