To the editor: That of Steve Lopez coverage of the MacArthur Park carnage west of downtown Los Angeles is important.
If the area surrounding the park is “the Ellis Island of the West Coast,” as City Councilman Eunisses Hernandez claims, why has MacArthur Park been given over, in effect, to groups of people who can terrorize and terrorize this immigrant population? When immigrant children cannot safely use a public park, it is the responsibility of the board member to take action to remedy these unsafe conditions.
Hernandez, who took his seat on the city council nearly two years ago, says “others waited too long to do something.” This position is comparable to “The dog ate my homework”.
Leaders like Hernandez and Mayor Karen Bass need to understand that enabling anti-social and criminal behavior should not be an acceptable part of their outreach programs. The photo showing a reclining camper holding a 24-ounce can of beer very clearly reflects the conditions that neighborhood residents are being made to accept.
Lee Meister, San Pedro
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To the editor: Unfortunately, Councilman Hernandez’s proposed “waste reduction” and “peace ambassadors” to resolve the crisis around MacArthur Park would be laughable if the situation were not so dire.
The city clearly faces a rampant drug problem on the streets. Why do the police remain passive while neighborhoods deteriorate in plain sight? Why don’t they enforce existing laws? Is this city policy, Mayor Bass?
The city should adopt Lopez’s excellent suggestion to temporarily allocate existing resources from other sectors to quadruple awareness and enforce existing laws to clean up the dangerous open-air drug bazaars on our streets and in our homeless encampments. shelter.
This would be a good practical start in the right direction.
Mary M. Emmons, Los Angeles
