Riding by the bathrooms on my bike I heard a horrible noise. I thought someone was being assaulted…echoes of shouting jibberish coming from the bathrooms. I called 911 and the operator could hear the sound of the person in distress in the background as I requested paramedics and police. As I waited, I could see needles on the ground at the base of the bathroom stall, and a crack pipe rolling in and out as the woman writhed on the floor. The fire department responded, and as you can see in the video as soon as she was approached, although incoherent - she was capable enough to do one thing after they wiped the foam and vomit from her mouth: refuse medical treatment. She walked away, only to have two more calls generated within an hour from people who had the same experience with her as I did, in a different bathroom stall down the boardwalk.
I have seen this female transient many times - her name is Sherri. Always dirty and disheveled, spewing jibberish. Pupils pinned. The paramedics assumed by their prior experience with her, her current condition, and the crack pipe plus three needles at her feet that she had shot heroin and smoked crack. All this in the public restroom where the remainders of her broken needles and broken rocks of crack remained. Recreation and parks came by to clean it and bleach the area… but nevertheless this was after 9 a.m. - with tourists, joggers and the morning local crowd getting on with the start of their day.
Without getting into a debate about legalizing marijuana - the proliferation of narcotics at the beach seems to be reaching new levels. Every day along 18th between Speedway and Pacific, pathway to the basketball courts - people exchange drugs, pills, weed and openly smoke pot and drink booze all day long. Even the people who work for Recreation and Parks say people deal right in front of them all day long and the dealers just don’t care… because nothing ever seems to happen. The transaction just happens too fast - and the basketball courts and bathrooms are the main execution points. Having become familiar with the municipal and budgetary challenges that The City of Los Angeles has… I don’t expect a miracle… but something has to give. The amount of tourists on the boardwalk which goes hand-in-hand with the attractiveness and ease of panhandling from them for transients sets the stage for every level of drug sales and use. The cycle here just feeds itself… and as with this female transient, she was finally taken by the fire department to the hospital because after three responses she *finally* displayed behavior that she was a danger to herself. She will most likely be released in hours, straight back to her home on the boardwalk and cycle of addiction.
The crack pipe and the heroin needle.
After she walked away, I went right to the park office and showed them the photos. They sent a team that was already on duty to clean the remains of needles and drugs that the fire department did not remove ( the got most of it ). If I hadn’t made the trip, nobody would have known. The metal needle point would still be there… which is certainly what happens far more often than not. While everyone agrees we need more rest rooms and a better maintenance situation… I don’t know one person that isn’t a hapless tourist or a local transient that would go within an inch of those rest rooms… so who is going to fight for success in changing the situation? Until LAPD truly targets narcotics on the boardwalk and implements any long-term daily strategy at stopping it … all that comes from it will continue including the bio-hazardous medical waste, vomit and daily calls for overdoses. By the way, if you wonder at all where all the drugs come from that feed the hundreds of addicted transients along the boardwalk, it is gangs. Get rid of the drugs, and you get rid of 90% of our problems down here. IMO.
- Sherri was finally taken to the hospital. She didn’t want to go.
- This glorious little number is only $300
Ok last time I checked drugs were illegal. What does it take to get arrested?
According to the PO-PO - unless they have enough drugs on them to be charged with possession, even enough for a trace high in a crack pipe - it is usually just a misdemeanor crime. Out within a few hrs often before the cops are done with their paperwork for the arrest. Transients usually beg for enough to cop and use - hardly ever possess enough for a charge. If they are just wasted, which is still a crime (misdemeanor) - the cops could spend all day in Venice arresting people for that,that will never pay the ticket, will go to warrant, and get them 3 days in jail and get bounced. That’s food and a shower to them. Just isn’t a deterrent especially if you are an addict. F’d situation.
If the police were free to deal with problems like gangs and drugs there would be less issue.
But the VSA has then scrambling after every unHoused person in Venice worrying if they are taking up more than 3 feet of sidewalk space. Or if they have a chair sitting out or similar minor-in-the-scheme-of-things issues. The VSA says they are interested in less crime. Then let the cops do their jobs without making them hassle the small stuff!
You can’t have it both ways—do we waste time and money hassling regular people, many of whom are veterans, and runaway youth, who have been unfortunately caught up in the cycle of homelessness or do we let the cops fight real crime?
Actually you can have it both ways. Enforce all the laws and if you need more police send a strike force to run then idiots out, deal with the homeless, and the VSA has every right to complain, just like you do, and I do. The problem, is that most of you are content to complain, instead of calling 911.
I’m not afraid to call, and I do, when I think it warrants it. When someone is tagging, I call, when someone is breaking into a car, OR I THINK THEY ARE, I call. If they run out of cops in Pacific, they will send them from West LA, If West LA is busy they can send them from downtown. Don’t call, don’t complain. We live here do your part, I m watching your back, I would hope you are watching mine.
And that phillandering worthless Mayor of ours. Maybe Rosendahl will find a shelter for this transient in another 8 years. I am going to spend my own money on a smear campaign of Rosendahl next election
We need to make the LAPD and that idot Rosendahl accountable for enforsing the law. Time to shine the light on the incompdence of our leaders and the poor job they are doing to keep the boardwalk safe for everyone.
That is why I always go to the beach on the left side of the pier. It is always nice and peaceful with families, children, and mellow people. No crazies.
Can’t wait to use those bathrooms after my 10 mile walk..
agreed … Venice can be quirky and outsider without the insanity of drugs and those disgusting vendors passing out botox and weed cards or maybe a slice of pizza.
it’s a public beach, summertime kids and families - the gross activities cannot be legal.