LOS ANGELES (KNX) — The city of Los Angeles initiated a clean-up of a homeless encampment in the Toriumi Plaza area of Little Tokyo on Thursday, triggering backlash from advocacy groups.
Early Thursday morning, trucks and crews arrived along a stretch of sidewalk near the intersection of First and Judge John Aiso streets, fencing off the corner along with Toriumi Plaza. City officials have justified the closure and clean-up so that repairs can be performed on the plaza.
Previously, much of the sidewalk near the intersection was occupied by tents. Officials said they’ve conducted outreach to encampment residents in recent weeks, warning of them of Thursday’s closure and offering them housing in shelters.
Still, the clean-up has drawn criticism from local homeless advocacy groups, including J-Town Action Group. J-Town Action has been protesting the closure of Toriumi Plaza since 7 a.m. Thursday morning.
In a tweet published Thursday morning, J-Town Action disputed the city’s claim that residents of Toriumi Plaza were offered shelter options. “Multiple unhoused residents tried to ask about Project Roomkey but were ignored,” the organization tweeted, referring to the city’s temporary shelter program which utilizes unused hotel rooms.
The city said it intended to proceed with the closure and clean-up of the plaza, and planned to move all residents out of the area by late Thursday night.
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