West Hollywood : Survey of Food Program

An informal survey by the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station last summer found that most participants in a controversial program to feed the homeless had no previous ties to the city and that many of them had criminal records.

The information on the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition program in Plummer Park was circulated in a sheriff’s memo and given to West Hollywood City Manager Paul Brotzman.

“Of 129 subjects surveyed” by four deputies June 22, said Lt. Gary Stephens, “21 were residents of West Hollywood, 43 had criminal records, three were on probation, eight had felony warrants and one was considered armed and dangerous.”

The program feeds between 100 and 150 people each night. On the night of the survey, all people in line were questioned by the deputies.

Stephens said the deputies videotaped the feeding session and took down participants’ names, dates of birth, sex, race, and Social Security numbers. That information was fed into a computer and summarized in the memo.

The daily feeding has been controversial since October, when the City Council voted to withdraw support and funding for the program after residents complained that it had led to increased crime in the neighborhood around the park.

In November, publicity surrounding the closure brought Hollywood celebrities and television cameras to a council meeting, and the council narrowly voted to continue the program for at least four months.