L.A. Union of Homeless Organizes, Snarls Downtown Traffic in March on City Hall

Traffic in downtown Los Angeles gridlocked and Saturday shoppers gawked as more than 100 homeless people marched on City Hall--chanting “homeless, not helpless”--to symbolize their solidarity in a local chapter of the Union of the Homeless formed earlier in the day at an outdoor rally in Pershing Square.

Police arrested newly elected secretary-treasurer David Silva and Nathanial Smith Sr. for “obstructing the street” after they ignored warnings not to march without a parade permit. Los Angeles Police Sgt. Larry Thompson said the marchers were stopping cars “and they can’t do that, no matter how just the cause.”

Both men were being held at Parker Center late Saturday, and Thompson said there were several arrest warrants on Smith for bouncing checks.

Many Drift Away

More than 600 people--a mixture of the curious, the committed and the simply hungry--had signed up Saturday morning for the new union and for a free lunch, but many drifted away as the speeches droned on and the sun baked those seated on folding chairs on the grass. Six hours later, a much smaller contingent marched down Broadway.

The daylong union meeting was unusual in its membership but typical of conventions: It followed parliamentary procedures and was marked by internal dissent. In the end, 33-year-old Charles Wicks, a former Texan who has been on the streets of Los Angeles for two years, was elected president.

The soft-spoken Wicks seemed unsure of what his first order of business would be, but said, “I intend to work very hard.”

The convention threatened to explode when angry arguments broke out over union organizers’ refusal to consider nominations for officers from the floor. Many participants complained that they were unaware that candidates were supposed to have applied and be interviewed during the last three weeks.

While many participants were eager, others were wary, having come to see what the union was all about.

“I’m part of this, too, but I’m not going to do anything yet,” said Ben Johnson, 37, who has been on the streets since he lost his job as a welder in 1982. “I want to wait and see what the results are before I get involved.”

“I hope they’ll be able to help,” he said, looking toward the union speakers.

Patterned after similar efforts in Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago led by union organizer Chris Sprowal, the group hopes to accomplish together what the fragmented homeless cannot individually, and to end a public image of the homeless as mentally disturbed, alcoholic ne’er-do-wells.

The group’s goals are broad: The convention passed resolutions disavowing apartheid in South Africa and the deportation of illegal aliens. Union leaders also said they will work for improvements in the plight of Los Angeles County’s homeless--estimated by the union to be 90,000.