Despite Los Angeles County’s effort to remove a homeless encampment near an elementary school, some parents said Wednesday that they are worried debris from the tents would return again soon.
A picture shared by the Lennox School District showed an encampment across the street from Dolores Huerta Elementary School on 104th Street near South Prairie Avenue. The same image also showed the debris from the encampment appearing to be blocking the sidewalk.
“It was pretty bad,” described Janet Flores, whose 5th grader and 1st grader attend the school. “It was like up to the street. Cars will have to stop and then let other cars pass.”
Another parent said she was terrified for her children as it became too dangerous.
“It was just scary to walk on that side, so everybody would walk on the other side of the street,” she said.
The Lennox School District said the principal of the school started getting phone calls from concerned parents about the encampment earlier this month. The district then spoke with the sheriff’s department about the unhouse people in front of the elementary school.
The sheriff’s department told NBC Los Angeles that people at the encampment were cooperative and agreed to clean up and vacate the area, but it does not seem to give parents peace of mind.
“Yeah, it’s cleaned up,” Flores said. “Probably tomorrow, it’s going to be bad again, or next week.”
The district told NBCLA Wednesday that deputies will be sent to the school again next week to make sure the sidewalks remain clear for students and families and keep monitoring the situation.
The office of Supervisor Holly Mitchell whose district includes Lennox said the county’s homeless initiative has been notified.
“(It) has it in queue for ongoing outreach and clean-ups, as we continue to work to secure housing for the ultimate goal of getting and keeping residents off the streets.”