Why My Liberal Jewish Detroiter Parents Started Voting Republican
Democrat after Democrat in the Detroit Mayor's office and Democrats elected to other positions let Detroit go to shit. We have the same condition here in Venice.

I'm neither a Democrat nor a Republican, and nobody I vote for gets elected, but one would hope -- perhaps futilely -- that voters here look around them at the crime and the feces on the streets and wake up.

In the LA Times, Soledad Ursúa published an op-ed about how Venice has been allowed to turn into a crime-ridden shit-hole and politicians have stood by calling those of us who fear the crime "heartless."

(I personally continue to help a formerly homeless man who is now housed in an SRO motel in the Midwest, but no, I am not okay with how three houses on my tiny block were burglarized in the span of a month.)

Ursúa writes:

There is a disaster unfolding in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles. Please don't call it a housing crisis.

That term ignores what we residents see every day: the profound and deleterious impacts of drugs, overdoses and mental health issues with unhoused individuals on the streets. As a resident of Venice, a 3.5-square-mile beachside community once known for its bohemian vibe, I have witnessed the rapid proliferation of homeless tents and RVs. Today we have over 2,000 unsheltered homeless people.

What that shows is not a housing crisis, but a crisis of government and leadership. Our mayor, City Council members and county supervisors have abdicated their responsibilities and put us in this situation.

...Will no one step up to take responsibility? The excuses of "we need more time" and "we need more money" have worn thin.

As the chair of the Venice Neighborhood Council's Public Health and Safety Committee, I have seen crime spiral out of control. At one recent meeting, we were briefed by the Los Angeles Police Department on year-to-date crime statistics through July 3, compared with the period a year earlier: Violent crime was up 64%; robberies up 150%; burglaries up 93%; grand theft auto up 56%; and aggravated assaults or assault with a deadly weapon up 55%. More than 50% of those assaults involved a homeless individual as a victim, perpetrator or both.

As it turns out, the fear that Venice residents feel is well founded. Many women and older residents avoid going out after dark. The police have advised residents to keep all windows closed to prevent "crimes of opportunity." Those crime statistics might be even worse if Venice residents tried to continue normal life while a slum grows around us.

We are left with only little crumbs of hope. Maybe the presence of the sheriff's department will shame city officials into action. Maybe a court-ordered deadline to house everyone on skid row will prompt the city and the county to address homelessness throughout L.A.

Maybe not.

Venice Beach was once a refuge on hot days for many Black and Latino working-class families from inland communities. Growing up on the East Side, I saw families like mine visiting here. It was not only a lovely place to live, but a major tourist attraction, hosting more than 10 million visitors annually.

However, now that I am a homeowner here, I find myself living within a homeless encampment -- replete with drugs, frequent stabbings, physical and sexual assaults, and cries from mentally ill individuals.

Venice still has all the virtues that drew crowds. What's missing is law and order.

Soledad Ursúa is the chairwoman of the Public Health and Safety Committee for the Venice Neighborhood Council.