In downtown LA, Bass' plan to clear encampments faces crime, addiction and resistance
LOS ANGELES -- Homeless outreach workers went to the streets of downtown Los Angeles last month and delivered what is now a seasoned sales pitch: Give up your spot on the sidewalk, and try living in a nearby hotel room instead.
David Ruther, who has a tent on Broadway near the 101 Freeway, had an emphatic response: No way.
Ruther denounced the rules that are in place at the L.A. Grand, one of the hotels being used by the city as homeless housing. He said it's not right that unhoused residents have had their bags inspected when they walk into that hotel.
"I told them I wasn't going to give up my constitutional rights, and have them search me every time I go to the store to buy a soda pop or a pack of beer," said Ruther, sitting in an office chair, clutching a Starbucks cup of coffee and a Newport cigarette.
Since she took office, Mayor Karen, North Hollywood, Del Rey, and about a dozen other L.A. neighborhoods. In many cases, encampment residents went into the same motel or group of motels, leaving an area free of tents.
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