Stand in Solidarity with Our Unhoused Neighbors - Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles - 3/24/21
Echo Park lake has become one of the largest homeless encampments in Los Angeles as many people call it home and shelter during a world wide pandemic.
With the pandemic hitting in 2020, the already rising homelessness rate in Los Angeles skyrocketed as people were losing their jobs and getting evicted from their homes.
Many who were left to fend for themselves by the government found shelter in Echo Park, and a community was built.
Yesterday, the residents of the park, community activists, and supporters gathered at the park to “Stop The Sweep”. The City of Los Angeles, lead by Mitch O’Farrell, are displacing everyone who lived in the park to shut it down for “renovations”.
Hundreds of LAPD officers, and hundreds of protesters went face to face last night as the activists demanded the community not be kicked out of their homes.
The activists did delay the city’s plans, but by early this morning, the city had fenced off the park.
Some residents are still reported to be in the park and LAPD is denying entrance to residents who were not in the park before it was fenced off, and to activists who are trying to bring food and water to those behind the fence.
@ AlpertReyes on twitter is in the park, and quoted a resident named Valerie (who just got married in the park this weekend), who described the current state of the park as “an open air concentration camp”.
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