By Susan Motander
Prior to the city council meeting this past Tuesday, April 5, the internet was busy with emails regarding the purchase of easements to allow access to the Hillside Wilderness Preserve (HWP), but it was the question of the homeless in Monrovia and most specifically Library Park that garnered the greatest attention at the meeting.
The purchase of easements from Tyler Baze and the Delores Hanson Reid Living Trust at the beginning of the Cloverleaf Access Point (CAP) garnered praise for Oliver Chi and the city staff, without any negative comments. This was not true of the report from Police Chief Jim Hunt regarding the Homeless and Park Conduct Committee that drew the greatest response.
Hunt said the committee had been formed in 2014 in response to repeated complaints about the homeless and crimes surrounding local parks, most specifically Library Park in the center of Old Town. He told the council that the “official” count of the homeless was 38, however several other speakers indicated the number was much greater, but they were not specific about the number.
The chief reported that part of the problem in dealing with the homeless was that certain laws had been changed and some federal court ruling had made coping with the situation difficult. He reported that the police responded to all complaints about conduct in Library Park, but that there was the perception that they were “doing nothing.”
Specifically he noted that Assembly Bill 109 (AB109), in response to overcrowding in state prisons, had allowed for the movement of certain convicted prisoners from state prisons to county facilities, and that overcrowding in those facilities meant almost a revolving door response to many arrests. He also noted that Proposition 47, passed by 60 percent statewide and with 58 percent local support, had changed many violations of the law from felonies to misdemeanors and thus putting such violators back on the streets very rapidly.
Hunt also pointed to court rulings regarding the rights of the homeless as further restricting what the police could “do” about the homeless. He said that it was case law that required the police to give individuals a 72-hour notice before removing seemingly “abandoned” property in the park. He reported that within that time period the property was almost always moved prompting additional notice.
Hunt classified the homeless into three categories: the “Ready,” the “Unable,” and the “Resistant.” He said the “Ready” were receptive to assistance. He said the “Unable” had mental or substance abuse problems making them unable to accept assistance. The “Resistant” did not want, nor would they accept help according to the chief.
City Manager Oliver Chi reported that the city had been working with various local agencies to deal with the “problem” and that it had instituted Populate the Park and Park Watch programs to ensure the safety of the parks.
Several citizens, including one self-professed homeless man, spoke to the issue, most citing the need for bathrooms, showers, and storage facilities. However it quickly became clear that in terms of enforcement, the city could do very little. As Gayle Montgomery pointed out, “People have a right to be homeless.”
Hunt said, “Law enforcement is not the mechanism to solve this problem … ” he also stated, “just enforcing the law is not going to make this problem go away.”
