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While the fortunate arrest provided a quick turn in the case of Burk's tragic killing, LAPD has been criticized in recent years for just these sorts of arrests. Advocacy groups such as the ACLU and Los Angeles Community Action Network have charged that the department was criminalizing homelessness by arresting those in Skid Row for menial offenses such as drinking in public.
Just two weeks ago the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty named Los Angeles the meanest city toward the homeless, in large part for the tactics used by Safer Cities.
