Chain Stores Will Not Move Into Grand Avenue Project:
Until Homeless Issue Is Resolved
Interesting response by the project director of the Historic Downtown Retail Project. He is basically saying that stores like, Barnes & Nobles, Trader Joe’s, and In-N-Out Burger will not move into the downtown L.A.’s new Grand Avenue Project unless the homeless problem goes away. (Here's an article.)
"The chains aren't interested yet," said Warren Cooley, project director of the Historic Downtown Retail Project, a city-funded endeavor to attract businesses downtown. "There's not enough population and critical mass. There are still challenges. The homeless issue on the street is a concern when real estate investigators from big chains look. That's sometimes something that concerns them."
If true, I think these retail chains are making a big mistake. The concentration of homelessness near
I also have the perspective that homelessness will be reduced in downtown
Furthermore, these corporations should be playing a leading role in solving a community’s social woes—they shouldn’t be running away from it.
I think redevelopment can become a win-win for everyone. Especially, when these new projects also include new resources for the needy. The Grand Avenue Project has included 100 new units of affordable housing. At $200,000 per unit (it is actually a lot more than this, but I’m proposing a conservative number), that equals a $20 million investment into affordable housing.
That’s $20 million of private funding. Not money from the tax payers…
posted by LA's Homeless Blog at
10:37 AM
2 Comments:
Delusions of Grandeur
“Well children where there is a commotion there is something is off kilter” Sojouner Truth said that when she addressed an angry, arrogant audience on the subject of human rights. Alas, there is a commotion on another human rights issue. The recent 9th Circuit Court ruling and the impact on Santa Monica or lack thereof, prompts me to address this issue and many others in this letter. In the article on Santa Monica Laws Safe For Now, it was pointed out by City Manger Marsha Moutrie that Los Angeles laws were different from Santa Monica due to the fact, that Santa Monica laws allow for those without shelter to at least find a place to rest, whereas in Los Angeles there was no place safe from prosecution.
I find it strange that this information was not passed on Officers Lozano and Tavera who on a cold windy Sunday March 19, 2006, at 12:00 midnight rousted a sleeping homeless man who was not engaged in any sort of criminal activity but had the misfortune to be homeless and wanting to get some sleep. According to the article, the no sleeping law must be posted in view for the Santa Monica Police to enforce the code. There was no sign posted where the man slept.
The aforementioned officers had their hands on their gun holsters during the encounter, and one would have thought this man was on the show “Cops”, and he had evaded a police dragnet! The entire exchange of the officers were antagonistic, I got the distinct impression that they were hoping the man would say something that could justify them to shoot him. They handcuffed him, searched him for weapons or “drugs”.
After an unsuccessful discovery, the police handed him a ticket and told him to “move along” reminding him if they see him again he was going to jail. When I questioned the homeless gentleman, he stated, I have no record, I was sleeping, I am homeless and I have no place to go.”
Others in the area looked scared when the some other officers returned at 5:00 am and harassed a man sitting up on the bench, who was actually awake and waiting for the Ocean Park Community Center to open to get warm. Once again, police had their hands on guns as if these people just held up a convenient store. Yet Kathleen Rawson glowingly praise these antic’s stating “The police have been fantastic about enforcement.” This is why I am angry and perplexed when I hear comments by residents
Rawson and Kathy Dobson who wants a ordinance written, because they don’t want to appear unfriendly. This to me seems like that many want to throw the rocks but hide their hands. Though I disagree with making any more of those draconian laws, however, I think the current law requirement helps make it plain to identify the places that place these signs up to aid the homeless of the particular establishments sentiment. It harkens back to the days of the Black Codes. I also appreciate the public pages who let their opinion known on this issue.
I think if the homeless are harassed in the aforementioned manner, or read comments like this, they realize the community or business is unfriendly. This is not a new occurrence that have been brought to the homeless person attention. Sign or no sign- on a daily basis there is not one homeless person who does not endure a remark by some arrogant moron whose advice who will listen to their solution. In fact one of the residents favor more drastic measures by inserting monies in the budget to, “ remove all the filthy, dangerous, alcoholic, drug addicting crazies from this city. This city has to wake up, really wake up and stop enabling this spreading fungus of vagrancy.”
Samuel Johnson points out that, “we must not be the type of helper, who looks with unconcern on a man struggling for life in the water, and he has reached the ground, encumbers him with useless help” this quote by Samuel Johnson comes to mind when I ask, What good is a card that offers referrals that are over extended? Consider for a moment the fact that the ruling by Judge Warlaw decreed because of the evidence showing a lack of availability. Consider as well if an individual who is also homeless, and is not a alcoholic or drug addict in need of food and most of the agencies are closed to them or unavailable. Not to mention the disappearing middle class, with eroding pensions, high rents. Is the truth so obscure that one cannot see that we are a few paychecks away from being homeless? We do not realize that the judgments that we dispense on the homeless population is one that can be made of us if the unfortunate circumstance was to befall us. It is the height of arrogance and stupidity to think to fix homelessness is easy as 1-2-3. It took a process to become destitute and it takes time for them to get out of it.
