When the crime rate in Los Angeles City became high and unbeatable, community members decided to take matters into their own hands and do something about it. According to many residents, the high crime rate was due to the many homeless encampments in the area.
Therefore, they erected planters along the roads, making it difficult for homeless people to sleep or set up camp by the roads. However, the city’s officials have decided to remove these planters because the residents did not go through the legal process before erecting them.
Understandably, the residents are not happy. According to Jacqui Antebi, a resident of Hollywood, removing the planters was a terrible thing for the officials to do. This is because the citizens used them to keep homeless encampments away from the streets, and it has worked so far.
Antebi told NBC4 Los Angeles that the streets are much safer with the planters in place, and removing them would only set the city back into chaos and crime. Despite the opposition, the city sent crews of workers to remove the planters that were present along Highland Boulevard in Hollywood as they were placed there without the necessary permits from the government.
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Back in May, residents reported that the crime rate on the streets was quite high because of the homeless encampments in the area. Therefore, they erected these planters as a safety measure to help them feel safer and reduce the chances of being mugged.
Now, the residents and business owners do not feel safe anymore and are back to their previous dilemma. A spokesperson for Hugo Soto-Martínez, a council member in Los Angeles, spoke to NBC4 and explained why the officials had to take down the planters.
He noted that the city’s officials understood the residents’ frustration and urged them to follow the legal process to obtain permits for the planters. With the proper permission and processing, they would be able to install the planters as a beautification project for the public once again.
However, this may take a long time, and local businesses and residents are unhappy. According to Antebi, the weeks when the planters were in place were the safest he had ever felt in many years.
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He was finally able to walk down the street without seeing drug dealers or homeless people all around. Antebi also recalled a time when he was ambushed and almost robbed while walking home.
Local business owners also feel the same way. Andrew Monheim, who owns a local business in the area, told the news outlet that there has been a significant drop in crime since the planters were erected. He estimated this to be about a 90% drop, which has also helped local businesses increase their sales.
Therefore, he believes the city should implement other measures or beautification objects to help replace the work that the planters did before they were removed. According to him, the safety of the residents and their businesses depends on it.
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