There was protests and resistance in the eviction of homeless people in Echo Park

After several hours of protests on Wednesday in favor of the homeless in Echo Park, hundreds of activists were dispersed by the police and in this way, authorities were able to close the park by Thursday morning.

Inside the fence there were around 30 tents, of more than 100 homeless people who refused to leave the park the day before, ensuring that the park has been their refuge before and during the pandemic.

David Busch-Lilly, 65, was one of them. On Thursday morning, the individual told La Opinion that he felt as if he was kidnapped since he was told that when he left the fence, he would no longer be able to enter again.

“It feels like a strange combination of house arrest and criminal conspiracy to illegally evict me from a shelter,” said Busch-Lilly, who has lived on the streets for more than 20 years.

He indicated that the authorities offered him a hotel room but for him that is not the solution.

“They are offering us inappropriate alternatives. Short stays are not a path to housing, they are a path back to the street in three or six months. The shelter here is giving us a better alternative, ”said the man, who has lived in Echo Park since August.

Representatives of the homeless said the Covid-19 pandemic left many people homeless and without resources, and that was precisely what forced them to live on the streets.

This was an effort to live in the community without causing more problems, he added. The homeless thought it was a good idea to stay in one area of ​​the park and worked with organizations and neighbors in the area to create an outdoor community.

They installed kitchens, hot showers, a community garden, and trash cleaning. They said they have created a sense of security, protection, stability, and healing for drug addiction and mental illness with their own pioneering forms of therapy, without the help of the government.

The needed restoration begins

However, Area Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell said the Echo Park facility has become a very dangerous place for those who live and visit. He asserted that there have been problems of drug overdoses, sexual and physical assaults, self-described leaders taxing the homeless and street vendors, abuse of animals and families without shelter in the colder climate.

“A mother told us that she took her daughter to the playground and a homeless person came to expose her parts,” the councilor told La Opinion.

Most concerning for the councilman is that, there have been shootings and four deaths in the park in the last year.

“Everyone who visits Echo Park Lake, including the homeless, is at great risk in this dangerous environment,” O’Farrell added.

The councilman said they are working hard with city partners to get the homeless to accept hotel rooms and a path to a permanent home with health and wellness services.

As of Thursday afternoon, 166 people had already stayed in hotels in the city. The councilor assured that the people who have agreed to relocate received help to keep their belongings in a safe place. They are also receiving nutritious food three times a day, those who have pets have been given a safe area to keep them and can come and go as they please.

O’Farrell said that as soon as the last person leaves the park, which is expected Thursday night, the restoration by the Department of Recreation and Parks will begin.

The repairs, which cost more than half a million dollars, include electricity, lighting, plumbing, security locks, damaged bathrooms, irrigation and landscaping. There will also be an environmental restoration, as discarded needles and human waste as well as the quality of the lake water prevail.

The councilor said they hope to have the park ready again by the summer at the latest.

“When the park reopens, we will provide a safe environment for all visitors during park hours,” said the councilor.

Support for them to stay

Samantha Curley, a member of Street Watch, one of several organizations that are supporting the homeless stay, said that the residents who inhabit the park are not the ones who make the park unsafe, but rather the lack of authority.

“[Las autoridades] they’re coming out to say it’s not safe here but they don’t have a plan either [para los desamparados]Curley said.

He added that what the city has done is carry large garbage containers around the park so that they eventually throw away the belongings of people who could not get them out in time.

“There are people still inside, but if they come out they are no longer allowed to go back,” Curley said.

The activist asserted that some homeless people refuse to move to hotels because they have many restrictions.

“People cannot go with their pets, they cannot go with their families or their partners, they are separated from their community and their actions are restricted,” Curley said. “These are adults who are being forced. They are given the alternative of having to go to a temporary shelter where their actions will be monitored and restricted or they can stay on the streets and be arrested. “

Camp residents said the pandemic was “a blessing” for them as the constant harassment they received from the police and the city stopped. This allowed them to “grow” and come together as a community.

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