To the editor: I have the privilege of interacting with people who are unhoused every day in the hospital where I work as a medical social worker. I like to think I have a great deal of empathy for those who cannot navigate the circuitous and frustrating social service system in our city in order to afford housing in the very expensive L.A. market. (“Encampment stood for 5 years. He added windows and a garden to his home. Now it’s gone,” Feb. 24)
But when I read unhoused resident Alejandro Diaz’s quote, “In all my time here, none of us have bothered anyone,” I cringe and I beg to differ.
Our public spaces are not designed for homeless camps, and I’m outraged at the proprietary attitude evinced by Diaz’s sentiments. No matter how talented a builder Diaz is, I do not want to see his unpermitted structure in a place where I take a walk or ride my bike.
The city should put Diaz to work constructing affordable housing, in an appropriate space, for himself and his displaced neighbors.
Randy Farhi, Los Angeles
