Safer Cities Initiative

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Residents of Downtown Los Angeles flooded the Board of Police Commissioners Meeting today to speak out against the Skid Row Safer Cities Initiative.

The SCI was formed in 2006 to help clean up the area in Downtown Los Angeles known as Skid Row. The initiative added 50 officers in the area to write tickets for petty crimes such as jaywalking to discourage violent crimes. Members of the Los Angeles Community Action Network, or LACAN came in full force to the Board of Police Commissioners Meeting to speak out against the initiative.

"This type of policing systematically creates homelessness," said Becky Dennison, Co-Director of LACAN. "It's racist, it's anti-poor."

Dennison says that residents do not trust law enforcement.

"The most common form of victimization reported by homeless people, more than assault or robbery, is police harassment," said Dennison. "It should cause concern that people are being detained, searched, cuffed multiple times each year without even committing any crime, without resulting in arrest, just stopped for the sake of it."

The LAPD, however, stands behind the SCI. Central Division Captain Todd Chamberlain says these officers go above and beyond their duties.

"These people are not assigned there," said Chamberlain. "They make a choice to come and work in the SCI area. That's an extremely difficult and unique adventure to go out into every single day, and yet they do it with a passion and they do it because they really got a calling in their heart of hearts to be there supporting that community."

A few weeks ago, LACAN submitted recommendations to the Board of Police Commissioners. The board decided to continue the conversation by establishing a committee of two commissioners, members of LACAN and an inspector general. LACAN member Eric Ares thinks overall it was a success.

"We're slowly pushing our issues to the forefront and our voice to the forefront and giving that a legitimate voice," said Ares. "Not just being the deviants who come in and talk about these issues, but to really have us viewed as a legitimate voice for the community."

Members of LACAN hope to one day get rid of SCI, but for now are just happy to have a seat at the table.