A homeless man in Los Angeles throws feces at a local business owner, Paul Scrivano. Paul Scrivano is now upset with officials stating they aren’t doing enough about the homeless in Sherman Oaks.
Scrivano is the owner of the Blue Dog Beer Tavern in Sherman Oaks. And claims the same homeless man is throwing feces on the hood of his car every day and has the footage to prove it.
“Every day, it’s like ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,’” Scrivano told FOX11. “Literally a psych ward. Every single morning, I’m wiping that off my property before I have to do business,” stated Scrivano.
Business Owners Have Had Enough
Theo Marvo, owner of the Sherman, a nearby restaurant, shared Scrivano’s exasperation.
Another business owner, Theo Marvo who owns the restaurant called Sherman, also shares the same sentiments as Scrivano.
“It’s mostly the criminal aspect of the homeless and unhoused,” Marvo said.
The chair of the Homelessness Committee, Attorney Larry Spade said local businesses have a right to be upset.
“Many business owners are at their wits’ end, they’re not getting the responsiveness that they need and that they deserve,” he explained.
“Individual homeless people will camp out in front of a store, make it their home, bring their possessions, use it as a bedroom. In the morning, when the business owners come to open up, they have to try to deal with a homeless person literally blocking the entrance to their business and then, they have to deal with cleaning up hazardous waste right in front of their business, right in Sherman Oaks, right on Ventura Boulevard.”
Councilwoman Raman Says Hands Are Tied
A disgruntled Scrivano, sends videos of the homeless people threatening him and relieving themselves near his business to Councilwoman Nithya Raman.
But the response from Raman’s office was to stop sending graphic material. Not addressing the problem they were seeing.
“Nithya Raman does not care, she does not care,” stated Scrivano.
When asked about the issue by FOX11, Raman replied that the homeless crisis is consequently more complex than people think.
“The reality is that people who are experiencing homelessness are still individuals who are there on the streets because they don’t have a home,” she said. “Where is the compassion in leaving someone on the street when they clearly cannot help themselves in any way? I don’t believe that anyone who is suffering from mental illness should not be receiving the care that they deserve.”
Unfortunately the resources for mental health services within the community are close to nothing. The homeless people on the street can’t get the help they would need.
Who Has The Rights?
“The rights of the homeless cannot exceed the rights of the homeowners and the business owners,” stated Slade.
“There has to be a balance between those two rights, and right now, that balance is tipping mightily in favor of the homeless to the detriment of the people that live here and work here. We’re not insensitive to these issues, but it’s gotten to the point, it’s beyond control and something has got to give.”
