By Erik Tyler Santa Monica
Newly elected councilman Bobby Shriver, brother-in-law to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, ran on a platform promising to help the legal, tax-paying residents of Santa Monica and business owners combat the homeless epidemic that plagues the area. Council members before him have made similar promises, and various laws have been passed in attempts to grant relief, but have amounted to little more than political jargon at best. Approximately 2,000 homeless vagrants wander major business districts and tourist destinations every day and night, breaking countless laws, and creating both economic and social strains on the city.
All someone has to do is take a walk down Third Street Promenade. There’s chronic panhandling, drunken irrational behavior, monopolization of public benches, vomiting, urinating and defecating around buildings and in adjacent parklands, sleeping in public, rummaging through public trash cans, and the list goes on. Public benches, paid for with tax dollars, should always be available to legal residents and visitors. While the City Council claims to be working on the issue, the problem only swells.
Thousands of complaints have been made by tourists who stay at expensive hotels in the area. Many are shocked and disgusted at the shear numbers of vagrants, while others fear for their safety while walking down park pathways or to the pier, where swarms of homeless panhandle and loiter. Public bathrooms at the beach are often soiled by the homeless, creating unsanitary and potentially hazardous conditions. Promenade business owners have serious concerns as the consequences of homeless behavior significantly affect revenue.
After a walk down Third Street Promenade, take another through The Grove in Los Angeles. You won’t see swarms of homeless. You won’t see panhandling, garbage rummaging, illegal camping and the like. Both areas are identical business districts, with movie theaters, restaurants, outdoor seating areas and abundant shopping, but effective law enforcement seems to have benefited one while grossly neglecting the other. So the question becomes, “What about the rights of legal residents, business owners and tourists in Santa Monica?” Why are these rights being put second to illegal vagrants, who offer no contribution to the city whatsoever. They trespass, loiter, panhandle, illegally camp in public, create health hazards with urination, defecation, vomit and garbage rummaging, and are significantly detrimental to the businesses at the Promenade, beach and pier. The city and law enforcement officers have an obligation to keep areas like Third Street Promenade clear of illegal activities, just like at The Grove, and are breaking their commitment by allowing homeless activities to thrive in epidemic proportions.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 20, 2006. Read the original PDF.