""We are extremely affected by the homeless. Is no one going to help us? It seems they have more rights than we do.""
""The homeless have threatened to burn the market," Morales said. "And they say we can't do anything about it. The manager has struggled a lot with her business because she needs to pay us to protect this place overnight.""
Marina Solano's grocery in South Los Angeles sells freshly made tortillas and a variety of produce to a heavily Latino community. Continued homeless encampments on surrounding streets have forced Solano to board up her storefront and hire extra security to protect business, employees, and customers. Security guard Juan Morales reports the problem has grown over three years, including threats against the market and ongoing costs for overnight protection. Mayor Karen Bass lifted the city's state of emergency after a reported decrease in unhoused people, but Florence merchants and residents report little local relief. The market and two warehouses sit within a half-mile radius of tents, cars, and RVs housing multiple unhoused people.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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