As someone who has been attacked multiple times in the street and needed someone there or at least a way to signal for help—I had or saw no one!
For me/us to deal with ongoing assaults is traumatizing in itself! I was chased and attacked by a violent homeless person the night the city council chose to defund the police. What I can’t understand is victims of physical assaults or violent attacks or armed robberies with deadly weapons or rapes must not only be victims of crime but must be our own eye witnesses to crimes.
With that said, how could we have confidence in ambassadors (program) who are not equipped to handle violent crimes that should report crimes to police!
They can’t control violence or behaviors even if they witness or spot crime, but won’t call police. Victims must, and they are not legally able to detain anyone!
Why have foot patrols when they are just observers of crime who don’t want to/can’t interact or engage while crimes are in progress? Do you think more ambassadors will deter crime? If they haven’t in the past 10 years since the inception of the program they won’t deter it with 30 more ambassadors now!
What if some of them don’t want to report crimes for fear of being a compelled witness or be on record?
Never have I seen or heard any ambassador in this capacity prepared to come forward or be on record in court or work tandem with police, they are anonymous employees. No one knows their identities but we victims must state everything about us when we call police. We aren’t anonymous, we are more than crime statistics in Weho!
Living here for 11 years I have been randomly attacked by homeless yearly. attempted robbery twice when I was cornered on Westmount north of Melrose and again on Willoughby and Ogden.
My feet did the talking and ran away in those scary instances when they did happen!
Ironically, there were no eye witnesses in broad daylight in my own neighborhood! With high crime rates the public urged council NOT TO DEFUND police, but you did anyway!
Now we find out the ambassador program has people in command with criminal records or again have their past armed robberies or assaults expunged from having us know how one can deter crime without disclosing your Own violent criminal actions?
Regardless of serving time—charged or tried for attempted murder is serious and no one with that record should be ever be in command or oversee the Ambassador Program. Apparently council knew but chose to keep criminal records away from public knowledge or correspondence private.
It shouldn’t be only Wehoville disclosing serious information that is dereliction of duty by the council or those they appoint to oversee this program!
You must re-evaluate this program or who you hire to serve the residents and the public and must get input or full disclosure or intensive background checks for employees who are delegated with or must deal with the public or victims of crime, crime or incidents that have gone in/underreported and their criminal histories who you have tasked with replacing police since there is an innate concern with lack of transparency in your resident engagement or internal memos/ correspondence with staffers or with each other or those who have insider knowledge and unfair advantage to influence the council in their roles or capacities as commissioners over the public at-large!
Sincerely,
James “Jamie” Francis
11 year resident of West Hollywood
Victim of Violent crime in Weho
More times than I wanted!
I’ve heard you stand up at City Council on a number of occasions with sensible and logical facts.
Have heard you speak up several times at City Council with reasonable and rational information. Shocking that the Councilmembers failed to form a task force including residents with important points of view when these issues surfaced as problematic. It’s never too late Councilmembers, reevaluate priorities important to the residents more so than your own resumes.
Sorry to hear wha has happened to you. Sad to know that things are only going to get worse in West Hollywood. Crime, homelessness, empty store fronts. This city is in fast, deep decline. We have to vote differently in the next elections. Out with the extremes..the woke…in with more moderate thinkers.
Thank you for your sincerity
I feel you James I’ve lived in WEHO for 30 years and been attacked twice in the last 5 months in WEHO by homeless liberal, Newsom Junkies. Don’t care about their life choices. LOCK THEM UP AND PUNISH THEM. Shut down the Woke and leave them voiceless. Best solution ever. Feel your pain.
Thank you for your sincere thoughts and sentiments
Sadly, James, nothing will changed with these pompous self serving Far Left lackeys until they are beaten senseless by criminals while yelling for “safety bicycles” to show up.
So true thank you
Not to diminish the seriousness of the issues you have dealt with, but the always busy Starbucks on Santa Monica and Westmount is closing permanently July 31, because the company says the neighborhood is too dangerous and they can’t protect their employees. The numerous employees–and customers–of Starbucks are in shock. This is a horrible indictment of the neighborhood, which will likely get worse after Starbucks is gone. This loss for our city–of our basic safety, not to mention Starbucks–is a direct result of the self-serving policies of Lindsey Horvath, John Erickson, Sepi Shyne, and John D’Amico. I wonder which businesses… Read more »
Do our elected officials live here? I have lived near Westmount/Santa Monica for a decade, and have never seen the homeless problem so out of control. I don’t understand how it isn’t considered a crime for deranged individuals, clearly under the influence of a controlled/illegal substance, to stand on our corners screaming obscenities (sometimes directed at residents and sometimes not) at the top of their lungs while often exposing themselves intermittently. I witness this every single morning while on a walk with my 74 year old neighbor and it’s shocking that nothing is done about it. The moment you cross… Read more »
Sad to hear that and witness much of the same in another neighborhood. Would you be willing to author and collect an incident list of these events that could be part of the picture that other private individuals are composing to present for action? The council members appear oblivious to the concerns.