Marina Solano\u2019s grocery store in South Los Angeles enjoys steady business selling freshly made tortillas and a variety of produce like oranges, avocados and tomatoes to the heavily Latino community. <\/p>\n
But the continued presence of homeless encampments on the streets surrounding El Mexicano Market has forced Solano to board up her storefront and hire extra security to protect her business, her employees and her customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are extremely affected by the homeless. Is no one going to help us?\u201d she said. \u201cIt seems they have more rights than we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juan Morales, a security guard at the market, witnessed the problem grow over the last three years he has worked for Solano.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe homeless have threatened to burn the market,\u201d Morales said. \u201cAnd they say we can\u2019t do anything about it. The manager has struggled a lot with her business because she needs to pay us to protect this place overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Marina Solano\u2019s grocery store, El Mexicano Market, sits along the 6600 block of Avalon Boulevard in the neighborhood of Florence.<\/p>\n
(Gary Coronado \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass recently lifted<\/a> the city\u2019s state of emergency on homelessness, noting that the number of unhoused people decreased significantly in the last two years. But for South L.A. merchants and residents, especially in the community of Florence, the city\u2019s efforts have done little to curb the stubborn homelessness problem on their streets.<\/p>\n The homelessness crisis is nothing new to Los Angeles, and efforts over the years to address it have had mixed results. While city officials celebrate successes in clearing homeless encampments in other parts of Los Angeles, resident and merchants in Florence say more needs to be done in their community.<\/p>\n Solano is one of several business owners in Florence who complain that they have been impacted by the \u201cnever-ending\u201d presence of homeless encampments. The market and two of Solano\u2019s warehouses are located between Gage and Florence avenues, about a half-mile radius from encampments where multiple unhoused people live in their tents, cars or RVs.<\/p>\n Dana Kanu, 63, who is homeless, shown with her dog Zara at her encampment along the 7000 block of Avalon Boulevard. This encampment stretches from Gage Avenue to Florence Avenue. <\/p>\n (Gary Coronado \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n The streets are unwalkable and full of trash, and the smell is \u201cunbearable,\u201d residents say.<\/p>\n \u201cI know this doesn\u2019t just affect me. [Homelessness] is spread throughout South L.A., if you go to downtown L.A. they are hidden in between businesses or by the L.A. River. But unfortunately here, they are near homes,\u201d Solano said.<\/p>\n A middle school, public park and bank are all within walking distance of the encampment. But some residents say they don\u2019t feel safe walking to such places, with sidewalk tents encroaching on bus stops, bike lanes and roadways. <\/p>\n \u201cI have lived here for about eight years and it seems they only like [Avalon Boulevard],\u201d a woman, who declined to identify herself, said while she waited for the bus with her two young children. \u201cIf you notice, the problem is only between Gage and Florence.\u201d<\/p>\n During the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual count<\/a> by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority estimated that about 41,290 people were considered homeless, with about 30% living in shelters. In 2025<\/a>, the number of people living on the streets of Los Angeles dropped to 26,972. <\/p>\n Bass said that the emergency declaration \u201callowed the city the authority to take bold and swift action to upend the failed status quo \u2026 resulting in Los Angeles\u2019 first-ever two consecutive years of reduction in homelessness, including a 17% drop in street homelessness.\u201d<\/p>\n City officials say they have also launched targeted efforts to address the homelessness problem in South Los Angeles.<\/p>\n In May, Councilmember Curren Price, whose district includes much of South Los Angeles, teamed up with Bass to launch an Inside Safe operation on Avalon Boulevard that housed 32 people, and of those, seven have returned to the streets, per city figures. <\/p>\n \u201cA key component of Inside Safe is the consistent monitoring of former operation sites to bring even more Angelenos inside if encampments return and to work with partners to connect people to resources that can appropriately meet individual needs,\u201d Bass said in a statement this week. <\/p>\n This program, however, requires homeless people to voluntarily accept services and let go of most of their personal belongings. Since its 2022 inception, Inside Safe has moved more than 5,000 people into interim housing, according to a Times report<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a statement to NBCLA<\/a>, Price said that \u201cnot everyone is ready to accept services.\u201d <\/p>\n Elihue \u201cShaba\u201d Pitts Sr., 53, who is homeless, considers himself the community organizer along the 7000 block of Avalon Boulevard.<\/p>\n (Gary Coronado \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n Homeless residents like Elihue \u201cShaba\u201d Pitts Sr. find it hard to \u201cjust leave,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Pitts lives on Avalon Boulevard, where he maintains a small garden to memorialize his son Omari Pitts, who was killed in a violent crash from a high-speed police chase in Fontana. During the city\u2019s Cleaning and Rapid Engagement, or CARE<\/a> operations, Pitts\u2019 belongings, including his potted plants, were removed.<\/p>\n \u201cI start from scratch,\u201d the 53-year-old said. \u201cI have to. This is all I got.\u201d <\/p>\n The last CARE operation on the Avalon corridor took place on Halloween Day, according to Price\u2019s office.<\/p>\n \u201cWe try to have a peaceful relationship with the homeless, like giving them food during Thanksgiving and holidays,\u201d Solano said. \u201cBut sometimes they want to come and do whatever they want. We just can\u2019t allow that.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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