Homeless encampment cleanup in Dominguez Channel
L.A. county Sheriff helps one of the residents move belongings from the Dominguez Channel on Tuesday, Sept. 25. Photo credit: Justin Traylor
A homeless encampment under Lot F of El Camino College was evacuated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Public Works on Tuesday, Sept. 25, authorities said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lieutenant Geoffrey Deedrick said that approximately 45 days ago, homelessness was reported in the Dominguez Channel Watershed between Alondra Park and El Camino College.
Deedrick said that upon checking the area, it was determined that there were many individuals taking shelter in the Watershed and the conditions in which they were living were unsanitary and unsafe.
The Department of Public Works posted signs on the concrete walls of the Watershed and notified residents that they would be conducting an evacuation, and that the area would be “cleared of all debris” between Sept. 25 to 28.
If the residents had possessions that they were unable to pack or carry out, the Department of Public Works offered to take them and store them in a secure location, Deedrick said.
Tony Smith, a resident of the encampment said he had been living there for four months.
Smith said that he refers to the encampment as “the village” and said that prior to that, he had been in the streets for a year and a half.
Smith added that he came to “the village” after he had lost “everything” and he knew he would be accepted by the residents and not judged.
“It’s been a blessing,” Smith said. “You find good things in bad situations.”
Smith said he was working with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), to get his social security card so that he can apply for benefits and programs available for the homeless.
Deedrick said that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has a section called the Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST), that works closely with LAHSA in an effort to connect homeless individual services available to them throughout the county.
Deedrick added that as a member of HOST, his intention is not to arrest or charge anyone, but to help the homeless.
Deedrick said that there has not been an arrest or any use of force in two and a half years since modeling the HOST program.
“Being homeless is not a crime,” Deedrick said.
If you, or anyone you know is homeless, the LAHSA and the HOST program offer assistance to resources available to the homeless.
