Members of the LA City Council and County Board of Supervisors are pushing a proposal to expand legalized homeless encampments (which they call "emergency homeless shelters") throughout our Los Angeles public parks, beaches and residential communities. This approach to solve our homelessness issue has unfortunately already been realized along the Venice Boardwalk, in the village of Brentwood and at other public parks and beaches throughout Los Angeles.

These "homeless shelters" might sound reasonable from the watered-down verbiage of its marketing plan but they are not being presented for what they actually turn out to be. In areas like Brentwood and Venice, where the city has built similar concepts and promised the surrounding residents they would "support the homeless", we are watching the failures unfold. In Brentwood, at the VA "emergency shelter", tents have been erected outside the designated zone as homeless are unchecked, unmonitored, and being permitted to stay along the public sideway in a residential community. In Venice, a similar but uglier reality has unfolded. Just search on YouTube for "Venice Boardwalk Homeless"...it is a sad sight not only for the surrounding residents or the public that visit the beach, but for the homeless themselves.

This is not how we "take care of our community". This approach is simply bringing homeless from one area to another, AND NOT ADDRESSING THE UNDERLYING ISSUES LEADING TO OUR HOMELESS PROBLEM of mental health, income inequality and other concerns we should be focusing on while creating a more appropriate space for our homeless to live. 

BY SIGNING THIS PETITION, YOU ARE HELPING THE HOMELESS AND YOUR COMMUNITY. WE NEED OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO USE OUR TAX DOLLARS TOWARDS FINDING A LONG TERM SOLUTION THAT WORKS! RIGHT NOW, THEY ARE SIMPLY PUTTING A BAND-AID ON A BULLET WOUND AND IT'S JUST NOT RIGHT! 

PLEASE SHARE AND GET INVOLVED. THEY NEED TO KNOW WE WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO DESTROY OUR CITY ANY LONGER. 

For more info, contact Jon Brown -- Instagram @jonbrownisamazing OR facebook.com/jonbrownisamazing

Thank you for your time.