After our December 1 story “Fire Burns from PCH up to Ocean Avenue,” several readers expressed worry about the campfires they had spotted below Via de las Olas in Potrero Canyon. LAPD Senior Lead Officer Chris Ragsdale agreed to accompany me down the western side of the canyon to see whether we could locate homeless campsites. After shooting photographs from the top of the Canyon, Palisadian-Post Staff Photographer Rich Schmitt waited for us at the bottom of the canyon, along PCH. We started at Via de las Olas and followed the trail down. As we walked, I noticed that the undergrowth was quite dense and dry. About half-way down the canyon, we located a gray two-man Coleman tent, tucked away under a tree. Officer Ragsdale knocked at the pole of the tent to alert anyone inside that they had visitors, but when there was no response, he unzipped the tent. There were blankets inside. He zipped the tent back up. The site appeared to be recently established because the garbage that starts to accumulate at long-time sites was in a small pile. Parallel to the site and slightly farther down, the trail ran past a small opening in the brush that had a green plastic chair in front of it to prevent people from stepping down into the natural nook of canyon, trees and high-growing brush. The site would be impossible to see unless one was right next to the entrance. Once the chair was pulled away, we stepped into a “residence” that had a sign posted that read “Heaven Cove, Search & Rescue Sanctuary’Come in peace or you won’t get out unless you’re LAPD, SMPD, Fire Department, Lifeguards.” Covering the site was a push-up 8-foot shade covering that was opened to six feet to allow it to fit under the overhanging tree. Inside were assorted items like a table, bike frames, and a grill. The transient’s belongs were strewn around the ground. A garbage dump was starting to accumulate. We had walked not more than three minutes farther down the hill before we came upon another concealed brown two-man Coleman tent. In general, it was hard to see the tents, unless one was specifically looking for them. Ragsdale explained that with last year’s rains, the brush and trees had grown very dense, making it easy to hide. “If you can get rid of the concealment, it makes it harder for the transients to set up camp,” Ragsdale said. “They know they’ll be spotted and will hunt for a different location.” We came upon two different abandoned areas within a short distance of each other where the trash was thick and deep. It appeared that whoever had lived at that site had moved on because there was no evidence of tents or tarps. (Continued from Page 1) A bit farther down the path, a gray cat scooted into the underbrush. We then came upon a large dumpsite area. Ragsdale said that two years ago a Recreation and Parks maintenance crew had come in and loaded enough trash to fill two-and-a-half garbage trucks. He estimated that if they were to come in again, it would be about that much. Hidden around a bend in another brush cove, we found a beige and blue four-man Coleman tent. It was an active site, although no one was home. At the perimeter of their “yard,” we found a soap dish with soap in it and a large bag of manure that hadn’t been opened. “There’s a group of transients that hang out along Temescal Canyon Park during the day,” Ragsdale noted. As we reached the bottom of the canyon, we found another “yard” boundary that had been set up with boards and other miscellaneous objects. A man and his two dogs, whom he introduced as Bud and Bear, came out of the small tarp-like tent to meet us. The man said that he had moved from Arkansas three weeks earlier. He had large black scabs all over his face. “I have skin cancer,” he said. “I got out of the hospital about a week ago. I’m taking 15 pills a day, so I’m just lying around trying to heal.” When Ragsdale identified himself and asked the transient for identification, the man asked what the problem was and Ragsdale told him it was illegal to camp in the canyon. “I didn’t know camping was illegal,” the transient said. “In Arkansas you can camp; you’re not going to give me a ticket, are you?” Ragsdale explained that it was a warning and if he didn’t move on, it would be a citation, which means he would have to appear in court. (According to Ragsdale, most ignore the court date, which means the citation goes to a warrant. When the homeless are eventually ticketed again, they end up serving one night in jail for the offense and then they’re free to go.) “There are shelters,” Ragsdale said. “I’ve got my dogs,” the man answered. I asked the man how old he was and he said, “Forty-four, but I’m almost 45. What day is it?” “December 19,” I replied. “My birthday is tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll be 45.” “Do you have any family?” I asked. “I was adopted, my stepdad died and I lost track of my stepmom,” he said. “I tried calling but her number was disconnected.” He pulled out a cigarette and then stopped himself from lighting it. “I’m not going to light this,” he said. “I show respect because I know some people out here don’t like these.” Ragsdale asked if he had been arrested before and he said he had gotten a camping ticket before, but he didn’t have the money to pay for it. He was waiting for his disability check to come on the first of the month. “If you don’t have an address, how do you get your check?” I asked. “Direct deposit,” he said and pulled out his bank card to show me. I told him people were worried about fires in the canyon. He grew upset. “That’s what I told that guy over there.” He pointed towards the hill about 400 yards closer to Temescal Canyon. “He cooks and starts a fire. But we told him to stop it or we’re going to run him out. I told him ‘You’re going to start a fire or bring police down and either one is bad news. I just eat peanut butter.'” Ragsdale handed him the warning and we went to the site the transient had pointed to. We saw a pan, a grill and a carcass of some animal that had been cooked, but nobody was around. Driving back to the Post, Ragsdale reflected on his 20 years of working with the homeless. “Many are plagued with drug or alcohol or mental health issues,” he said. “Most of these guys chose to live this way. They don’t like the structure of a shelter. They don’t like to follow rules.” Most of the homeless he sees tend to move back and forth among Venice, Santa Monica and the Palisades. When asked where they live, Ragsdale said they feel that this general area is their home. Next month, a joint meeting is planned between the fire and police departments and Rec and Parks to discuss the Canyon. “Ideally if we can have enforcement backed up with clearance, it will help break the pattern of homeless living there,” Ragsdale said. “If the Canyon were to be turned into something like a park that the public had access to, like Temescal Canyon, that would also could be a factor to stop the transients from living there.” Even if the problem is solved in the Palisades, most of these people will continue to be homeless and move on to other areas. Is there a magic answer? “Time, resources and money might start to address the problem, but it’s not a solution,” Ragsdale said. “Whoever has the answer will win a Nobel Prize.”
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