Boulders placed at Koreatown park spark debate on homelessness
Boulders block homeless from Koreatown park entrance, sidewalk
About two dozen boulders have shown up near the entrance of a park in Koreatown. Residents don't seem to know where they came from. Homeless advocates say this limits where the homeless can sleep, others say it's an issue of neighborhood safety.
LOS ANGELES - About two dozen boulders have appeared near an entrance to Shatto Park in Koreatown recently, and many are unsure how they got there.
The boulders line the sidewalk and street on Westmoreland Avenue near a fenced-off back entrance to the park. According to residents, the back entrance to the park has been fenced off for years, with homeless encampments popping up.
Homeless advocates have raised concerns over the boulders, saying they limit the places where the unhoused can sleep. Residents in the area told FOX 11's Mario Ramirez that the boulders make the area safer, after reports of fires and fights breaking out in the area.
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"It's survival out here," one resident told FOX 11. "I agree, you don't want homeless outside your apartment complex. Nothing [against] them, but a lot of these guys have mental problems. That's the number one problem right there. They don't have anyone to look after them, they're just on the street. We have so much money, but we're not putting it toward housing for the homeless."
The area has seen more sweeps of homeless encampments since a new ordinance passed in the summer permitting an increase in the summer, but many residents believe the rocks came from a private source.
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This area recently changed jurisdiction to City Council District 10. Los Angeles City Council Member Gil Cedillo's office sent out the following statement, "Our office will work with the City Departments and CD 10 to remove the boulders. Illegally placing boulders in the public right-of-way in an attempt to deal with homelessness issues is totally unacceptable. As the number one leader of all Council Districts in the number of affordable and number two leader in supportive housing, CD1 is committed to continuing to develop interim and permanent housing and provide support services for our unhoused neighbors."
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