Los Angeles expands ban on sleeping in public

The Los Angeles City Council voted 11-2 on Tuesday in favor of expanding a policy that prevents the homeless from sleeping in certain public spaces.

The ordinance, which also prohibits people from sitting, lying down and keeping belongings in designated areas, now extends to Superior Street and Deering Avenue in Chatsworth.

Local business owners have been concerned about increasing crime data, with many arrests related to narcotics and trespassing, and believe it is due to homelessness.

Video Wednesday morning showed that a small encampment was in the area, and one man said that officials had already been talking to him and others living there.

“We’re just going to end up with absolutely nothing,” Stephen Reed said. “Hopefully, if that’s the case, they house us.”

The unhoused living in encampments are supposed to get advanced notice and help finding shelter before a camp is cleared, however, the LAist cited a report stating that the policy “had been ineffective at keeping areas clear of encampments and getting people housed.”

Some council members and housing activists have viewed the ban as a cruel crackdown that criminalizes poverty, while supporters hail it as a step toward making schools and neighborhoods safer, the LAist reported.