Downtown businesses praise Long Beach’s new homeless encampment crackdown

With one problem encampment cleared up and four to go, businesses in Downtown Long Beach believe clearing out the Billie Jean King Library of unsheltered residents will make a big impact downtown.

“We do have a lot of issues with the homeless out here. Sometimes they come into our business and act kind of crazy,” said Jazmin Robledon, a barber on Pine Ave. “I think it will help us as a community.”

It’s not clear when the city will begin the crackdown on Billie Jean King Library, but if it’s anything like Monday — when cleaning crews with police arrived and cleared Gumbiner Park — Robledo thinks it’s a good start to getting more aggressive with the problem.

“I know some of them don’t want help, but there is only so much you can do,” said Robledo.

One Long Beach resident who is unhoused, however, feels differently. He expressed his concern over what will happen to him if he’s impacted by the city’s sweeps.

“I think it’s kind of rough and it sucks a lot,” said Jack, a young man who says he had been recently homeless and is worried about the aggressive action to clear the library encampment he once used.  “Cracking down on encampments doesn’t really do nothing.”

The city already fenced off a portion of the library outside. The library says kids use it for summer outdoor activities. 

“We know enforcement alone is not the solution,” wrote Mayor Rex Richardson in an op-ed for the Pioneer Press. “We are committed to a human-centered approach  as we prioritize major encampments — particularly parks, beaches, and libraries — with significant outreach, offers of shelter and services, and other methods to achieve positive outcomes, with  enforcement as an additional tool to address difficult situations.”

The outreach is underway at Veterans Park, where about half a dozen tents are part of an encampment, and at Jenni Rivera Park, where RVs line the street. If the unhoused don’t take offer for alternative housing and refuse to leave, they could be cited by police.

“I don’t know if getting cited is going help them because they are already homeless as it is,” said Pedro Martinez, a grandfather who brings his young granddaughter to the library weekly. 

Martinez supports the clearing the encampments but would prefer the city focus on housing and services.

“That’s definitely one of things we got to work on especially in the downtown area,” said Martinez.