City Librarian Fontayne Holmes said in the September 13 Los Angeles Times that librarians arriving at work have had to step over unconscious bodies and have encountered human waste. “It’s intimidating to people,” she said, adding that homeless people are welcome inside the city’s libraries during operating hours.
“It’s just one more example of being short-sighted, and rather than being proactive in the community in providing safe places for people to sleep, you criminalize the activity,” said Bob Erlenbusch, executive director of the Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness.
Council members backing the change said they would consult with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority on the measure before taking it to the full council.
Posted September 17, 2004.