Laborers cause a stir
11th STREET — Police say they will beef up patrols here as a result of loitering day laborers, but some business leaders are still waiting to see an increased presence.
Santa Monica Police Chief James T. Butts Jr. recently announced that the SMPD’s patrol and narcotics units will be in the area to suppress illegal drug activity.
“We don’t want to stop people from making a living, but at the same time, whenever you have a situation where people congregate there can be illicit activity,” Butts said, adding his officers will work undercover and in uniform, using different strategies. He declined to cite specifics of deployment.
The move was prompted by complaints by business owners and residents in the 11th Street and Colorado Avenue area, who say day laborers are using and dealing drugs. They also are frequently seen drinking beer at night along 11th Street, from Colorado Avenue to Olympic Boulevard.
The growing number of day laborers who stand along the one-block stretch have been the source of much controversy in recent years, as residents and business owners have grown tired of trash strewn along the street, and feces and urine left in the alleys. Earlier this year, City Hall attempted to deal with that issue by placing porta-potties on 11th Street.
However, the drug and alcohol use reportedly continues. Those who work in the area at the Salvation Army Thrift Store and at Bourget Brothers Building Materials — where laborers stand in front hoping to secure construction jobs — say the problems remain. Beer cans are thrown in bushes and pot smoking occurs among clusters of men at 11th Street and Colorado, where the Lexus car dealership will soon have a service operation.
An employee at the thrift store, who did-n’t want to be identified because of safety concerns, said his life has been threatened by some of the laborers. Employees are fearful of walking to their cars at night when the thrift store closes at 9 p.m. because many of the laborers are still on hand.
“It gets really bad when they’ve been here all day drinking, when they are done with work or didn’t get any work,” the employee said.
The thrift store employee said shoplifting occurs frequently, with clothing tags being tossed onto the sidewalk directly in front of the store. Recently, someone broke into the thrift store and stole a 1,000-pound safe containing $650.
Among the dozens of laborers who look for work in the area, the employee reasons, 40 percent are decent guys — the other 60 percent are trouble.
“I would like to see more bike or foot patrols (from police),” the employee said.
John Bourget, who owns Bourget Brothers Building Materials, agrees that many of the laborers are good men just looking to make some money, but there are a few problem people.
“There are a lot of nice guys out there, but it’s the other guys who don’t want to work and are looking for trouble,” Bourget said. “It’s a party atmosphere.
“They could patrol it more because there is a lot of drinking.”
Bourget and some of his employees say drug usage is easy to spot because the smell of marijuana permeates the air and some of the dealers aren’t conspicuous in their deals. A few months ago, Bourget decided to trim the ivy that grows on the fence in front of his store. When he started cutting from the bottom, he found four bags of marijuana that had been stuffed in the greenery.
Bourget suggests that City Hall enforce the area so that laborers are allowed to be in the area from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. After that, the chances of finding work for the day are slim.
“They’ve got to put a limit to the time they are here,” he said.“If you are not picked up by 1 p.m., you are not going to get a job.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 30, 2006. Read the original PDF.