BURBANK, CA - Speaking with NBC News, Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian said that on more than one occasion a homeless person has been relocated from a neighboring city and "dumped" in Los Angeles, accusing outside police agencies of abandoning homeless people.
On Monday, June 10th, Krekorian said that a man was dropped off in front of his North Hollywood office the week prior, telling his staff that he had become homeless while he was living outside of Los Angeles. On Friday, June 7th, Krekorian released a video showing officers from neighboring Burbank dropping off the homeless man and then driving away.
In the video, after the officers take the shoeless man out of the back of the police vehicle, he falls to his hands and knees and puts his head on the sidewalk. The police are then seen driving away. Krekorian played the security footage during a news conference, saying that he was "extremely livid."
He said that there have long been suspicions that cities next to Los Angeles were "pushing their unhoused population into the city of Los Angeles," rather than providing care themselves.
He said, "The person fell to the sidewalk, clearly experiencing a mental health crisis as well as physical injuries. And the officers of the Burbank Police Department got back in their vehicle and drove back to Burbank, without giving any aid to this person. Without determining whether there was anyone who could provide services to this person."
When speaking with NBC News, he said, "We've known for a long time that other cities, other jurisdictions, prefer to just push people into Los Angeles rather than addressing the problem themselves. We've seen examples of that from time to time."
He said that back in 2022, police officers from Burbank dropped off an unhoused man on the sidewalk outside a homeless services center in his district. He said his office is also aware of other similar instances involving the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
During the interview he said, "We are building housing. We are building shelter. We are doing all the things that are necessary. Other cities seem to be doing nothing other than delivering people to our doorstep, washing their hands of them and leaving them."
The homeless man that was dropped off on the sidewalk on June 7th was taken to a hospital by the Los Angeles Fire Department. According to NBC News, the Burbank Police Department said that the officers seen in the video were taking the man back to where he had originally come from, but Krekorian says that is not true. According to Krekorian, the man does not have any connections to North Hollywood.
Krekorian said, "It's gut-wrenching. It was unimaginable to me that these police officers could do that, and it was even more heart-wrenching to see him there, left alone, trying to crawl, trying to reach out to somebody to plead for help, and there was no one there at all who could possibly help."
On social media, the Burbank Police Department shared a statement, saying that it "remains committed to treating the unhoused community with compassion and respect, and thanks Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian for bringing this matter to our attention."
Burbank Mayor Nick Schultz posted a statement on X saying that the "City of Burbank takes the concerns raised by Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian seriously."
An estimated 181,000 people are homeless in California, which amounts to roughly 28 percent of all the homeless people in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Los Angeles County is home to more than 71,000 unsheltered people.
On Monday, June 10th, Krekorian said that a man was dropped off in front of his North Hollywood office the week prior, telling his staff that he had become homeless while he was living outside of Los Angeles. On Friday, June 7th, Krekorian released a video showing officers from neighboring Burbank dropping off the homeless man and then driving away.
In the video, after the officers take the shoeless man out of the back of the police vehicle, he falls to his hands and knees and puts his head on the sidewalk. The police are then seen driving away. Krekorian played the security footage during a news conference, saying that he was "extremely livid."
He said that there have long been suspicions that cities next to Los Angeles were "pushing their unhoused population into the city of Los Angeles," rather than providing care themselves.
He said, "The person fell to the sidewalk, clearly experiencing a mental health crisis as well as physical injuries. And the officers of the Burbank Police Department got back in their vehicle and drove back to Burbank, without giving any aid to this person. Without determining whether there was anyone who could provide services to this person."
When speaking with NBC News, he said, "We've known for a long time that other cities, other jurisdictions, prefer to just push people into Los Angeles rather than addressing the problem themselves. We've seen examples of that from time to time."
He said that back in 2022, police officers from Burbank dropped off an unhoused man on the sidewalk outside a homeless services center in his district. He said his office is also aware of other similar instances involving the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
During the interview he said, "We are building housing. We are building shelter. We are doing all the things that are necessary. Other cities seem to be doing nothing other than delivering people to our doorstep, washing their hands of them and leaving them."
The homeless man that was dropped off on the sidewalk on June 7th was taken to a hospital by the Los Angeles Fire Department. According to NBC News, the Burbank Police Department said that the officers seen in the video were taking the man back to where he had originally come from, but Krekorian says that is not true. According to Krekorian, the man does not have any connections to North Hollywood.
Krekorian said, "It's gut-wrenching. It was unimaginable to me that these police officers could do that, and it was even more heart-wrenching to see him there, left alone, trying to crawl, trying to reach out to somebody to plead for help, and there was no one there at all who could possibly help."
On social media, the Burbank Police Department shared a statement, saying that it "remains committed to treating the unhoused community with compassion and respect, and thanks Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian for bringing this matter to our attention."
Burbank Mayor Nick Schultz posted a statement on X saying that the "City of Burbank takes the concerns raised by Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian seriously."
An estimated 181,000 people are homeless in California, which amounts to roughly 28 percent of all the homeless people in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Los Angeles County is home to more than 71,000 unsheltered people.
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Comments
2024-06-14T15:06-0400 | Comment by: Eric
[He said that there have long been suspicions that cities next to Los Angeles were "pushing their unhoused population into the city of Los Angeles," ...] His use of the word 'unhoused' tells you he is a leftist who is partly responsible for the situation. The police should drop them off in front of the council members' homes!
2024-06-14T16:11-0400 | Comment by: Rick
Should drop them off in front of his home
2024-06-15T11:55-0400 | Comment by: Michelle
According to other articles I’ve read, the homeless man didn’t commit a crime and it’s very likely he asked to go there. The Burbank cops can’t violate his constitutional rights and take him wherever they wish, that’s kidnapping. Krekorian just doesn’t like the fact the man chose to be in front of HIS office.