■Dozens of homeless were arrested for gathering illegally and potentially inciting a riot.
People’s Republic police responded to Stray Street where several dozen of the Republic’s homeless gathered on the street and blocked traffic with a sign reading, “Santa Monica: No Place Better to be Homeless!” Two dozen homeless were arrested for parading without a permit and general loitering. Yesterday marks the 10 year anniversary of the fist ever Homeless Feast held on a People’s Republic bluff overlooking the ocean. ■A woman was shocked and traumatized by an attacker at the Third Street Marmalade.
People’s Republic police responded to the 140,000 block of the Marmalade at about 2:30 p.m. last Wednesday and located the victim, Crissy Trustfund, 28, of Snooty Hills. Trustfund told police that the attacker approached her abruptly and asked for a dollar. Trustfund refused to give a dollar but instead offered the man a job.
The man then argued back “I don’t want a job, I want a dollar for food, I’m starving,” said Trustfund. ■A People’s Republic meter reader vehicle was car-jacked yesterday, and resulted in a 13-minute low speed pursuit with police.
At roughly 2:15 yesterday afternoon the unnamed meter reader was waved down by a motorist parked in Ocean Avenue’s metered parking. The motorist explained he was out of change, but needed to run up to his friend’s apartment to pick up a book. When the motorist returned the meter reader was giving his vehicle a ticket.
The motorist screamed an obscenity, jumped into the meter reader’s three wheeled cart and took off north on Ocean Avenue. Police ensued in a low speed pursuit that took them careening around corners and zipping through parking lots. The motorist evaded police at Stray Street where several dozen homeless people blocked the street but allowed the small cart to pass. Police located the vehicle last night on the beach. It was covered in honey and feathered with hundreds of unwanted parking citations.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 1, 2002. Read the original PDF.