The Thorn West is a state and local news roundup compiled by members of DSA-LA. Our goal is to provide a weekly update on the latest developments in state and local politics, and to track the issues that are most important to our membership.
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Issue No. 52 - March 26, 2021
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- On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced expansions to California’s vaccine eligibility policy. All residents aged 50 or older will be eligible for the vaccine starting April 1, while all other Californians above the age of 16 can get the vaccine starting April 15.
- The second round of funding in the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program opens for applications on March 30.
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- In the absence of a functional citywide program to provide housing to those without shelter, a community of the unhoused blossomed in Echo Park Lake. Statements put out by representatives of that community requested that the city develop a humane, reliable program that offers a pathway to permanent supportive housing. A sweep of the community, spearheaded by Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, was attempted in January 2020 but was blocked with the help of protesters. In the 14 months since, O’Farrell has ignored requests to meet with advocates of the park’s unhoused community. Instead of communicating with his constituents, O’Farrell initiated a second sweep this week. Wednesday and Thursday, a massive deployment of police officers descended on the Echo Park neighborhood to enforce a mass eviction at the park. On both nights, calls to peaceful protests, led by members of the Echo Park Lake unhoused community, were amplified under the hashtag #EchoParkRiseUp. On Wednesday night, while the police kettled protesters, a fence was erected around the park and all residents were given 24 hours to move under the pretext that the park needed to be closed for repairs. For a more in-depth account, please see reporting in Knock-LA.
- A statement on these events from members of the Echo Park unhoused community was shared on Twitter. SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition also released a statement. People’s City Council addressed a statement to O’Farrell directly. On Instagram, Streetwatch LA has dispelled some myths about the availability of services for the unhoused.
- Councilmember Nithya Raman spoke out against the forced mass displacement, asking that the eviction be paused and that outreach efforts to find shelter for park residents be allowed to continue. Councilmember Mike Bonin released a statement criticizing the overwhelming use of force.
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Police Violence and Community Resistance
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- Los Angeles Police Department officers fired their guns at people six times over the course of a seven-day period this past week. From March 16 to March 23, the department averaged nearly one shooting per day, marking an alarming and unprecedented increase in the frequency of police shootings. Details on each shooting have been compiled here.
- A new filing in the ongoing ‘Banditos’ Deputy Gang lawsuit — which alleges that a criminal gang operating within the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has violated the civil rights of other deputies — has expanded the number of defendants from four to 47. The new defendants are reported to include Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s driver and head of security. This week Villanueva challenged a separate subpoena calling for him to answer further questions about deputy gangs within the department.
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- The deadline to request a ballot to vote in neighborhood council elections for residents of neighborhoods in region 7 — Atwater Village, Echo Park, Elysian Valley Riverside, Los Feliz, Rampart Village, Silver Lake — is this Tuesday, March 30. DSA members are running in several of these elections, but to vote in NC elections a separate application is required. Apply for a ballot here.
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