Public safety is back in the news as a hot topic but for those of us living in the community, we know it never left.
I joined the Public Safety Commission in 2014 due to my daily challenges dealing with crime as a manager of West Hollywood’s largest shopping center. At the time, it was obvious that mental health challenges, drug abuse and the lack of affordable housing were causing a spike in vagrancy and crime in our neighborhoods. Residents and businesses alike were concerned.
It stuns me that in 2022 the situation has deteriorated beyond imagination and the solution coming from the current Public Safety Commission is that we need to reduce our Sheriff’s budget and subsequently remove officers from our community.
I have had hundreds of conversations regarding public safety in West Hollywood with residents and small businesses over the years due to my role as a property manager and community advocate. I can genuinely assure you that I have never heard someone proclaim that the issue with West Hollywood’s public safety is that there are too many sheriffs, too many cops, and too many police.
In my experience, the opposite conversation is taking place among residents.
There is and has been near-universal agreement that our streets and sidewalks welcome public safety personnel of all stripes. We want more security ambassadors, more behavioral health units, and more sheriffs protecting our community.
I empathize with the current Commission, who are well-intentioned and rightfully looking for a showstopping announcement, but removing public safety personnel from our community is not that solution.
In 2014, the same year I was sworn into the Public Safety Commission, our country was rocked by the killing of Mike Brown. I was personally devastated. Ultimately, President Obama responded with the Taskforce for 21st Century Policing. The City listened. I am thankful that recommendations from that Task Force remain within the City’s agenda to help guide us to more equitable outcomes with police enforcement. More recommendations remain in that framework.
Nevertheless, as we fight for greater civil rights we cannot ignore the alarming public safety crisis on our streets that surges every year.
That leaves me to wonder, where are these new solutions coming from? Why has the leadership in West Hollywood in recent years swung away from local voices, local conversations, and local concerns? Instead, our leadership is going all-in on esoteric, exotic, and dangerous ideas.
We need more urgency.
There are great streets in our City, or steps away, that have become open-air tenements rife with human suffering that rivals the most infamous slums from around the globe, some of which I have personally witnessed such as those in Johannesburg, Soweto, Rio De Janeiro, the Former Soviet States in East Europe, and our very own border.
Stop the antics and focus on the local community.
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Alexander Bazley served as Public Safety Commissioner from 2014-2015.
as west hollywood becomes increasingly woke, it becomes increasingly unsafe and violent. I used to wear a $10,000 rolex and $15,0000 chrome hearts bracelet walking back from the bars to Kings Road in the middle of the night without worry. This was of course before Police were afraid to be called out for “racial profiling” if they pulled over a car filled with shady characters. The proliferation of pot shops. has drawn people from the hood to West Hollywood; They get high, they steal and they rob. A leftist democrat run justice system treats crime like the right of victimhood,… Read more »
** deleted my comment, posted on wrong article. oops! **
Most important to hear from our commercial residents, which voice has been muted for years.
Amen. We have even experienced council members declaring war on the chamber of commerce. Not a good look or plan for any city wanting to move forward.
The city council is completely out of touch with the realities and needs of the citizens of West Hollywood.
Without sounding like a broken record in these opinions regarding defunding the police, law enforcement officers are a part of our first responders. “A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance at the scene of an emergency, such as an accident, natural disaster, or terrorism. First responders typically include law enforcement officers, paramedics, EMT’s and firefighters.” If you take away officers, you need to add to one of the other groups. Mental health workers are not going to be much use in a major fire or auto accident.
Please don’t apologize for sounding like a broken record. People need to hear your song over and over and over.
I’ve been a WeHo resident for over 35 years and know the city pretty well. Oddly, I can’t think of a single part of the place that looks like a favela in Rio. Please point me to it, Mr. Bazley, to validate your statement. Crime rates for certain categories have increased in West Hollywood, as they have just about everywhere. Feeding hysteria and paranoia around that fact does not solve the problem. Do let me know when the Bloods and Crips are staging their version of West Side Story on Santa Monica Blvd. We can all have drinks and sing… Read more »
Unfortunately there are homeless encampments along the south side of the Gateway project and on La Brea near Sunset, but these are just outside our borders. Crime rates have gone up everywhere but West Hollywood, due to our nightlife and relatively affluent neighborhoods, attracts criminals. Crime seems more violent, more invasive and more personal, regardless of the stats and that is driving a lot of the concerns about personal safety in our community. Hysteria does not solve the problem but neither does de-funding the Sheriff’s department, (which has sparked hysteria and panic among the residents).
Great piece. Thanks Alex.
Well said and all true.
Thank you Mr. Bazley for articulating these important observations before the City Council Meeting on Monday. The council members should focus on this valid point of view which is amplified in every corner of our community.The erosion of what a small community has experienced in the eight years you have been personally attune to these occurrences crystalizes the urgency. The inability of the city to access this erosion in proximity to law enforcement and failure to take action during this period of time shows lack of awareness and gross negligence. For city staff and late comers to use this as… Read more »
WeHo’s urgency on public safety has been hijacked by forces in Washington, DC and newcomers to West Hollywood. Wonderful piece, Alex.
In addition to those issues, I think the people making decisions for West Hollywood are just plain stupid. Lauren Meiser is great. The others have hurt the city in so many ways that I’ve lost count.
Yes!