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Residents and homeowners in Beverly Grove, a high-end Los Angeles area known for upmarket shopping and expensive dining are voicing their concerns over a growing homeless encampment.
The informal community lies along San Vicente Boulevard, just south of the Beverly Center and not far from the city of Beverly Hills.
The tents of the settlement are said to be deterring customers from shopping in the high-end location where the cost of a one-bedroom apartment or condo in the area rents for about $2,200 a month.
Beverly Grove residents and business owners claim that drug sales, fights, and fires, are common problems at the encampment. They also note the tents are a significant cause of issues, making it difficult for individuals to feel safe while strolling through the area.
Further alarming local business owners, a shopfront’s window was recently smashed and the owner, obviously distraught, has developed a simple strategy of visiting recently elected Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass every day until the issue is fixed.
Another shopkeeper in the area claimed that the homeless people are damaging vehicles and have tried to break into their company vans on numerous occasions.
When the police were questioned regarding the matter, they claimed that the destitute moved when requested, but they returned as quickly as an hour after.
The growing encampment has also led to public nudity, with one incident of a naked woman lying on a sofa in the middle of the street.
"I saw the couch one day out there, and I think, 'Oh my God,'" a business owner named Debra stated. "The next day, I came back and see she's all over the couch, and she's just naked" (via Fox News).
Homelessness continues to climb in several Los Angeles areas, with a study from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority in 2022 estimating that 69,144 people were residing on the streets in LA County, a 4.1% increase from 2020.
In an effort to resolve this issue, local authorities have been scrambling to come up with a solution.
Nevertheless, no clear plan has come to light.