Police and merchants discussed what they consider a homelessness
problem in Westwood during a Business Watch meeting at
Jerry’s Famous Deli Wednesday.
Acting Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore of the West Los Angeles
Police Department said homeless people come to Westwood to make
money to buy alcohol.
“If we make it so they can’t buy their alcohol here,
then less will want to live here,” Moore said.
Manager Dave Gonzalez of Whole Foods Market ““ who was not
at the meeting ““ said he had received a lot of customer
complaints about transients coming to the store when it first
opened.
Whole Foods Market is one location in Westwood with a license to
sell single-bottled liquor, which is easier to conceal in
public.
Gonzalez said he has since hired undercover security guards and
said the problem is under control.
Neighborhood Prosecutor Susan Strick of the L.A. City
Attorney’s Office said some of the transients in Westwood are
homeless by choice and some due to their mental health.
Though some people perceive the homeless to be dangerous, Joe
Dee, a homeless man who did not attend the meeting but has lived in
Westwood off and on for about ten years, says he is not a
criminal.
“I’m a gentleman,” Dee said. “I’m
not here to destroy or make trouble.”
At the meeting, Moore said some homeless people actually make a
lot of tax-free money.
“I don’t want to classify all of the homeless as a
scam, but some will make anywhere from $200 to $300 a day,”
Moore said.
D.W., another homeless man who is friends with Dee, said they do
not make as much money as Moore indicated.
“It ain’t me or him,” D.W. said. “If we
were making that we wouldn’t be here.”
Dee said every now and then he makes enough to rent a room for
the night, but that is unusual for him.
Philip Gabriel of Business Watch ““ a coalition of local
business owners working to prevent crime in the area ““ said
he has a homeless person living in the doorway of his store, Scrubs
Unlimited. He said he wants the community to create a better
program to get the homeless off the streets.
If business owners sign a trespass arrest authorization for
police, anyone trying to sleep in their doorways will be asked to
leave by police patrol.
Although merchants do not want the homeless to disrupt their
businesses, some expressed a desire to improve their situation.
“Handing food and money isn’t the best way to help
them ““ there has to be a better way,” said Gabriel.
“If you have a flyer for a place they can go, that’s
better than a dollar.”
Gonzalez said his business helps the homeless by donating food
to shelters.
In addition to homelessness, other safety issues were discussed
at the Business Watch Meeting.
Jeffrey Abell, owner of Sarah Leonard Fine Jewelers, said his
business has stepped up its security since being burglarized within
the past month. Abell said he was concerned rumors about recent
robberies in the area have spread to create an image of a Westwood
crime problem.
Moore said the burglary at Abell’s store and other local
crimes were unrelated. He added that the crime rate in Westwood has
gone down since last year.
As part of an effort to increase Westwood security, two new bike
and foot patrol officers are set to cover the Village from 10 a.m.
to 8 p.m. every day.