In March, hundreds of people protested the city’s decision to remove a homeless encampment along Echo Park Lake. About 200 unhoused Angelenos were living there, and more than 160 of them moved into hotels or shelters. In the days since, the city has been cleaning up the park, stating they’ve removed 35 tons of trash, including drug paraphernalia, gasoline, and biological waste.
The park is expected to reopen by the end of May. But with the homelessness problem more visible than ever in LA and pressures mounting to find solutions, residents in other neighborhoods are wondering if what happened in Echo Park is just the beginning.