To whom it may concern:
Please investigate a disheartening incident I witnessed Tuesday on N. Hayworth Dr. at the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute has a camera that may have captured footage of the animal cruelty on September 26, 2023, between 2pm-3pm. At least 4 officer vehicles arrived shortly after I called 911. Officer Essandoh was the first to arrive followed by officers Renteria and Jimenez and Deputy Garcia and his partner (a female social worker, or psychologist, who did not give me her name). Other officers left before I could get their names but were less involved. Report #WHD23269-0078 and classification 925T. (See attached)
Before I describe the animal cruelty concern, I want to explain my disappointment with West Hollywood’s new Care Team. Allow me to set aside any concerns that this email is a commentary on the homeless or their rights to have sentient property. This email is meant to reference state laws that I believe were in violation and went without consequence despite having the resources on the scene capable of enforcing such laws.
Weho’s very own Behavioral Health Response team, in this case, decided to provide a brochure to a homeless person who displayed extreme paranoia and mental distress. She verbalized to officers that she has been diagnosed as “schizophrenic affective”, lacks shelter or a plan to seek shelter, does not have her medications, and made several disturbing statements including asking her “baby daddy” to kill another woman for her. I am sure officers are desensitized to psychotic behavior, but what is the point of spending $2.5 million per year on this new response team if they are just going to hand out a brochure and overlook animal abuse?
There’s plenty of scrutiny for Hathaway-Sycamores’ social workers failing to protect vulnerable victims of abuse, yet they are operating the WeHo Care Team. I witnessed Deputy Garcia and his partner fall short of what voters were told this Care Team would do. I did not hear the officers ask her for a pet license, proof of past veterinary care to prove her ownership or rabies vaccination, and there was no water available to the dog. She had been loitering there on a regular basis according to the Strasberg acting school, and every onlooker passed with very concerned faces as the scene was clearly hostile. The dog had a swollen neck that was very enlarged on its left side when it stood up and it displayed shutdown behavior typical of chronic abuse or neglect.
1.) CA Penal Code 597f – Permitting animals to go without care; Veterinary care
Every owner of any animal, who permits the animal to be without proper care and attention, shall, on conviction, be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.
It’s the duty of any peace officer, officer of the humane society, or officer of a pound or animal regulation of a public agency, to take possession of an abandoned or neglected animal and care for the animal until it is redeemed by its owner.
2.) CA Penal Code 597.1 – Permitting animals to go without care: Veterinary care for injured animals: Pre Seizure and Postseizure Hearings
Every owner, driver or keeper of any animal who allows the animal to be in any building, enclosure, lane, street, square or lot of any city, county or judicial district without proper care and attention is guilty of a misdemeanor.
When the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that very prompt action is required to protect the health or safety of the animal or the health or safety of others, the officer shall immediately seize the animal and comply with subdivision.
3.) CA Penal Code 2606.4 – (1) Licensing and vaccination procedure subdivision (b), section 121690, California Health and Safety Code Title 17
The vaccination of dogs four months of age against rabies as required under subdivision (b), section 121690, California Health and Safety Code, and the license required by subdivision (a) of said section shall be procured not later than 30 days after the dog attains the age of four.
People in California can be placed on a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold for mental illness if they are gravely disabled (GD) such as unable to provide their own food or shelter, or if they pose a danger to others (DTO). Did her statement that she plots to kill a woman not qualify as a DTO? When I told the Care Team that I felt threatened when I was trying to pay my parking meter near the psychotic woman yelling derogatory obscenities and flailing her arms in my direction, Deputy Garcia’s partner insinuated that only a threat of murder would qualify as threatening. When I asked Deputy Garcia why they did not conclude that this woman posed a danger to herself, he insinuated the criteria is for her to slit her wrists.
The complex task of dealing with the homeless who are blocked by mental illness requires a more effective approach if this program is going to sustain public support. As for the neglected pets of LA county’s homeless population, animal services won’t respond because they consider it futile since the animal and owner cannot be found or investigated at one residence. Other officers at this scene told me their hands are tied, and one suggested the city could get sued for taking a homeless person’s dog even if there are signs of abuse.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this issue and please investigate if you are able to.
Taylor Deering
City of West Hollywood staff from the City’s Human Services and Rent Stabilization Department and the City’s Community Safety Department responded to Ms. Deering upon receiving her correspondence today to ensure that her communication to the City was addressed.
As part of responding to Ms. Deering, City staff clarified that the City’s newly implemented Care Team (West Hollywood Care Team) was not the responding team in this matter; responders were West Hollywood Sheriff’s Deputies and the Mental Evaluation Team (MET) from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station.
