Homeless are treated with compassion, care

Re “The downside of upscale,” Current, July 30

The Central City East Assn. is deeply angered by Tom Slater’s claim that “homeless people were literally swept and hosed out of their makeshift encampments in downtown Los Angeles” by association employees.

The association enforces a strict protocol: Individuals camping on the sidewalks are informed one day in advance that the street will be washed the following day. Most individuals wait a few feet away for the cleaning to be completed and then move their belongings back to the same, albeit cleaner, spot on the sidewalk. No one is asked to leave. That is not the intent of our effort and, in fact, it would be against the law.

The heart of skid row lies within the area that the Central City East Assn. represents. There are no new glass-tower lofts, street cafes or galleries.

There are only food-processing, cold-storage and toy wholesaler companies that have been here for decades, some nearly 100 years. These businesses employ thousands of people, mainly hard-working, low-skilled Angelenos, who walk, bike and bus through the area in fear for their lives.

There also are families in welfare apartments, and disabled veterans and formerly homeless individuals in single-room occupancy hotels, and the truly homeless seeking aid inside missions and shelters.

We take enormous care to ensure that our work is done professionally, carefully and compassionately.

ESTELA LOPEZ

Executive Director

Central City East Assn.

Los Angeles