The Main Street Battlefront
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — I just got back from walking to pick up a movie at Old Bank DVD. On the way back I was standing at the corner of 5th/Main and was shocked to see what a camp the west side of the street has become between 5th and 6th.
It used to be that people lined the street from 4th to 5th, or even 5th to 6th over on the east side of the street. Not any more, apparently. There were probably a good twenty-five people just hanging about up to no good.
I'm curious what caused the shift of people to the front of the LA Garage. Did a previous hangout get busted?
Activating this block is going to be critical if Main is going to become a street people can use and enjoy.
David Kennedy on August 15, 2006, at 10:57AM – #1
I think your curiosity here is misplaced on the detail of situation. You're missing the forest for the proverbial trees. Earlier this year, the city's efforts enforce an ordinance which forbid camping on the street was overturned by a higher court. Voila! The street people return and take possession of what they believe belongs to them.
I go up and down Main Street often. About a year ago, my wife and noticed the street seemed more normal. Instead of the usual gaggle of street people hanging out, there was the usual pedestrian traffic you'd expect. No more. Without enforcement of the law, the street has returned to previous disordered state.
Why anyone would think allowing people to camp on Main Street is sensible social policy is risible. You can be sure such behavior would not be tolerated for a moment in Brentwood. The more important question is why the law is applied differently across the city?
To be blunt, who cares why the encampment has moved today to this location? I'd ask why is it tolerated at all?
Ken on August 15, 2006, at 11:50AM – #2
The timeline went roughly like this: summer 2005: campground on the East side of main between 5th & 6th fall 2005: Santa Fe Lofts opened; security hassled and eventually dissuaded campers on the East side of the street Winter 2006: LAPD put extra cops on Main St., resulting in a major decrease in the number of loiterers and dealers Spring 2006: LAPD pulled those extra cops off the Main St. beat; Main St started going back downhill Summer 2006: Main St is as bad as it was a year ago.
There are two things residents can do.
1) Call LAPD and ask for more cops on Main St.
2) When you see something illegal, call Police Dispatch and report it. For example, say someone offers to sell you drugs ("ones-and-twos"). Call the local precinct dispatch at 213-928-8223 when you get out of sight. Describe the person (age, gender, ethnicity, clothing), crime, and exact location. If you do this, police have enough probably cause to search the person without a warrant.
The nice things about this are that (a) you never have to wait on hold, like you do when you call 911; and (b) it lets people know that residents care about this neighborhood and there are consequences to their actions.
Ken on August 15, 2006, at 11:52AM – #3
PS,
I do this whenever I see someone smoking crack on the street near my building.
Dennis on August 15, 2006, at 12:09PM – #4
I'm glad to see other residents are just as concerned. At a certain point, this really needs to be addressed. It seems the big issues that the ACLU brought up in their appeal was the availability of shelter beds, but I think they missed the point here. As an investor in a loft, and paying property taxes, this is now my neighborhood as well. At a certain point, people will have to take responsibility for their circumstances, and frankly seeing a bunch of crack addicts on the streets that refuse the assistance of the shelters because of the imposed rules from those shelters is not an apropriate answer. Thanks for the advice about who to call. I'll pass the info around. And maybe if we downtown loft dwellers put pressure on the city, then the issues of the concentration of homeless within a few blocks of the historic core will finally get addressed.
Scott Mercer on August 15, 2006, at 01:23PM – #5
So far, I haven't seen too much "camping" on the west side of Main. There's no tents and nobody there at night, usually. The people hang out there during the day, shooting the breeze and whatever else they do. As many as two dozen people. They set up lawn chairs. A lot of them have wheelchairs.
I guess they chose this spot because there are no stores there, and no security guards to chase them away. There are storefronts there, but they are boarded up. Let's get those rented out, or, at least, contact the owner of the parking garage and ask them to post a guard on the sidewalk in front of the garage. Private security guards are not subject to this court decision.
Ken on August 15, 2006, at 08:12PM – #6
People don't often camp on the west side of Main, but I see plenty of people there at night. My guess on why there are no tents? Too dangerous.
Program the precinct phone # into your cel phone. It often takes just 1-2 minutes to report a crime.
Joel C on August 16, 2006, at 12:38PM – #7
That garage is owned by Gilmore, no? I thought I recently read that. I wonder if he could be more involved in keeping that clear. (I say that with nothing but appreciation for what he has done for the area.)
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on August 16, 2006, at 12:39PM – #8
No, the LA Garage isn't owned by Gilmore.
concerned resident on August 16, 2006, at 03:57PM – #9
Take photos and post them online to embarrass the Mayor and the Police.
jim on August 16, 2006, at 07:50PM – #10
the garage that is owned by gilmore is the one used by the old bank district residents, next to the hellman building. i was under the impression that the whole building was going to be converted into parking, but i'm not sure about that. (it would make sense, given all the new residents that will be in the rowan and el dorado.)
sam hall kaplan's second article on this stretch of main street mentions that gilmore is planning more retail for the ground floor of that garage.
but given how slowly the retail has filled up in the main old bank district buildings, i wouldn't hold my breath.
the opening of blossom, the place with the ugly dresses, and the new art galleries around main and winston has livened up that corner, and it probably just a matter of time before the stretch from there to the santa fe lofts does the same, although there's some big parking garages and lots in the way.
Scott Mercer on August 17, 2006, at 01:12PM – #11
Hate to say it, but that stretch of Main is going to be a magnet as long as homeless service providers are there. Let's get them out and move them further east. But it doesn't have to be a losing proposition for them. Let's get them some bigger facilities, newer facilities. Let's get the city involved with eminent domain. It could be a winner for them AND the middle class loft-dwellers. The Midnight Mission recently moved from their longtime home on Los Angeles street to a much bigger, new facility.
Ed Fuentes on August 17, 2006, at 06:46PM – #12
Scott,
I'm further east, and we started seeing more camps here in the arts district. Hate to say it, but "middle class" is not just in the historic core.
Ed Fuentes on August 17, 2006, at 06:47PM – #13
Also, I was near that area today. Seems there was a clearing of the area where people were hanging out. LAPD was there.
Ken on August 18, 2006, at 12:10PM – #14
Glad to know LAPD was there. Having lived at PE, though, I have to say it took dozens of busts over several months at 7th & main before the police attention made a lasting difference. So hopefully LAPD plans to come back again tomorrow, and the next day, etc.
(In fairness to the cops on the beat, they know this. It's generally the people who control the resources that might need convincing.)