With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
'Stop Putting On A Show For Tourists': LA Residents Sound Off On Homeless Camps Cleanup Efforts Ahead Of Super Bowl
With the Rams-49ers game happening this Sunday, and the Super Bowl just two weeks later, L.A. and SoFi Stadium are expected to attract huge crowds. Encampment clean-ups have been happening as the games approach.
For some neighbors of SoFi Stadium, such as 35-year-old school teacher Nephatera Dixon, it’s an attempt to hide the city’s homelessness crisis from tourists.
“People are not gonna go to just the SoFi,” Dixon said. “They’re going to go downtown. They’re gonna go to Santa Monica. [There's] still homeless everywhere. So them trying to mask it, putting a bandaid on it, Ooh look, it's pretty … putting on a show for [tourists] who can care anything less about the town you claim that you like.”
The recent interest in encampments where unhoused people live ahead of the Super Bowl underscores a deeper issue for residents of South L.A. who feel it’s a window into a larger issue of inequity in the region. Dixon said the city has long overlooked the city of Inglewood and its housed and unhoused neighbors.
“Why did it take this giant event for you to [say], Oh, let’s do something about this predominantly Black neighborhood,” Dixon said. “Now you’re trying to do something because of all the billions that will come in. Now y'all wanna pretty it up for the people that’s spending money, when you should have done something about it already for the people already spending money in this neighborhood.”
Dixon said she’s happy that shows such as HBO’s Insecure, created by Issa Rae, helped people see the city of Inglewood in a new light.
“It shouldn't have taken a [TV] show and the Super Bowl to help people,” she said.
Johnnie Raines, 75, who has lived in Los Angeles since 1956, said what’s happening with encampments where unhoused residents live is not surprising. Raines said he noticed the city was cleaning up everything along the 405 freeway to SoFi Stadium, while ignoring clearing and offering help along the 110 freeway to the stadium. He said most people coming into town would likely be coming from the Westside.
“We shouldn't have this conversation in the city of L.A., [which is] spending a fortune to make a fortune on the SuperBowl and the upcoming Olympics,” Raines said. “If we got money to do that, why not more money for people?”
But authorities claim that clean-ups near the stadium or tourist areas such as El Pueblo, near Union Station, have been planned months ahead and are not related to the sports events.
“The El Pueblo housing operation was one that was planned out starting in September,” said Pete Brown, spokesperson for L.A. City Councilmember Kevin de León, whose district includes downtown. “We have housed 93 people and have about another 18 who have turned down multiple offers for housing and storage of their belongings. These efforts have absolutely nothing to do with the Super Bowl, but I understand the suspicion considering what’s going on in Inglewood.”
A spokesperson for CalTrans said camps around the 405 freeway were cleared due to fire safety issues and that unhoused residents were given 72 hours notice.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
-
The City Council will vote Tuesday on a proposal to study raising the pay for construction workers on apartments with at least 10 units and up to 85 feet high.
-
The study found recipients spent nearly all the money on basic needs like food and transportation, not drugs or alcohol.
-
Kevin Lee's Tokyo Noir has become one of the top spots for craft-inspired cocktails.
-
A tort claim obtained by LAist via a public records request alleges the Anaheim procurement department lacks basic contracting procedures and oversight.
-
Flauta, taquito, tacos dorados? Whatever they’re called, they’re golden, crispy and delicious.
-
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress.