It’s Outrageous

The city of Los Angeles has committed an outrageous act against 41 of its inhabitants. Homeless men and women on Friday lost every belonging at a camp near the Los Angeles City Hall. Without advance warning, police and street maintenance workers carted off blankets, backpacks, clothing, identification--everything. There was no chance for the homeless, many of whom were having breakfast at the missions, to reclaim the possessions, which were taken to a city dump and buried. Pleas for mercy went unheard.

The cops and city workers say that they were only doing their jobs--after all, camping on sidewalks is against the law--but this kind of raid is intolerable. It is also against city policy.

After the controversial police sweeps of homeless camps last year, a city policy required police to notify the Los Angeles City Council in advance of major sweeps. The mayor was also to be notified as a matter of course. Homeless people were to have ample time, 24 hours, to collect their belongings. That didn’t happen Friday. Police say that they did not consider a gathering of nearly 50 people a camp, nor the confiscation, a raid. The belongings were simply considered trash.

Semantics aside, the city policy must be enforced for all gatherings of homeless people, small and large. The policy will help homeless people hang onto their valuables, but it will do nothing to address the real problem--the acute shortage of emergency housing.

The blame for that rests squarely with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. County government is legally responsible for providing emergency shelter, but not enough has been done. Homeless people end up living wherever they can.

The camps near City Hall sprang up 10 days ago after state officials ousted 75 homeless people from rag-tag shelters on the site of the former State Building on 1st Street between Broadway and Spring Street. The group had lived there for six months, but after sanitation complaints--and a request for portable toilets--were made, the residents were told to leave. They were given adequate notice, but where were they to go?

The city and the county have failed their duty to help the helpless in our midst. Heartlessly, thoughtlessly, those people are being driven from pillar to post.

Mayor Bradley, what do you say? County supervisors, what do you say?