By Carole Orlin Santa Monica
I have just finished reading the article in the L.A. Times about the city council delaying its vote of the issue of the ordinances regarding the homeless in Santa Monica. I simply cannot understand anyone denying this is a serious problem, which needs to be addressed. The situation is totally out of control; Santa Monica has turned into a toilet bowl. I cannot count the times I have seen people defecating and urinating in public. I have to pick up after my dog, but these people do not have to pick up after themselves? I have been harassed on countless occasions by frightening panhandlers. The police do what they can, but we all know their hands are tied by the unrealistic laws that are in effect. I moved here two years ago with such high expectations, but it did not take me long to realize I am paying a small fortune to live in a toilet bowl. I own property that for now is vacant. Three of the units were broken into and totally destroyed by homeless people that set up camp there and chose to defecate on the floors and completely trash the units. The police were unable to do anything about it, so I had to shrug and pay $3,000 to fix the damage they did. Oh, and by the way, one of them was running a business out of one of the units! The bleeding hearts that see the homeless as helpless, hapless victims of fate should give them more credit than that. The homeless mentally ill are not being adequately cared for: There are simply not enough services for them. They should not be on the streets, because it is not safe for them. The alcoholics, drug addicts and sociopaths that live on the streets know how to play the system, and there is no easier system than the one in Santa Monica for them to play. Has anyone forgotten about accountability, or is that only for the law abiding taxpaying citizens? What lessons are we teaching our children? I volunteered in a soup kitchen in Washington D.C. before I moved here. There were rules and expectations, and guess what? The
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 1, 2002. Read the original PDF.