Contribute to Save Pali Rec & Protect Homeless

Dear neighbors.  We need you.  Almost 10,000 of you signed the change.org petition to Mayor Garcetti to Stop 42 Recreation Centers in Los Angeles from being used as homeless shelters.  And now we ask, humbly and with gratitude, that you please contribute what you can to help support the legal fight to stop this initiative.  Susie G. (brave Palisades resident) has put her name on the line as lead Plaintiff and is taking legal action against this order for all of our benefit, and to reiterate, for the well-being of the homeless people at risk. We cannot thank you enough for your help empowering all of the brave people working hard to protect our community by showing your financial support, as legal fees could quickly escalate to the hundreds of thousands.  Please read on to understand the power of your contribution. And please know that we see every single one of you and your hearts for the homeless and your hearts for our town...

Our beloved neighborhood Palisades Rec Center, arguably the heartbeat of our community, is on the list to house (up to) 158 homeless people who are free to come and go, at will, into our village and neighborhoods, as part of Mayor Garcetti’s misguided plan to “protect” our homeless from the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Here is what we know.  Uprooting a large group of people and putting them into gyms, without the ability to enforce proper physical distancing required by the CDC, endangers the lives of a very vulnerable homeless population. Please refer to a New York Times article published April 10th, 2020, where it was reported that 70 out of 144 people tested positive in a San Francisco homeless shelter. The article quotes an expert in airborne disease transmission: “The shelters present a greater risk of transmission because you have people interacting and sleeping in close quarters.” (Linsey Marr).  Just as there is a push to release nonviolent prisoners who are otherwise most susceptible to disease transmission in a group shelter environment, the plan to use the Palisades Recreation Center as a makeshift homeless shelter is a clear liability to those proposed to fill it.  Article: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/us/coronavirus-san-francisco-homeless-shelter.amp.html

Here is what else we know.  Mayor Garcetti recently opened up a new “Bridge Home” shelter in Venice that reportedly resulted in homeless residents terrorizing the neighborhood.  This is a cautionary window into our future. The article is tough to read but neighbors of the shelter are quoted that they feel like prisoners in their own home.  The shelter brought crime, assault, sexual assault, vandalism and drug use with it. https://allaspectreport.com/2020/03/05/spate-of-crime-at-new-venice-beach-a-bridge-home-homeless-shelter-has-neighbors-on-edge/

We would be remiss not to point out that we all care very deeply about the homeless.  We support positive programs that assist those in need, but this particular program is a gross misuse of the hundreds of millions of dollars in federal emergency funding dedicated to this particular homeless cause.  We have a small window to take up the legal action necessary to stop the negative impact of this public and personal safety issue.   

Susie G. has retained the firm (and has already activated the services of) Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp. All contributions go directly to their fees. Should there be any surplus, every additional cent will be donated to both The Midnight Mission, a reputable nonprofit devoted to serving the homeless, as well as to our local PPTFH.  Rest assured we are as interested in helping the homeless as we are in protecting our Palisades community.

Over 70 generous local families (maybe including you) have already contributed to the first stages of this lawsuit. However, after the first round of court proceedings, and with more and more stories coming in from outraged residents who reside near other shelters, this fight is expanding quickly and we need more help. 

We know this is a sensitive subject.  We are grateful for your trust and support. 

Please email [email redacted] to be added to updates on the proceedings of this matter.  

With immense gratitude from, 

Your 90272 neighbor 


Additional information: 

If we don’t act now:

- There is no declared end date as to when the Pali Rec Center would return to being a Rec center. 

- There are no known plans to relocate the homeless people brought in by shuttle from other areas of the city. They could likely remain here in Pacific Palisades without services or stay in our Rec Center area indefinitely.  Also, homeless advocates may file lawsuits to block relocation. Meaning, homeless could be in the Rec Center for years.

- The homeless residents are free to wander our community and return to shelter, at will, day and night.

- The City will NOT be testing for COVID-19 upon intake. They do a cursory “screening” which means a temperature check & look at the person for symptoms of illness despite the fact that the CDC has said up to 50% of carriers of COVID-19 may be asymptomatic.” Asymptomatic carriers are now thought to be one of the primary drivers of the spread of this disease.

- We have been told there will be no checks for -or community notice of- registered sexoffenders.  

- We have been told there will be no screening for any other infectious diseases prevalent in the homeless community (Typhus, Hep A, Tuberculosis, Staph, Strep, Norovirus, etc.), not to mention mental illness.

- We have been told there will be no drug tests or inspection for drugs or alcohol.

Thank you for answering the call to help.