In a press conference shared on Twitter by writer Kate Gallagher, residents of a homeless encampment in Harbor City said they want more input when it comes to Los Angeles city and county solutions to homelessness.
The press conference was held a day before a scheduled Thursday morning sweep. Authorities posted a notice that cleaning crews would be clearing the area at 8:46 a.m. on Wednesday morning, giving residents less than 24 hours' notice.
Resident Al Daniels asked that local officials include members of the unhoused community in discussions about housing efforts.
“We have voices and we want to be heard,” he said.
The encampment at Lomita Boulevard and McCoy Avenue is in LA Councilmember Joe Buscaino’s district. Buscaino is running for mayor and has made homelessness a focus of his campaign. Buscaino wants the city to resume enforcing its ban on daytime camping and supports the sweeps overseen by Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
Councilmember Mike Bonin, in contrast, supports interim housing programs, like the one that will offer temporary shelter for about 200 people who are currently camping along the Venice boardwalk.
"We're launching a major effort to confront the homelessness crisis at Venice Beach, address the safety needs of the housed and the unhoused, and fully reopen the park and beach for general public use. How? We're offering housing, not handcuffs," Bonin tweeted in the last week of June.
Complaints about the homelessness crisis in the area have contributed to a recall effort launched against Bonin.
Still, encampment residents feel the shelters, including the "tiny home villages," offered to them fail to take into account their needs.
Carlos, a resident of the encampment, emphasized that people did not want to stay on the street but he also said, “There has got to be better options” than the encampment or the shelters.
One speaker, Jennifer, likened the sweeps Busciano pushes to a “band-aid covering a gaping wound.”
She has accepted services from the county and moved into a tiny home location, but she still maintains a tent at the encampment because tiny home residents are only allowed to bring two bags of belongings.
She said she tries to follow the rules but that means leaving some of her belongings at the encampment.
“The rules don't suit us or suit anybody really,” she said.
The LA City Council voted to draft new rules stopping homeless people from camping near schools, parks and other “sensitive” areas on Tuesday. Tents and encampments will be barred from blocking public sidewalks in compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
The LA Times reported that Councilmember Paul Krekorian, a coauthor of the proposal, said that Angelenos want to regain public spaces.
“They want to be able to go into the entrance of their business. They want to be able to know that when they pull into a parking lot, they don’t have to worry about running someone over when they’re going through the driveway.”
Harbor City encampment residents say any discussion of long-term solutions to homelessness will more successful with their input.