L.A. Bans Homeless Encampments near Schools Despite Protests and Outrage
Activists arrived at City Hall Tuesday to protest an amendment that would ban homeless encampments near schools and daycares, which was ultimately passed by the Los Angeles City Council.
On Tuesday, Aug. 9, the Los Angeles City Council approved an amendment to section 41.18 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC), which bans homeless encampments near schools and daycare centers. This comes after protestors disrupted a city council meeting last Tuesday on Aug. 2 in an attempt to delay a vote on the same amendment.
Dozens of protestors arrived at City Hall in the morning to object to the amendment, with many carrying signs reading “Abolish 48.11!” and “Resign Nury,” directed towards city council President Nury Martinez. Fake dollar bills with councilmember Kevin De León’s face were distributed among the audience and littered the floor, reading “one district under fascism” and “you can trust me with criminalizing homelessness.”
Section 41.18 of the LAMC currently prohibits sitting, lying, sleeping, and the storage or use of personal property near building entrances, driveways, fire hydrants and other locations designated by the city. The amendment adds schools and daycare facilities to the section.
According to an analysis conducted by city controller candidate Kenneth Mejia, around 20 percent of the city would outlaw encampments as a result of the amendment. Mejia also has constructed a map outlining which areas in each district would be affected, notably remarking that homelessness would be illegal in 48 percent of District 1. District 1 includes neighborhoods such as MacArthur Park, Highland Park, Chinatown and Pico Union.
The meeting began with public comments, with many speakers expressing their objections to the proposed amendment and their dissatisfaction with the actions and attitude of several city council members.
“Last week was not an insurrection, honey,” one speaker said, addressing Martinez and her comments comparing protestors from last week’s meeting to the far-right rioters that stormed the United States Capitol on January 6. “It was a performance review, and you failed.”
At around 10:45 a.m., tensions reached a breaking point when one speaker climbed over the barriers and approached the council members. Several police officers moved in to restrain the speaker as audience members urged the police to stop. The speaker, who goes by Ms. Italy according to activists on Twitter, was detained along with another activist, Ricci Sergienko of the People’s City Council.
She was able to wrestle free with help from other protestors, but was allegedly tased by police before she could escape. Audience members shouted and cursed at the police and the council members, with one person spraying water.
The council members left the chamber, and police with tactical gear formed a line blocking off the protestors. At 11:07 a.m., police Capt. Warner Castillo declared an unlawful assembly, and all audience members were ordered to leave, with an exception for the media. The meeting resumed around 11:45 a.m.
“Some people that spoke earlier today were offended by the fact that we compared what happened last week to what occurred in our nation's Capitol on January 6, but arguably this is one step closer to that,” Martinez said.
The vote for the amendment proceeded, with several members giving their thoughts on the disruption and their position on the amendment.
Councilmember Paul Koretz took his time to express his anger with the disruption, as well as claiming the effort was led by Mejia, who is his opponent in the city controller race.
“Just because Kenneth Mejia and his band of anarchists try to break up two different meetings, we’re not going to stand for it, and we’re going to take the action we need to take,” he said. Mejia was in attendance at the meeting, but there is no evidence that he was the main organizer behind the protests.
Councilmember Mike Bonin spoke in opposition against the measure, saying that the city council hadn’t done the proper evaluation of its impact on the unhoused.
“This is going to make the problem worse. This is going to disconnect people from services,” he said. “This is going to channel our time and money and energy into moving people around instead of moving people inside. It is actually harmful.”
The amendment was approved 11-3. Bonin voted against the amendment, along with council members Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Nithya Raman. The revised section now heads to the Mayor’s desk to be signed.
