Policing the homeless

Re “A cop’s view of skid row,” Opinion, March 27

While Los Angeles Police Capt. Andrew Smith makes a great attempt to discredit the criticism of the LAPD issued by Ramona Ripston, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, his rebuttal takes a turn somewhere along the line and merely turns into a roundabout form of propaganda: “We will continue to provide training in dealing with the troubled and troublesome population on skid row. Do we need more money for housing, for supportive services and mental health care? Of course.” Smith’s article presents an image of the jaded officer who has seen too much; an officer who justifies taking serious action through the telling of tragic stories -- and while we’re on the topic, wouldn’t say no to some more money for the cause.

TANYA MEAIDA

Northridge

*

As one who has worked with the homeless in Long Beach, I too am appalled at Ripston’s hypocritical comments concerning the efforts of the LAPD on skid row. Smith and his officers, like the Long Beach police force, perform an underappreciated job in trying to keep the skid rows of their respective cities as safe as possible for the unfortunate residents of those areas. And I know -- although they might not say so -- they appreciate their efforts, as do people like me who work with skid row residents. As my mother would say, stars in your crown, Capt. Smith.

MICHAEL WELLER

Long Beach

*

Smith states that thousands of people who until recently came downtown to party in a lawless environment have simply gone home, or to jail, now that police are on the scene. As the largest owner/ developer of student housing around the USC campus, on the edge of downtown, I have seen an increase in homeless people moving into South L.A. since the police crackdown began. The homeless are not going home, as the police captain suggests, because they have no homes to go to. They are not in jail because they have not committed crimes. Instead, it seems to me that the overly aggressive police presence downtown appears to be chasing them to nearby areas that lack the services to handle them.

Without a real citywide plan for reducing homelessness, we will soon be back where we started.

ALAN SMOLINISKY

Los Angeles

The author, who is on the board of the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, is co-principal of Conquest Student Housing, a firm housing more than 2,000 students at USC and UC Santa Barbara.