It was just a regular Sunday morning — parking on Larrabee and dropping bagels at the shop — when a homeless man asked me, “Where do they pee around here?”
“Oh, just in the alley,” I said.
There’s nothing new about this. I’ve spoken up before.
The problem is: shit gets done.
The city has all this money — quoted by staff at one of our recent meetings as approximately $10 million spent annually on homelessness — but they’re still peeing behind my shop. The budget doesn’t include a port-o-potty for the people who live here, on the streets.
“We meet them where they are,” Lindsey Horvath used to say.
Well, meet them with a port-o-potty — or park a mobile restroom nearby!
The County is spending hundreds of millions on this crisis, and still… they pee and crap on the streets. The City is spending tens or millions on the problem…but they still pee and crap all over WeHo.
The man continued:
“From what I know about LA County, you have to let a pedestrian use the restroom. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about that — or you get chastised through the industry. They don’t give you a bathroom, so we go to the alley. Then they get you for indecent exposure.”
I offered him my coffee cake muffin and asked a few questions. Are you in West Hollywood often?
“No,” he said. “Only once or twice. I was sleeping on the bus and woke up at the end of the line. Last stop — get off the driver said. – 4th and San Vicente. I walked toward the noise. Saw everyone partying. Guys had the cock-piece on. Someone bought me a soda. Needed food and someone got me two hot dogs — must’ve been eleven bucks. Thank you.”
And you just like uh stayed around and slept on the street?
Yeah, “Some guys were smoking meth on the corner. I’m like, ‘What are you guys doing?’ One block over — there, Santa Monica and Robertson. Low key. They gave me some hits. I’m not getting so high I look like a noodle man. Cops don’t mess with us unless we’re fucking up.”
Do the homeless people talk about coming to West Hollywood?
“…I don’t even know how people end up in West Hollywood. A lot of people associate the homosexual and lesbian community with being crude. Like they don’t like people outside their people, because they’re used to being attacked.”
How long have you been on the street?
“Bout four years. Going on five. I was capable of being murdered anytime. How the fuck am I still alive?”
What caused you to be homeless?
“My ex–baby mom. We had a big ol’ 3,000-square-foot home in Devore — pool, spa, foothills. I gave her $273,000 and cut ties. She was on some other crazy shit. I saw my daughter once. On her 7th birthday.” (He starts to cry.)
Got a job? What did you do?
“No job right now… Industrial hydraulic engineer. Yeah, I know how to work. I know how to do big business.”
If you wrote a book, what would you say about being on the street?
“At least poor people — they know. Look how cool you are, there are bums that are cool like that too. And then there’s bums who are rotten and no good. I think that has to do with the who, how, and why they ended up here. Some people are so broken, no amount of therapy is ever gonna make that person good again. That’s what people do to people — raping, punching, beating, stealing.”
Do you plan on staying on the street?
“I don’t know. I guess I gotta at least show that I’m trying to get back to what’s considered the proverbial… higher power. I can’t even deal with what’s going on in my life without bawling my eyes out.”
How do you pay for your phone now?
“They got government phones now. That’s the one I lost on the bus.”
Hey man, can I help you get into housing? You can get up and do this.-
Sitting on the ground at a point of inflection, a robotic delivery vehicle passed down Larrabee — circling between me, a parking meter, and the man. Can I help get you into housing? I know a lot of people.
“No no… not ready to get into the system.”
I gave him my card. I own that store right over there — BlockParty. If you change your mind, call me. Or walk into the store and tell them to call me. I know people who can help. I’ll come back in one hour, and if you’re still here, we’ll call my friend at social services.
He paused and then asked:
“Are you gay, man?”
Laughing, I said, Yeah, I’m a gay guy, – and he answered, “lots of nice people around here:
“You can do this,” I said. “I’ll be back in an hour.” Then I circled back. He was gone. Started driving around WeHo looking for him. Didn’t find him.
Maybe he found a bathroom.
Larry, I saw you speaking to this man on my walk down SMB. I really appreciate you taking the time to understand more about his story and I completely agree we need to be providing comprehensive services. John Heilman said we shouldn’t be running services out of the library and I agree. At the recent Plummer Park redesign meeting I proposed a dedicated homelessness services center with a shower, bathroom, and more on the corner of the park. Let’s build a place that can centralize all of our services and meet people where they are.
We’ve allowed this. It’s now normalized. They know they can’t be touched. They do what they want, when they want to whomever they want. They do their drugs, they trespass, they steal. Cities can now do something about this…if they wanted to. Fact is, “homelessness” has turned into big business. Paying big salaries to lots of people in lots of organization. Look at all the millions (if not billions) that are unaccounted for at the county level. This will continue until taxpayers have had enough. Surprising that we are not there yet.
You did not address any root causes or solutions in your post. If you’re as smart as you think you are, address those two points…otherwise you’re just another blowhard
The “root cause” is a total lack of self responsibility. If one cannot function in society and causes harm to the community…..they must be removed.
The individual is responsible for the “solution”…..
Republicanism, and mental illness.
I’m not so sure what he told you about his background is the truth.
Pick these people up and put them in work camps. In exchange for temp housing…..they submit to mental health evaluations and public service work activities.
Must have a zero tolerance for this. Society used to police this……but the D Party has implemented policies that have destroyed self responsibility and encouraged reckless and destructive behavior. These are the consequences.
It was Ronald Reagan, not a Democrat, who signed the law that stopped involuntary confinement of mentally ill homeless people, which is when California’s homeless program exploded.
In 1980, under Jimmy Carter, the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 was passed. This bill provided federal grants to local community mental health centers. One year later, the 96th Congress, with a Democratic majority in both houses, repealed the act. Reagan signed the repeal, which was placed on his desk by Congress, but he was merely following the wishes of the elected representatives of his constituents. Reagan agreed with the majority of the Democrats that it was better to allow the states to retain control of funding and operations in mental health institutions. What Reagan did do, as governor… Read more »
President Reagan came to office in 1981 with a mandate to reduce federal spending. To pay for his massive military budget, he slashed funds for domestic programs that assisted working class Americans, particularly the poor and homeless. During his tenure, the income gap between the rich and everyone else in America widened. Wages for the average worker declined and the nation’s homeownership rate fell. The poverty rate in cities exploded. His indifference to urban problems was legendary and infamous. Early in his presidency, at a White House reception, Reagan greeted the only black member of his cabinet – Housing and… Read more »
I don’t even know where to begin to correct just about everything you said here. It would take far too long and more effort than I am willing to devote to the effort with almost no hope of changing your mind or of anyone else even seeing my response.
That was 8 Governors ago.
and yet … none of the ones since have reversed that legislation.
Nope, Gov. Pat Brown created and signed the law at the end of his last term and it was left to the next governor, Ronald Reagan, to enforce that law with which he disagreed but was powerless, with a Dem assembly to change.