Now you've gone and done it, Mr. Garcetti. You've really pissed off Beachwood Canyon with your support for a project to provide permanent housing for the homeless at Hollywood and Gower. Despite all the glamorous stories about a rejuvenated Hollywood (see earlier linkage), some in the neighborhood are concerned about the mixing of street kids with the chronically (and mostly older) homeless from Downtown. Sounds like a rumble ready to happen. An article in the Beachwood Voice (which conveniently landed at our doorstep) by Fran Reichenbach, founder of the Hollywood-Gower Neighborhood Assoc., takes Garcetti to task for the proposed permanent supportive housing facility.
"In a conversation with a 24 year-old man who hangs out with the Hollywood-Gower crowd, I asked why he doesn't go downtown for a place to sleep. The answer was that the people downtown are all old and crazy. The next day, one of the few older men in the Hollywood-Gower neighborhood was beaten senseless by one of the young men in that same Hollywood-Gower crowd. This incident underscores something that Councilman Garcetti did not take into account when putting this project forward: the two groups do not mix well on the steet or in a facility." The article goes on to contend that Hollywood residents may become victims of crack or meth addicts. We say, why not both. The article then concludes with an accusation that Councilman Garcetti is in the pocket of Downtown developers to ship the homeless from Skid Row to Hollywood. "...anyone who publicly endorses dumping homeless from Skid Row onto the streets of Hollywood and pushing permanent Supportive Housing on Gower should be closely watched."
· Can Hollywood Be Saved [The Beachwood Voice]