Homelessness

Coley King: The Doctor Bikes to Work

One of the fascinating Angelenos featured in L.A. Weekly's People 2013 issue. Check out our entire People 2013 issue here.The first thing you notice about Dr. Coley King is his mustache. It's a handlebar, and he had it before handlebars were cool — three, maybe four years? Not that he'll brag ... More >>

Homeless Rights Act Says Homeless Can Sleep Outdoors Without Arrest

Do homeless people have the right to sleep in their cars overnight, take up space on a sidewalk for extended periods of time, or access public restrooms? In many cases, police have said no. Cops in L.A. have rousted the homeless for sleeping overnight on sidewalks, for example, leading to legal ac ... More >>

Class Warfare: Metro Rides and Homelessness Have Readers Talking

Absolutely Filthy

Free Marijuana For Veterans At West Hollywood Dispensary Zen Healing

Military veterans put their lives on the line for this country, and what do we give them? A couple hollow holidays? A discount? The occasional salute? West Hollywood medical marijuana dispensary Zen Healing has us all beat on that front: The pot shop announced this week that it's giving vets a tru ... More >>

Temple Adat Elohim Feeds Hundreds in Community on Christmas Day

When things seem impossibly dark and sad, it's nice to be reminded that there is still good in the world. As we noted already, there are ways in Los Angeles to help feed the hungry. One example takes place Christmas day, when, for the 18th year in a row, Temple Adat Elohim will be serving several hu ... More >>

How the Crossfit Homeless Photo Scandal Connects to Neil LaBute's Play in Hollywood

Earlier this month the L.A. Weekly broke a troubling story that starkly illustrates the growing chasm between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' in today's society. The article brought to light the callous actions of Ronnie Teasdale, owner of L.A.'s Crossfit Mean Streets gym, who plastered his gym's Fa ... More >>

David Ben Keyes, Suspect in L.A. Area Homeless Stabbings Where 'Death Warrant' Notes Left at Scene

Updated at the bottom with charges filed against Keyes, a.k.a. Courtney Anthony Robinson. First posted at 3:47 p.m. Thursday. Santa Monica police say the stabbing last week of a homeless man could be connected to two similar attacks in Los Angeles in which "death warrant" notes were left at the sce ... More >>

Skid Row Funk Finally Gets Cleaned Up

Skid Row lives up to its name, despite the decade's long, loft-dwelling gentrification just to the west. Drug dealers deal, homeless call it home, and trash grows tall. The city of L.A. has tried to battle all of the above with cops, cash and, now, clean-ups. Until today, City Hall was reluctant to ... More >>

Imagine L.A.'s Fifth Annual Celebration of Family

Young Lee, Pinkberry Co-Founder, Arrested For Alleged Assault With Deadly Weapon

Updated after the jump: Pinkberry wants nothing to do with this. First posted at 12:29 a.m. The man behind the yogurt with the sour kick apparently also kicks ass. That, at least, is according to an arrest warrant put on the head of Pinkberry co-founder Young Lee, who was collared at LAX late yest ... More >>

Khadijah Baseer, Burbank Homeless Woman, Caught Offering Blowjobs for Chicken McNuggets

A homeless woman that Burbank police say often hangs around the local McDonalds allegedly took the begging game to new lows last Wednesday. "She was offering BJs" for Chicken McNuggets, says Lieutenant John Dilibert, who immediately knew why we were calling. He was baffled by the insane amount of p ... More >>

Theater Anecdotes, Anyone? Also, New reviews of Stations, Santasia and Camp Sunday

Rich Sofranko"Stations"​Boom Kat Dance Theatre's production of Stations at Santa Monica's Miles Memorial Playhouse landed this week's stage Pick; ​also recommended are the Whitefire Theatre's Santasia in Sherman Oaks, and the Groundlings' Camp Sunday. See all the reviews after the jump.Call for ... More >>

Skid Row L.A. Trash, Belongings Pile up Third World-Style After Court Tells City It Can't Take Homeless' Stuff

Courtesy Central City East AssociationDon't let the bed bugs bite.​The flurry of coverage about the horrific conditions on Skid Row started in 2004 with an LA CityBeat cover story and soon flourished with Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez's observations, which culminated in the movie The ... More >>

Occupy L.A. Sees Homeless Invasion: Skid Row Residents Look For Food

Occupy this tent.​Occupy L.A. might resemble a homeless encampment outside City Hall, but some are complaining that the real homeless are moving in on the anti-Wall Streeters in order to take advantage of the relatively plentiful food. Lt. Paul Vernon of the LAPD's Central Division stated ove ... More >>

The Vault: Unlocked

EXCLUSIVE Interview: Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull Talks About Aqualung, His Duet with an Astronaut and Why He Doesn't Attend Concerts

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull.​In 1967, Ian Anderson traded a Fender Stratocaster that previously belonged to Lemmy from Motorhead for a flute, since he felt he would never be as good of a guitar player as Eric Clapton. The rest is history. We caught up with Anderson to chat about the album Aq ... More >>

Derick Thornton, L.A. Homicide No. 2: Man Dealt Fatal Blow to Head in Argument at Homeless Shelter on Skid Row

jeanhudson.comThe homeless shelter where Derick Thornton was knocked out​After three months of searching for the man who dealt 52-year-old black man Derick Thornton a fatal blow to the head in downtown Los Angeles on January 2, LAPD Detective A. Marengo says only one witness has come forward, ... More >>

Jonas Oppenheim's Free $$$ and Israela Margalit's Trio

Fidelity in flames

'Golden Voice' Homeless Man Ted Williams Had A Foot In The Door In Broadcasting Before: Is He Skipping A Step?

