Towne Avenue Homeless Sweep for Themselves

Another sweep of a public encampment took place Thursday on Los Angeles’ Skid Row, but with a difference--this time, homeless people did the work themselves.

In what Maureen Kindel, president of the city Board of Public Works, called an “experiment” that seemed successful, the sidewalk residents of Towne Avenue took hoses, shovels, brushes and brooms provided by the city and did their own sweep.

More than 50 residents, part of a commune-like group known as the Love Camp, scrubbed and swept for about 12 hours and then loaded their trash into city street maintenance trucks.

In a midday inspection tour, Kindel and Public Works Commissioner Edward Avila declared themselves pleased with the results of the cleanup on Towne Avenue, between 4th and 5th streets.

“This looks a lot better,” Kindel said as she walked past several tents lined up in a row and a beer can stuffed with fresh flowers.

“This is all we ever wanted--to do this ourselves,” said Adam Bennion, organizer of the 3-month-old camp, whose residents share cooking, cleaning and security chores.

Thursday’s activity was in marked contrast to the first sweep of Towne Avenue nearly a month ago when Los Angeles police gave the residents about 20 minutes’ notice before street maintenance crews dismantled the camp, destroying many of the residents’ bedding and other possessions.

Arrangements were being made to use the same procedure today with a small camp at Boyd and Los Angeles streets whose members also agreed to take up the city’s brooms, Kindel said.