“Ruby,” who lives in front of the library, had been housed, but left the apartment several years ago to return to the Palisades. She sleeps and eats by the front door, which is 500 feet from Corpus Christi School. She stores her belongings in the bushes by the patio. She has been approached numerous times by the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness, but is service resistant. Occasionally, she is joined by other homeless, which intimidate library patrons.
The original story was removed by request because CTN would not take down the photos of the current library environment.
This is a summary of the situation:
Residents have worried about the safety of the children who attend Corpus Christi school, which is less than 500 feet from the library, where homeless have been living. Children from Village School and Seven Arrows, which are elementary schools occasionally use the park for physical education, as do the Corpus kids. To access the park, students walk by the library and have been harassed by some homeless, who occasionally take over the bench in front of the library by the sidewalk.
There have been reports of feces and toilet paper around the library bushes.
Additionally, this editor found “Ruby” (not her real name) lying on the sidewalk by the library last summer, and was worried she was dead. Having called 911 before for two other homeless individuals who appear to be neither moving nor breathing, this editor knows the first question 911 asks is can the individual speak. After much effort the woman was roused and started spewing profanities and threats. CTN has steered clear of the woman ever since.
Residents have reached out to the library staff and to Councilman Mike Bonin for assistance in keeping kids safe. Nothing has happened. Residents then reached out to the Friends of the Library, a nonprofit, who supports the library, for its assistance or at least a strong statement that the group feel homeless living by the library in public spaces does not serve either the homeless or the public.
The Friends met in August. The group voted to give $10,000 to the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness to help fund a clinical social worker to help those homeless who are service resistant.
Municipal Code 41.18, which passed the City Council does not allow homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools and can be enforced starting September 15. Enforcement would be with the Los Angeles Police Department. Since the library is within 500 feet of a school, it would be against the law to allow the homeless to continue to live in that public location.
At least three shopping carts filled with items from homeless campers have been tucked away by the library patio.
I thought your original story was quite informative and I am sorry more people didn’t get to read it.
Regarding the pictures… a person just needs to stop by the library during off hours and see Ruby sleeping on the wall. And of course the three shopping carts are always stowed by the library patio entrance where Ruby moves then after she gets up in the morning.
Those pictures show exactly what is happening there.