Woman to Seek Homeless Cousin in L.A.
An Illinois woman was on her way to Los Angeles on Saturday to search for her cousin, Helen Oliver, the homeless pet owner shooed from the Justiceville shanty town after health inspectors ordered it closed Friday.
Barbara Whittington of Chicago said she recognized Oliver after seeing a photograph of the 61-year-old woman, clutching her cat, that accompanied news stories about the closure. Oliver left Louisiana for Los Angeles several years ago, and has since had only intermittent contact with her family, Whittington said.
Whittington, traveling to California by train, acknowledged that finding Oliver among the city’s homeless people will be difficult. And if Whittington does manage to find her, she is uncertain that Oliver will agree to leave the Los Angeles streets.
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