California

Homeless in Venice

LAPD Sgt. Theresa Skinner, left, supervises as officers detain Chesnel Dorceus while waking up homeless people sleeping along 3rd near Rose Avenue. Under a 2007 court settlement, homeless people may sleep on sidewalks in the city of Los Angeles as long as they move on by 6 a.m. When they don't, officers may find themselves on wake-up patrol.

LAPD Sgt. Theresa Skinner, left, supervises as officers detain Chesnel Dorceus while waking up homeless people sleeping along 3rd near Rose Avenue. Under a 2007 court settlement, homeless people may sleep on sidewalks in the city of Los Angeles as long as they move on by 6 a.m. When they don’t, officers may find themselves on wake-up patrol.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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On any given night, 58,000 homeless people sleep on the streets of L.A. County. Venice long has been a magnet for transients and affluent homeowners alike, the two groups generally coexisting in a community known for embracing people on society’s fringes. But now -- with gang crime on the wane, new business ventures bringing in jobs and property values on the rise -- gentrification is going strong but homelessness is also on the rise, leading to increased tensions.

On the move

Al, a homeless man, strolls along the Venice Boardwalk. Though some homeless people leave a mess behind where they camp, annoying residents, Al likes to clean up after himself. As he swept his spot clean outside the planned Google site, he said, “Even though I’m in the streets, I like to be neat.”   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Time to go

Homeless people gather their belongings after being awakened by LAPD officers before sunrise.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Words from 'Buddha'

Some of the “unhoused” in Venice accuse police of harassing them with petty tickets they can’t pay. “They’re trying to get us so frustrated to move us out,” said Gregory “Buddha” Gussner, a 1985 Venice High School graduate.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

A nice place to hang out

At Councilman Mike Bonin’s request, the city started cleaning the boardwalk twice a month, hauling unattended belongings downtown.   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

On the job

LAPD Sgt. Theresa Skinner works in her police vehicle at sunrise while looking for homeless people sleeping on the sidewalks. “Sometimes I wish I had crime that was more police-related,” said Skinner, who estimated that 75% of the complaints she deals with as a senior lead officer were about transients.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Juxtaposition

Al, a homeless man, passes early morning joggers. The peaceful coexistence that the community has been known for has been put to the test lately, with some newer residents quick to call police about things the old guard would have shrugged off. At the same time, young, aggressive transients -- other homeless people call them “dirt punks” -- are upsetting longtime residents.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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