The city of Los Angeles has been restive over the last few weeks with a surge in encampments. A new report by The New York Times found that nearly 1,500 people are living on sidewalks and other public areas throughout the city. In response to this problem, local officials have proposed putting up boulders around Koreatown as well as conducting more sweeps of homeless campsites. Residents in nearby residential neighborhoods quickly expressed their disapproval for these plans.
The “la homeless population” is the largest in Los Angeles and has been growing rapidly. The city of LA is trying to combat this issue with boulders that are being placed in the Koreatown neighborhood.
(CBSLA) KOREATOWN – Someone in a Koreatown area put stones on the pavement to prevent homeless encampments from forming.
31st of January, 2022 (CBSLA)
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26 stones obstructed the pathway and entry road to Shatto Park, which residents say appeared after a homeless encampment was cleared away. While advocates for the homeless argue that moves like these restrict where homeless people may sleep at night, other neighbors argue that it is more safer this way.
No one seems to know where the rocks originated from in the Koreatown district.
“They were literally gone one night, overnight, and these stones were here.” “I have no clue who did it or where it came from,” said Christy Campos, a neighbor.
Campos lives down the block and wanders through the neighborhood every day. She expressed her displeasure with the stones being placed on the pavement.
“I’m disturbed because I don’t know what happened to these folks,” Campos said. “I don’t know whether they’re better off or worse off, if they received the assistance that they may need.”
However, several local residents claim that as people and tents flooded the area, fighting, garbage, and fires erupted. Several homeowners declined to be interviewed for this story because they preferred the stones to the people living along the sidewalk.
When asked whether it’s better without the homeless living on the sidewalk, Jay Yoon said, “Yes, very lot, much better.”
Yoon built a garden in front of his house a few years ago to discourage people from camping there. He did the same thing for his neighbor lately, planting cactus and other thorny plants on purpose.
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“There are several issues. “First, this place became filthy,” Yoon said.
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There were numerous such encampments nearby as I drove around the local streets.
Some residents believe the stones on Westmoreland Avenue were purchased out of pocket after the city seemed to disregard or ignore concerns about homelessness.
Neighbor Neana Hudson believes the boulders are safer where they are, but at what cost?
“At the same time, you’re feeling a little down.” “If someone slept there, they probably didn’t have somewhere else to go,” she said.
Similar measures have been employed to stop homeless people in other sections of the city, and the city has removed boulders and even planters due to a lack of licenses.
When asked for reaction, Karly Katona, the caretaker for the 10th Council District, informed CBSLA:
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“Our office was just informed of the stones that have been put on S. Westmoreland Ave in Koreatown. As a consequence of the city’s recent redistricting process, this region is new to the 10th District. We’re working with the necessary City agencies to figure out what the next actions should be.”
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