CBSMaybe we should just call him 'The Voice.'​Even with his vow to enter rehab, the story of Ted Williams, a homeless man discovered on the streets of Columbus, Ohio, is a real American fairytale. Only days ago he was panhandling at the side of a highway. And now he's touring L.A. (getting de ... More >>

Venice Homeless Man Arrested At L.A. City Hall For Angry 'Socialist' Rant -- 'Way Out Of Line' After Tucson Massacre, Says Councilman Bill Rosendahl

Los Angeles TimesMedia darling and longtime Venice transient David Busch​David Busch, 55, stood up during public comment at a Transportation Committee meeting yesterday -- and comment did he ever. According to L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who was leading the meeting, Busch "waved his ... More >>

TV Chef Juan Carlos Cruz Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison For Attempting To Hire Homeless To Kill Wife

Chef Death?​Despite his earlier claims of innocence, it looks like onetime Food Network chef Juan Carlos Cruz did in fact attempt to whip-up a major course of death for his wife. He was known on Food as the Calorie Commando. But prosecutors said he was a would-be culinary killer. On Monday Cr ... More >>

Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography Since the Sixties

Plan To Create Special Parking Lots For RV Dwellers In Venice Moves Forward

​A plan by Los Angeles city Councilman Bill Rosendahl to create special overnight parking lots for people who live in their RVs in Venice and other Westside communities in his district is moving forward this summer, but not without criticism on both sides of the homeless issue. The "Safe Park ... More >>

WELCOME TO SANTA MONICA

Oversize Parking Restrictions For RVs, Other Big Vehicles, Approved By Los Angeles City Council

​The Los Angeles City Council this week gave final approval to an ordinance that will allow residents to obtain restrictions on a block-by-block basis that would prohibit RVs and other oversize vehicles from parking there overnight. The oversize-vehicle law would allow a majority of a block's ... More >>

Tanya Tull: First, a Home

Worker Who Burned Homeless Man Alive Gets Life Behind Bars

Google Maps​A barbershop worker who killed a homeless man he didn't like by setting him afire in Koreatown in 2008 was sentenced Wednesday to life behind bars without the possibility of parole, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office announced. Ben Matthew Martin, 31, had already pl ... More >>

Mechanic Sentenced To Five Years After Setting Man On Fire

​For a guy who nearly burned the last breath out of a homeless man by setting his cart on fire, five years seems like a short stint in the big house. (Pot growers can get such terms under federal law). But that was punishment handed down to Hector Manuel Medina this week after he admitted sett ... More >>

Man Pleads Guilty In Scheme To Recruit Homeless For Health Care

Skid Row.​An L.A. man pleaded guilty Tuesday to health-care fraud after he participated in a scheme to recruit homeless people on Skid Row to undergo unnecessary medical treatment that was billed to Medicare and Medi-Cal. Federal authorities say 49-year-old Vincent Rubio, former chief financi ... More >>

Homeless Get (Fake) Designer Shoes For Holidays

manoloblahnik.com​If you see a homeless person hot stepping in some Manolo look-alikes or strutting in what appears to be Air Jordans, we don't blame you for doing a double take. But it's all good. Turns out counterfeit footwear seized by Los Angeles police in the Fashion District and elsewher ... More >>

Homeless Versus Venice

Winnebago world clashes with City Hall politics and progressive dreams

LA People 2009: Policing the Police — Alice Callahan

Where Are All the Homeless Hispanics?

Plus, do Mexicans really say "Ay, caramba"?

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Homeless Man Was Torched With Flare Robert Winton of the L.A. Times reports Deputy D.A. William Hodgman's charge that Ben Matthew Martin set fire to John Robert McGraham (not, as reported, "McGrath") with a road flare after dousing the homeless man with gasoline in an L.A. alley last fall. Martin, a ... More >>

Election '08: McCain's Neglected Veterans

BY AMY SILVERMAN His fame is based on his POW status, but Senator John McCain’s made a point of voting against fellow veterans. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE to be a veteran in John McCain's home state, stop by the Justa Center in downtown Phoenix. On a Thursday morning not long ago, a v ... More >>

Asphalt Beats Artists in Venice

Rosendahl touts "state of the art" parking lot as Ed Ruscha gets the squeeze

Lessons From a Santa Monica Food Line

Through HOPE, the humanist impulse hits home

Susan Partovi

Medicine woman

The 10 Rules of Pimpology According to the Video for Do or Die's "Po' Pimp"

10. The ability to acquire flaming pennies (these were also reportedly Shaquille O' Neal's last words upon leaving Orlando). Such magic coins will give their owners the ability to turn homeless people into suave and dapper, ladies men and thus realize their dreams of using P.I.M.P.O.L.O.G.Y. to lo ... More >>

Between a Rock and a Soft Place

Times’ coverage of Skid Row crackdown is early valentine to cops

Rocky, Did You Bump Your Head?

The Scourge of Skid Row

A staph infection threatens the lives of cops, firefighters and homeless people. But don’t expect any help from county health officials

People-Watching

Zen and the Art of Sheriffing

Lee Baca’s Khaki Revolution

Bucking Skid Row

Councilwoman Jan Perry explains why she’s against free meal handouts for the homeless

Two Toms

We have the vision of the one, we need the vision of the other

Bad Cop, Bad Cop

The troubled careers of two LAPD officers

When the Bough Breaks

Elizabeth Lynn Faber was ignored by California's mental-health system -- until she killed her baby

Sweetheart Deal?