Imagine the senselessness and the arrogance of these postures by Mona Miyasato, “the bottom line is we would like people to not enable homeless people to continue to live on the street.” If the high cost of living and low wages does not change there will be many that Ms. Miyasato will wish we do not enable. The cold weather shelters closed March 15th 2006 which left these residents in a bad way and more open to the public contempt. It rained very hard Monday March 19th 2006. The article mentioned that there are nearly 2,000 homeless in Santa Monica with only 712 beds and a significant population of the homeless in Los Angeles, with no significant places to house the population. It apparently was very clear to Judge Wardlaw that helping the homeless with a card with overextended resources is not easy as 1-2-3. Where are the rest of the homeless populace to go?
What can one do? As there are many of society who wishes to get rid of the “bums”, what does one who does not hold these beliefs do?
Attitude is the minds paintbrush, it can color any situation. This should be kept in the uppermost recesses of societies minds when solving the homeless equation. We fall into a easy delusion that our laws are different in our treatment of the homeless, but the responses from this paper and the articles tells a different story. These stories shows similar parallels to the civil rights crisis that occurred in the North perception/delusion to the South blatant treatment of African-Americans. Abraham Lincoln once said, The dogma of the quiet past are inadequate for the stormy present. We must think anew and we must act anew. It is time to get rid of the old prejudices. The inhumane comments and solutions does nothing to eradicate the homeless issue but it puts the leaders to work toward educating many who are willing to learn The continued depiction of the homeless as a filthy, lazy, stupid, drug and alcoholic bums and less than human which is ingrained in the consciousness of the public to further secure their issues of superiority.
The laws may be different but the treatment of the homeless is the same hence the door of perception is the same entrance and exit. One of many solutions is education for the public. There are some in the public at large are willfully ignorant, and want to be. There are many that step out of their comfort level and truly get involved with understanding the issue. I am mentioning, Saint Ambrose Catholic Church, Chrysalis and Santa Monica Press to name a few. I mention Santa Monica Press because unlike the other newspapers reports on them being cruel they at least produce consistent opportunity to promote a educational dialogue. They cannot and should not control the ignorance of the readers. Abraham Lincoln once said, The dogma of the quiet past are inadequate for the stormy present. We must think anew and we must act anew. It is time to get rid of the old prejudices. The inhumane comments and solutions does nothing to eradicate the homeless issue but it puts the leaders to work toward educating many who are willing to learn.
After reading the current article by Kevin Herrera, I am left with a bad taste in my mouth and unease in my stomach. I am uneasy because it seems that Mayor Hal Holbrook does not have the foggiest idea what is going on and it appears that he has left an acting Human Resource manager to pick up the pieces and to disseminate stupid information. This theory takes shape when Mayor Bob Holbrook says, “If we are being so effective in helping the homeless why do we still see so many here?” Acting Human Resource Manager, “the bottom line is we would like people to not enable homeless people to continue to live on the street.” With these in the thick of the homeless matter and I am not sleeping well at night these days.
I am also appalled that it is going to give a outside firm $126,000 to give it some insight on the agencies strength and weaknesses. I am left with the impression it is the social service providers problem that they are stuck with and the City has to save the day. Before we hastily find solace in this wash and wear philosophy. What is a social service provider going to do about declining wages and high living conditions. Their authority does not extend in those arenas. The most that they can do is to give a referral to an overcrowded system of people vying for the same opportunity to get off the streets. By the sheer numbers alone gives one a better idea that all homeless people want to live in this kind of existence.
The researchers will interview elected officials, city staff, service providers, community activists, law enforcement and the homeless. And review financial records to determine the success rates of service providers. Let’s hold the phones for a moment. What will the elected officials contribute to the discussion if they don’t understand why there are so many homeless on the street? And what about the service providers? It will be a mixture of frustration and CYA of the first order. No one wants to be blamed for the “massive homeless problem.” As a second thought maybe Mayor Holbrook is setting the service providers up in order to get reelected and to escape unscathed by the ubiquitous news coverage.
The questions the research firm will address are: What programs are working? What needs improvement? Are clients getting what they needs? What does the city expect? What is our experience compared to other cities. Let me answer that from a current homeless perspective. The programs in the main work as much as the community puts into it. That means in funding, support and involvement. The reality of the matter it has not worked because of a serious lack of the aforementioned things. In its place is and has been a lack of interest, disdain, and contempt and in some cases, neglect. For more information on this review the article on the treatment on the mentally in jail. The second question is obvious that answer is no. One must traipse through various hoops, deal with belligerent overworked staff, endure penitentiary rules and be spoken to as if we are imbecilic children. The last question is interesting because many of the homeless leave such conservative minded states who has no compunction in passing the buck and smelling like a rose. Take for instance Louisiana and Texas. Their social services are the worst in the nation. Low funding due to Katrina and the Enron debacle, many left the area to find help.
To wrap this up, it will be the twelfth of never to truly get a handle on the homeless issue. The mayor inherited the tsunami that has been building for years and it is now at the door threatening to overtake us all.
In the end, Shirley Chisholm was right when she said, “Everyone is represented in Washington by a rich and powerful lobby, it seems. But there is no lobby for the people.”
Theodore R. Henderson
Santa Monica
hendethe@hotmail.com
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