"We can't provide all of them $600,000 apartments just yet, so we have to provide the rest a place to comfortably shi*t and steal" Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez

“Power to the Poopers!” Councilman Hugo

Los Angeles business owners, residents dismayed after city removes homeless encampment measures

Business owners and residents in Los Angeles criticized the city's decision to remove planters that locals said greatly reduced crime in the area. 

"I think it's a really terrible thing that they're doing because those planters were there to keep the encampments away," Hollywood resident Jacqui Antebi told NBC4 Los Angeles. 

Crews of workers removed the planters along Highland Boulevard in Hollywood on Monday after the city found that the planters were erected without proper approval from the government. Local business owners and residents initially put up planters in May to prevent homeless encampments from taking over the area, according to the report. 

"We understand the frustration that local businesses feel about this issue, and we encourage residents to follow the legal process and work with the city to obtain the proper permits to install community beautification projects in the public right of way," a spokesperson for Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez told NBC4. 

"This the first time I've been able to walk down the street in years because it's been filled with drug dealers, homeless people. It's been unsafe. I almost got ambushed once just trying to walk home," Antebi said of life after the planters were placed on the street. 

Some business owners pointed to the massive reduction in crime after the planters were erected in May. 

"We've seen at least a 90% drop in crime around here," business owner Andrew Monheim said. "And we're just trying to run our businesses and have safety for people."