A homeless encampment, with pickleball court and garden, becomes both refuge and scourge

"He set up camp, and as other followed suit, began to build a little community: Toward one corner of the 15,000-square foot lot, Gilbert erected a pickleball net he said he found near Wilshire Boulevard. Behind the net, where people volley from time to time, is a small garden of tomatoes, cannabis and onions that he tends to. There are at least two barbecues, one propane, one charcoal."

"The encampment is one of the thousands in Los Angeles that are both ephemeral refuges from the dangers of sleeping alone and a constant frustration for the people nearby who pay rent and mortgages and want their neighborhoods clean. The little extra pleasures on Manhattan Place make it unique - the green grass that comes with winter rains, grilling hamburgers, recreational sport."

"Neighbors lodged complaints about the encampment, including concerns over fires after encampment residents appeared to have broken into a street light and attached an extension cords to receive power. Others cited drug sales and concerns over personal safety. Adalberto Aguirre, 72, lives across the street in a building he has called home for 34 years and said residents of the encampment constantly yell and fight at night, making it difficult to sleep."

Tim Gilbert was forced from an old Victorian for redevelopment and found a vacant lot in Koreatown where he and others established an encampment. The lot features a pickleball net, a small garden of tomatoes, cannabis and onions, and barbecues. The encampment reflects thousands across Los Angeles serving as ephemeral refuges for people avoiding sleeping alone while prompting neighborhood frustration among residents who pay rent and mortgages. Neighbors lodged complaints about fires, alleged tampering with a street light for power, drug sales, safety concerns, persistent nighttime yelling and fighting, and broken glass on sidewalks.

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