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Shani Shahmoon: Westwood should take steps to address issues affecting the homeless

(Annie Chan/Daily Bruin)

By Shani Shahmoon

May 22, 2015 12:08 a.m.

Westwood, by most accounts, is an affluent part of Los Angeles, but walking through its streets, students are familiar with its homeless population. What they likely aren’t aware of is the countless laws criminalizing this group’s right to live without harassment.

Last week, the Westwood Neighborhood Council met and voted to send a letter expressing disapproval for the statewide Right to Rest Act, also known as Senate Bill 608, following the example of other California city councils. This bill, brought to the Senate floor by state Sen. Carol Liu, “would afford persons experiencing homelessness the right to use public space without discrimination based on their housing status.” Ultimately, after vocal disapproval from many community and city councils and other citizens, the bill was tabled; no letter was sent and no action has been taken to approach the issue of criminalization of homelessness.

The bill needs to be redrafted by January in order to take effect in this upcoming year. Many California cities have expressed opposition because they say they see it as a city-wide issue rather than a state-wide issue. If this is actually the case, Westwood, among other individual communities, should make proactive attempts to address the issue of homelessness in its respective area. By collaborating with local governments and city officials, the Westwood Neighborhood Council and other community councils can address the criminalization of the homeless populations in California.

Homelessness has increased by 12 percent in Los Angeles County since 2013. Westwood, currently, has 60 homeless individuals regularly residing in the area. This is a growing and immediate problem that can’t be set aside.

The Western Regional Advocacy Project, an advocacy group located in San Francisco and co-sponsor of the bill, conducted a survey with 1,400 homeless individuals and found a common concern among the population that many of them are criminalized for simply living their lives. For example, homeless individuals are commonly harassed for loitering, sitting and sleeping, said Paul Boden, the director of the group.

The Westwood Neighborhood Council can pair with city council member Paul Koretz to create ordinances addressing the issues affecting the homeless population in Westwood and other L.A. neighborhoods – for example, completely decriminalizing basic acts of living in the streets rather than perpetuating and supporting the criminalization of homeless people through actions such as fining them for simply living their lives.

The Right to Rest Act would allow homeless people to live in cars in a parking spot, which many businesses fear could affect them negatively. That complaint is not entirely unreasonable, and city ordinances should attempt to directly address this exact problem, and those like them, and find compromises that don’t dehumanize people based on their status of housing.

While the opposition has expressed genuine concerns, such as Westwood’s notoriously sparse parking and the fact that additional homeless residents could harm business, it shouldn’t matter. These are human beings who deserve a chance to live freely. Even if the Right to Rest bill isn’t passed in its entirety as an ordinance, that doesn’t mean steps can’t be taken to ensure some kind of better living situation.

The state has an obligation to protect all citizens. By disapproving of this attempt to address a fraction of often ignored citizens, the Westwood Neighborhood Council, as well as the other opposing city councils, are both expressing apathy to a section of its constituents and expressing content with the current problem of criminalization.

Robert Oakes, the legislative director of Liu’s office, said that Liu is meeting with both sides of the controversy in order to make amends and find a more collaborative way to address the criminalization of homelessness in the state of California. Until the redrafted bill is brought to the Senate, these cities should be improving their reactions to homelessness in their respective areas.

If the Westwood Neighborhood Council wants its ideas about the Right to Rest bill to be taken seriously, then it need to act on its words. It’s not enough to say that it’s a city issue and then make the problem someone else’s issue. Without real, tangible action on behalf of the neighborhood and its homeless population, the council could erode what small influence it has left.

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Shani Shahmoon | Opinion columnist
Shani Shahmoon is an opinion columnist and a member of the Daily Bruin Editorial Board. She writes about student activism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mental health issues.
Shani Shahmoon is an opinion columnist and a member of the Daily Bruin Editorial Board. She writes about student activism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mental health issues.
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