For clarification: There is a dedicated Mental Evaluation Team (MET) serving West Hollywood as part of a partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH). The MET unit consists of a Sheriff’s Deputy and a DMH Licensed Mental Health Clinician. They provide mental health support, field crisis intervention, and appropriate psychiatric placement in situations involving law enforcement contacts with community members impacted by mental health symptoms. The goal of this co-response model is to improve the well-being outcomes for community members with severe mental health needs by reducing the use of force, hospitalizations, and avoiding unnecessary incarcerations of people who are better served through mental health services.
Staff from the City’s Community Safety Department has been in touch with the West Hollywood Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to relay Ms. Deering’s concerns and they are looking into this matter.
The West Hollywood Care Team is referenced in the post – but, to reiterate, the Care Team was not the responding team in this matter. The Care Team is a new mobile behavioral health crisis response program that has begun serving the community. The West Hollywood Care Team is a first-of-its-kind city-county collaboration to enhance community access to crisis support and services. The City’s Care Team launched on September 4 and operates Monday through Friday, 2 p.m. to 6 a.m., to provide crisis stabilization, safety planning, connection to community resources, and follow-up support. Services are delivered using an approach based on harm-reduction, trauma-informed, and culturally competent practices.
The City selected Sycamores to operate the West Hollywood Care Team based on the nonprofit agency’s expertise in mobile crisis response and its excellent track record and work serving the community as a contractor for Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.
As part of launching the West Hollywood Care Team, the City has been encouraging people to learn about the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and offers telephone access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress. When a local 988 caller needs in-person help, the call is connected to the LA County Department of Mental Health (DMH) to dispatch trained mobile crisis response staff, including referral to the West Hollywood Care Team in the coming weeks.
Additionally: as Ms. Deering’s correspondence included a concern for a dog related to this matter, the City’s Neighborhood & Business Safety Division has connected with the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control, which is the City’s partner in protecting the welfare of animals through compassionate care, effective enforcement, education, and intervention.
As always, the City of West Hollywood encourages any community member with concerns about an unhoused individual or matters relating to people experiencing homelessness in West Hollywood, to reach out to the City’s West Hollywood Homeless Concern Line. Call the Homeless Concern Line at (323) 848-6590 and leave a detailed voicemail (this is a non-emergency number). For callers who leave messages, City staff (M-TH 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fri 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) can quickly get information to the City’s homeless outreach teams to respond to matters. Learn more at www.weho.org/homeless.
Has the investigative reporter followed up on how this lady and her dog are doing? Has the reporter followed up with the person who initially complained about the lady chilling with her dog? I’m tired of the outrage but am curious to know where this all landed.
I suspect that the passage of SB 43 (Eggman) Behavior Health, which expands the definition of “gravely disabled”, if signed by the Governor, in combination with LA County’s recent announcement to add 3,000 mental health beds, will provide the tools necessary to make future response situations like this have better outcomes. Here is the link to learn more about SB 43 and I encourage you to contact the Governor’s Office to urge him to sign the bill into law. (he has until Oct. 14th to do so): https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB43
That is a Time-Life image that pops into my head whenever I hear anybody say the words “West Hollywood” nowadays. In past years, the first thing that came to my mind whenever I heard the words “West Hollywood” was Anthony Hamilton doing his thing at the Sports Connection for a captive audience. Those were the days.
The event and inactions described are alarming but unfortunately not surprising.
It illustrates our society’s normalization of this tragic human condition. All in the name of civil liberties……Sad.
This same woman and dog were at Pavilions yesterday sitting outside the main entrance exhibiting the same paranoia and screaming tantrums. This is not the first time nor the tenth time she has been at the Pavilions Center. I have witness numerous previous occasions of her acting out/displays (it’s quite frightening and borders on dangerous to passers-by) and many times the Block By Block Ambassadors come by and just stare. That the new program attendant(s) gave an obviously sick and potentially dangerous person a brochure is just pathetic and disheartening. Of course I wouldn’t expect more from city employees. At… Read more »
Here are some questions:
Do we as a city allow people to defate in public? Apparently, we do.
Do we as a city allow people to urinate in public? we do
Do we as a city allow people to expose themselves and commit sexual acts in public? we do
Do we as a city allow people to drink alcohol openly on the street? we do
Do we as a city allow people to do drugs on the street? we do
Do we allow people to loiter and create piles of garbage on the street? we do
You are 100% correct.
*defecate
The Agencies that get paid by keeping the Homeless in the streets are: The so called Case Workers,The Fire Department,Police,Courts,Sanitation Works,Parking Enforcement,West Hollywood Ambassadors Ect…They Don’t care about Public Safety for the Residents…California is Trying to Get rid of Residents With High Rent,Gas,Food,Crime,Homelessness ! The State Doesn’t care About Business Owners let alone The Residents !
This is so sad. This person should not have that dog.
She probably got a letter online claiming it’s an Emotional Support Animal, just like every other entitled jerk roaming the grocery aisles with their dogs.
At least they have a wallet