A homeless man transformed a Hollywood bus stop into his own encampment, forcing riders to wait elsewhere.
His constant refusal of help left neighbors uneasy, with many feeling that bus stops are being slowly claimed by the unhoused.
Hollywood has long been known for its aggressive homeless population despite city officials—like Mayor Karen Bass—celebrating a drop in homelessness across Los Angeles.
Keith Johnson told NBC Los Angeles he’s been watching one particular man, identified as David, who he said has been living at the bus station on Melrose Avenue and Vine Street.
For forty years, Johnson called Larchmont Village home. When he runs errands in Hollywood, he often passes bus stops and checks in with homeless individuals to see if they need help.
“I’m seeing less tents. I think that was brought up with the latest homeless count, but (there are) rough campers like this fellow,” Johnson said.
“One night, (David) was on a foam mattress, and now he’s just laying in a pile of trash,” Johnson said.
Another homeless person occupied a bus bench on the north-south bus stop on Vine Street until last year’s Thanksgiving Day, according to Johnson.
“He had been there for weeks, and (city council officials) said they were sending somebody right away. And the next time I went by, he actually died,” the neighbor said.
Johnson said he began noticing more unhoused people taking over bus stops last year. He said it is impossible to reach a person by phone to report the situation.
“I reached out to 211, and they referred me to LAHSA. That organization sent me to another website,” Johnson said. “In the end, I don’t know if anybody ever went out.”
He’s also reached out to the office of Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, whose District 13 includes Hollywood, but said the response is always the same: “We’ll send someone.”
“It’s embarrassing, I think, for the councilman and others, to show what’s really going on in our streets and why more of us aren’t speaking up.”
On Tuesday, the city of LA released a statement saying, “Health, mental health, and behavioral health services lie solely with the County – the Mayor’s Office has asked the County to send mental health support today.”
By Tuesday evening, the bus station at Melrose Avenue and Vine Street was cleared of trash, but David reportedly moved to the sidewalk just a few feet away. The Post checked out the area Wednesday morning and both the trash and David had cleared.
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