By ENOUGH IS ENOUGH BY JENNA LINNEKENS
I am surprised and saddened by the complacent attitude regarding the homeless nightmare we are facing in this community. Everyone seems to recognize the problem but very few people are empowered enough to make an effort to change things.
I was in Vons on Broadway recently and saw a homeless woman inside the store. It was obvious that she had no intention of shopping, and she was speaking very loudly to a customer. It made the rest of us feel very uncomfortable. I was asked if a security guard was available to manage this situation.
Next, I saw a homeless man pushing a cart through the store stacked high with of all his personal belongings. His pants were hanging below his bottom, leaving it completely exposed. The store was full and there were many children in the store. Immediately I approached the manager who said, “He is in here all the time and we ask him leave and he just comes back.” I then insisted that something be done since it constituted indecent exposure, which is illegal. She assured me she would get the security guard. I stood by and waited. She did nothing and she treated me as if I was in the wrong. I went and got the security guard myself and he simply asked the man to pull up his pants. Am I the only one who finds this outrageous?
Vons is private property. They have the control not to allow trespassers to yell profanities and beg for money as patrons load their cars with their groceries.
We have the power to make change in our community. If we do not speak up and insist that the police enforce the laws, the courts uphold and prosecute the offenders, and make the City Council accountable, then we are in real trouble. If you see homeless people “camping” in our parks or beaches, call the police and tell them that you would like to report a homeless person camping. Legally, they must insist that they move on. They will come back, but we must be diligent and continue to correct this terrible problem.
I would like to help my fellow Santa Monica citizens become very clear on this ordinance so you can use your voice and speak up: 4.08.095 Prohibition against Camping in Public Places. (a) No person shall camp in a prohibited public place. (b) For the purpose of this Section: (1) “Camp” means to erect, maintain or occupy a camp facility for the purpose of living accommodations. (2) “Camp facility” means one or more of the following: tents, huts, other temporary physical shelters, cots, beds, sleeping bags, hammocks, or bedrolls. (3) “Prohibited public place”means any of the following: the public parks listed in Section 4.08.091, public beaches, the Santa Monica Municipal Pier, public streets, public alleyways, public parking lots, public passageways, public rights-of-way, publicly-owned landscaped areas or greenbelts, public educational institutions including properties owned by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District or Santa Monica College, or other government-owned properties located within the city of Santa Monica. (c) The City Council may, by majority vote, establish one or more specified camping areas. Such camping areas, if any, may be located in prohibited public places, except that such camping areas shall not be located within the public parks listed in Section 4.08.091. We must stop making it easy for the homeless to live on our streets. We must be helpful and sympathetic without forsaking our residents’ safety and security. (Jenna Linnekens is a longtime resident of Santa Monica. Your voice matters and she wants people to speak up. It does not have to be this way.)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 6, 2006. Read the original PDF.