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.