By Melissa Romley Brentwood
Sunday was such a pretty day. As my friend and I sat outside of her apartment building on Darlington in Brentwood you could hear birds chirping and people laughing. What we didn’t hear was the strung-out homeless man running up from behind us bending down and stealing my purse in broad daylight, booking towards San Vicente Boulevard. That’s right, my purse was stolen at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday in Brentwood. The police who responded almost an hour after my 911 call were unable to do anything and seemed very uninterested in persuing the suspect.
After the police report, shock, and a few tears, my friend took me to lunch on Third Street. And guess what? A homeless man had the gall to ask me for money. You can only guess what my response was.
This encounter only further proves that the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica do not have their priorities straight. How can such an upper class neighborhood be so unsafe at 12:30 in the afternoon?
Homelessness is a severe problem, not just in Santa Monica, but in Los Angeles. It is out of control. I encourage groups like Santa Monicans for Sensible Priorities to fight to end homelessness not just on a local level, but a regional one as well. Please, help make the streets safe.
And to all the women out there, please use extreme caution when around the homeless.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 9, 2005. Read the original PDF.