homeless people making the sidewalk their home? (sex offender, living in)

[Big-Bucks]

Originally Posted by majoun

Another reason why if you willingly buy property in the city of L.A. nowadays, you'd have to be almost as mentally ill as those homeless

I live on the Westside far from any homeless.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by jm1982

2sleepy , that does sound like blaming the victim .. doesnt law enforcement always ask for a description of the criminal or perpetrator ?

They sure do ask for a description but it is not really smart to stand around taking pictures of a mentally ill homeless person while they are acting out.

Originally Posted by jm1982

If they were arrested 29 times how many other crimes did they commit ? Probably hundreds . Sorry I don't think people that continuously get arrested should be around us law abiding citizens . You might be fine being around people like that .

I didn't write the laws, all I can do is tell you that for very minor crimes like trespassing the penalty is the same whether it's the first time you did or the fifteenth time. In some cases the crimes don't even have incarceration as a penalty, only a fine. And there is a good reason that nothing much happens to people who commit 'crimes' like trespassing, dumpster diving or jay walking. There is no room in jail for them, especially if they are mentally ill and can't be kept in general population. There are very few psychiatric beds in jails and even fewer hospitals who are willing to keep a jail inmate in a psych ward. If you don't believe me, ask a local cop they will confirm what I'm telling you.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Big-Bucks

I live on the Westside far from any homeless.

So you must live in either Beverly Hills or Culver City. (Few homeless in MDR but given the proximity to Venice I wouldn't say it's far from any homeless..)

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

And there is a good reason that nothing much happens to people who commit 'crimes' like trespassing, dumpster diving or jay walking. There is no room in jail for them,

So now you are advocating in favor of heinous crimes such as jaywalking and dumpster diving! You can't be serious! Build more jails! Put beds with strapdowns in every cell. Automate the processes. We simply can not allow jaywalkers loose on our streets! Disgusting creatures. Eliminate Prop 13 to pay for it all. How many more elderly could end up on the streets just because their property taxes would go up a measly few hundred percent?

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

They sure do ask for a description but it is not really smart to stand around taking pictures of a mentally ill homeless person while they are acting out.
I didn't write the laws, all I can do is tell you that for very minor crimes like trespassing the penalty is the same whether it's the first time you did or the fifteenth time. In some cases the crimes don't even have incarceration as a penalty, only a fine. And there is a good reason that nothing much happens to people who commit 'crimes' like trespassing, dumpster diving or jay walking. There is no room in jail for them, especially if they are mentally ill and can't be kept in general population. There are very few psychiatric beds in jails and even fewer hospitals who are willing to keep a jail inmate in a psych ward. If you don't believe me, ask a local cop they will confirm what I'm telling you.

A lot does happen to people who trespass. The cops are going to check that person to see if they have illegal drugs or weapons on them. If they do the level of the crime went up dramatically. If they are violating parole there are more issues there. They will check that person's id to see if there are any warrants on them.

For the most part where trespass isn't tolerated homeless people and junkies know better not to do it. Any confrontation with police is potentially dangerous.

I remember going to a burger place in downtown LA years ago. As I ordered online, a predatory homeless guy looked at me. I hadn't eaten in awhile, and I had just done job interviews. I gave him a nasty don't even try it look. So I ordered my food,and sat down. As the waitress attempted to deliver my food he stole it from her. The restaurant called the police, who caught him and it turns out he had robbed another place. They replaced my food.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by NyWriterdude

A lot does happen to people who trespass. The cops are going to check that person to see if they have illegal drugs or weapons on them. If they do the level of the crime went up dramatically. If they are violating parole there are more issues there. They will check that person's id to see if there are any warrants on them.

For the most part where trespass isn't tolerated homeless people and junkies know better not to do it. Any confrontation with police is potentially dangerous.

I remember going to a burger place in downtown LA years ago. As I ordered online, a predatory homeless guy looked at me. I hadn't eaten in awhile, and I had just done job interviews. I gave him a nasty don't even try it look. So I ordered my food,and sat down. As the waitress attempted to deliver my food he stole it from her. The restaurant called the police, who caught him and it turns out he had robbed another place. They replaced my food.

Being in a burger joint is trespassing? How does your story relate to your comment about trespassing? Or really related to anything being discussed here? People commit crimes all the time. All kinds of people. All kinds of crimes. All kinds of places. This one involved you. And?

[jm1982]

Yeah I just wonder why cities are tolerating the predatory homeless .

Tired of the politically correct bs that " we are all the same"

Unfortunately some people are just bad people and some evil .

[V8 Vega]

Were not all the same. Responsible people go to work.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by NyWriterdude

A lot does happen to people who trespass. The cops are going to check that person to see if they have illegal drugs or weapons on them. If they do the level of the crime went up dramatically. If they are violating parole there are more issues there. They will check that person's id to see if there are any warrants on them.

No, you are wrong again. I think what you are hinting at, but can't quite articulate because you don't know anything about it is 'broken windows policing'. What that means is that you stop people for everything; dropping a cigarette butt on the sidewalk, loitering, trespassing, jay walking with the idea that you will then have a legal reason to search them and jack them up and arrest them because according to the theory, if they break little laws then they must be engaged in more serious criminal activity as well. But alas, the reality is something that we knew all along, correlation =/= causation

It's a failed strategy that is very expensive and not very effective. And as it turns out there is an even bigger problem with it, you can't just single out the homeless for 'special treatment' if you want to arrest the homeless for loitering or trespassing then you had better be able to prove that you apply the same standards to everyone in the City or that homeless person will likely get enough money in a civil judgment that they won't have to worry about being homeless for a very long time.

In the real world the one you don't know seem to know much about, most of the time the minor crime a homeless person is guilty of, i.e. loitering is the only offense they have committed, they are not usually dangerous criminals with felony warrants and parole holds- but keep on dreaming, one day you will get it right.

[jm1982]

The homeless are being arrested for stuff like that because...they are generally the ones doing that.

Generally the guy or girl in a business suit running to a meeting isn't going to be loitering or trespassing or drinking a beer out of a brown paper bag on the street, or breaking into homes or cars and stealing stuff.
Just facts.

Your 'ideal world' of a world where the homeless can just do whatever they want trespass private property,etc with no repercussions whatsoever is a nightmarish world.
One that I'm sure most people actually living in those communities would want.

If a man or woman in a business suit is trespassing or loitering or drinking in public I think the cops should stop them too...for the record..