Police Captain, Manager unveil five-pronged plan, encourage resident action to tackle crime, drug use
By Susan Motander
For more than two hours at the City Council Meeting in Monrovia on Tuesday evening, the issue of the homeless and the problems in Library Park dominated the meeting. Mayor Tom Adams announced that he had asked that the issue be placed on the agenda after receiving several phone calls from Monrovia residents complaining about the activities in Library Park of individuals perceived as being homeless.
Adams said that he had received several calls including one from a young mother who complained that she had to pass by people using crack cocaine as she took her small children into the Library. “The Monrovians I have talked to have great compassion for the homeless in the park, but are opposed to drug use in the park,” he remarked.
Adams asked he wanted the discussion to be about the future, not the park. He added that he wanted to “take back our parks and our streets.”
This lead to a long explanation from Monrovia Police Captain Alan Sanvictores and City Manager Oliver Chi regarding the steps the city has taken over the last few years to deal with the homeless situation.
Sanvictores explained that the recent complaints about the homeless in Library Park had started in 2014. He said that as part of the city’s reaction, a committee to study the homeless situation and Park Conduct was formed and that that committee had met throughout 2014 and 2015. The Committee came up with a five-pronged plan to deal with the problem according to the Captain
- Outreach and education to make the general public aware of the situation and what could be and was being done.
- Directed giving in partnership with Foothill Unity Center.
- Populate the park in which more people were encouraged to use the park for various positive activities.
- A park watch (similar to Neighborhood Watch) through which the people are encouraged to report activity they see in the park.
- Video surveillance cameras in all city parks allowing police to monitor activity in the parks.
He also outlined various changes in the law and in court rulings regarding how the homeless could be treated. He explained that Assembly Bill 109 (AB109) that passed in 2011 sent many criminals convicted of felonies from state prison back to county jails. This action was prompted by overcrowding in the prisons and the threat of federal action if this step was not taken. This action resulted in overcrowding in the county jails, and thus the early release of a great many prisoners.
He further explained how Proposition 47, that reduced many crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, had exacerbated this situation. The proposition meant that crimes such as shoplifting, theft, forgery or fraud where the dollar amount is less than $950 are now dealt with as misdemeanors and the perpetrators are issued citations and released. Many drug activities were also reclassified and therefore subject only to the issuance of a citation.
The captain said that in the past when punishment for drug convictions often lead to state prison time for those convicted, the courts would often use the threat of prison to convince those accused of opting for rehabilitation. When rehabilitation was successfully completed, the conviction was set aside. This tool to get those with drug problems into rehab is no longer available.
These revelations prompted Adams to admit the last time he had been issued a citation it was for failing to wear a seat belt. “You mean doing crack and failing to buckle up are treated the same?” he asked. Sanvictores said he would need to verify the penalties for each.
Another problem outlined is that the police need to observe a misdemeanor to arrest someone for that crime, unlike felonies where evidence and probable cause is enough to allow the police to arrest a suspect. Most of the criminal activity taking place in the park consist of misdemeanors not felonies, however, Sanvictores reported that individuals can make private citizens arrests of people they see committing misdemeanors.
Sanvictores also explained that it is not illegal to be in the park or on a public street or any other area open to the public even on private property such as the Pavilion Parking lot. Vagrancy is no longer illegal. It is also not illegal to leave personal belongings in public areas. Courts have held that the personal property of the homeless cannot be removed from such places and court rulings have punished committees that have done so.
The police have established a policy of placing notices on the property indicated the possessions will be seized after a waiting period, but Sanvictores explained that the homeless merely move the pile of possessions from one spot to another a few feet away, forcing a new notification period.
The City Manager pointed out that there were plans to do something about the situation. He called for a “Monrovia centric response.” He noted that the city had reversed the gang situation the community had a few years ago by using creative and innovative ideas including the gang injunction, the Monrovia Area Partnership program and the Community Active Policing program.
Both the City Manager and Captain Sanvictores pointed out that what they called the resistive homeless were the real problem, not those who genuinely wanted assistance. Chi said that most people felt that is was the resistive homeless, those who did not want assistance, that were causing most of the problems.
He then outlined a plan for making changes in the park to make it less attractive to the homeless. One step would be to install decorative fencing to make more private space in the park. Another is the planned development of atria around the Library to make some of the outdoor space part of the Library itself. Another step might be the replacement of the tables on the west side of the park with chess tables. In a later action the council approved those changes in the Capital Improvement Program to allow such changes.
While the council all expressed concerns about the issue, the more heated comments came from the public, both speaking for and against the homeless in the park.. The mayor suggested that changes needed to be made in the state law and urged all citizens to contact their legislative representatives. He urged everyone to contact Governor Jerry Brown, State Senator Anthony Portantino, and Assembly Members Chris Holden and Blanca Rubio.
In response to a question from Council Member Alex Blackburn who asked if the local elected officials had been issued invitations to talk to the council about their positions of the Assembly Bill and Propositions that had changed the way crimes were punished, Oliver Chi said that the city staff had been talking to representatives of the elected. The last time these issues were discussed, Blackburn had called for the city to call out the representatives on their actions.
Becky Shevlin called for more clean-up days for public spaces. “You don’t have to wait for Make a Difference Day to make a difference,” she said.
Chi indicated that this issue would be reviewed again.
