Area Transients - What You Need To Know
A neighbor living around the area of Poinsettia Park wrote into to Melrose Action to report on trespass issues involving transients/homeless being pressed to move out of squatting at Poinsettia Park and have since moved onto neighbors private property.
"I would just like to report that the homeless people have been kept out of Poinsettia Park. However, they have moved DIRECTLY into the neighbor's backyards. Instead of them moving AWAY from the area, it in turn, brought them even closer - onto our private property.
I called 911 and ASK-LAPD about this twice this evening and they failed to show. A neighbor made the homeless naked drunks leave, but I'm positive they will return. Very disappointing (and scared).
Other neighbors have reported amazing trespass violations on their properties from local transients that are pretty bold and unsettling.
Stories range from seeing transients squatting behind garages, sleeping on peoples lawn furniture in yards, looking into neighbors windows like peeping toms, getting into the crawl spaces of homes to squat and do drugs, stealing items from yards, entering unlocked homes via backyards, entering homes via doggy doors, operating large size drug dens on the roofs of businesses along Melrose and even in back of some homes, especially ones that are vacant, random sexual encounters, drug use, needle caps from IV drug users found, etc etc etc.
Best Advice...Keep your home, business, property, and car securely locked at all times. Install motion detector lighting outdoors. Keep hidden areas on your property well lit to prevent squatting. Check your yards and garages regularly and keep them locked. This is a serious issue and some very serious crimes have occurred against residents at the hands of some transients.
It is wise not to interact with transient trespassers on your property as they might be under the influence of narcotics and/or other substances and/or suffering from mental illness.
Report suspicious activity to the LAPD or Sheriff immediately. For LAPD non-emergencies call 1-877-ASK-LAPD (1-877-275-5273)
For City of West Hollywood Residents, please call the West Hollywood Sheriff at (310) 855-8850.
As always, for crimes or emergencies happening now, call 9-1-1.
Comments
No tresspass notice
I' ve had similar problems with transients. the proper proceedure is as follows.
Post " no tresspass'' notices, include the proper city code on the notice.
Then get a 'no tresspass' form from the local police.
Sign it and send it back.
next time you have an issue with transients,and you call th e police you can say that there is a 'no tresspass notice on file at the police station. Now the police have a legal right to arrest anybody who is on the property without consent. they are also a lot more likely to take you seriously as a result.
Contact your local police for more specifics. I.e. form number and proper city code and display of notices etc.
Locked doors...
I keep the valuables out of the car, but leave the doors unlocked! Why!? Cause it's more expensive to fix a broken window than it is to fix anything they could take outta my car! So give them easy access...open the door...oh well stereo is a piece of shit...no cash...no valuables...moving on! If I had the doors locked...they'd bust the window...then see no valuables...but I'm still stuck with a broken window.
Transients Recycling?
::sigh:: there is nothing quite as unnerving as to find out there has been an attack on the new street you've moved to. The August 1st attack on the local resident is unacceptable and I wish we could have more detail on the issue frankly, if it was something connected with Fairfax High, etc.
I thought we moved to a safe area and now reading about some of the incidents nearby makes me wonder if my recent experience is shared by any of my neighbors in this Watch Group:
Three separate times I have had to go outside and request a homeless individual/no income to get out of our trash cans at the end of our drive way which is essentially also in our back driveway and yard.
We have plans to make this area nice and again, it unnerves me to no end that these individuals find it completely acceptable to come onto our property and dig through the blue recycling bins. Yelling at them and threatening to call the police is usually the ending result.
Is anyone else having this problem too? How can we deal with this and make sure it's not a continuing issue for our neighborhood? I don't care in some ways if they want to take recycling out of the blue cans once they are on the street, I just don't want them on our property.
Put a gate on your driveway
ERND - The answer is to have a gate on your driveway, and keep it locked. This will not only keep transients out, but will also make your property much safer from burglars.
Most of the property crimes in this neighborhood happen because people leave their home or car doors open or unlocked, or leave valuables (such as laptop computers and expensive cell phones) in plain sight. That's foolish. We live in an urban neighborhood in the middle of the second biggest city in the country. It just makes sense to take basic precautions.
I wish that no one ever had to lock their doors - but we do. Similarly, if you don't have a gate to keep people out of your driveway or back yard, it's just a matter of time until someone is going to go back there. Put up a gate.
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