Hollywood residents frustrated with growing homeless encampment near school
A homeless encampment in Hollywood outside of Larchmont Charter School is growing
By Sophie Flay
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LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A homeless encampment in Hollywood is growing, with tents and trash lining the block near Selma Park.
Neighbors are outraged and say nothing is being done about it.
The encampment is outside of Larchmont Charter School on Selma Avenue.
“It looks like a junkyard on our block, and it’s just not safe,” resident Jeannie Vasquez said.
Christian Dias said the people who live at the encampment scream at others passing by and throw things at them.
Eyewitness News last month reported on students having to dodge tents while on their way to school.
“There’s needles on the ground, also there’s a lot of broken glass. You’re getting catcalled,” Vasquez described. “You’re getting people that have mental illness. You’re seeing profanity. Sometimes you see people naked running around.”
But the tents can’t be moved without orders from Los Angeles City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, who previously told Eyewitness News he believes moving encampments temporarily can hurt their efforts to get them into permanent housing.
“They need to just come regularly and clean it up,” Vasquez said. “I mean we’re asking for just weekly cleanups of the neighborhood.”
Soto-Martinez declined an on-camera interview, but a spokesperson said that they are working to ensure people living at the encampment are connected to housing and social services before the start of the school year.
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