By John W. Linfesty III Santa Monica
I am completely disgusted after reading Melrose Sprague’s letter about her incident at Sav-On Drugs on Lincoln Boulevard (SMDP, Aug. 30, page 4). How many more residents have to be assaulted, raped or harassed by these “homeless” criminals? First off, I have never been to that Sav-On store without seeing at least two bums camped out on the upper lot and another one working the door for money. Must be a union gig or the city’s new work program. Why Sav-On can’t flush them out so paying customers can be safe is a mystery.
Everyone from both sides has chimed in about what to do about the “homeless” problem, but it just gets worse every day. Many of these people are violent criminals and should not be allowed to walk our streets, let alone camp on them for weeks on end. My kids can’t use the parks, every public parking garage stinks of urine, the Promenade is filthy and, as a landlord, my tenants frequently complain — rightfully so — about bums sleeping on their doorsteps, defecating on the buildings and breaking into their cars. My tenants have been told by SMPD that unless there is a “crime” going on, the police will not come to help. How is it possible that every complaint falls on deaf ears at City Hall? Is it just ignorance or do they really want to destroy what little charm Santa Monica has left? I personally think it’s outright arrogance. Our city government does not care what most of us want. They know what is best and how dare you question their judgment. Now for my favorite part, I’ll get called “insensitive” and “unsympathetic.” Guess what, I don’t care. If this plague is to be dealt with, more people need to get involved, step up to let City Hall have an earful. Just remember, the next woman that gets mugged or raped by a bum could be your daughter or grandmother, and it could have been prevented by our local government doing the right thing and taking back our streets.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 5, 2006. Read the original PDF.