To the editor: Journalist Noah Goldberg's account of the recent brutal attacks on the canals of Venice was shocking. What has not been impressive is city officials' continued commentary that permanent, affordable housing is essential in Venice, where the undercounting of the homeless population continues.
Becky Dennison, co-director of Venice Community Housing, stated in the article that four property managers and case managers would always be on site for the proposed Venice Dell Project. No professional health, psychiatric or addiction counselors have been appointed.
With 140 units housing a full complement of residents, chaos and the continuation of the “Venice Troubles” are guaranteed. As with the now distant problems of Northern Ireland, we need higher political powers to save us.
Jerome P. Helman, Venice
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To the editor: We could all take a page from Mary Klein's book on how to live a better, fuller life. After a brutal assault, she is determined not to let fear control her life.
More importantly, you don't need to put the blame anywhere. She knows it happened because the system is failing us all.
He has not personalized his attack, although it was of the most personal type. She hopes elected officials will do her job and address the mental health crisis unfolding on the streets of Los Angeles.
This is what every municipal election has been about for more than a decade, and we are witnessing that the problem is getting worse every day. In the future, all elections will center on this issue until we can, once again, take our steps at the end of each day, as Klein was trying to do when she was attacked.
I wish Klein and all of us continue to heal.
Mary Ann Cherry, Los Angeles
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To the editor: I lived in Venice for almost a decade. Homeless people were omnipresent, sleeping in alleys and on the beach. It's certainly gotten a lot worse lately, and the recent attacks there are alarming, to say the least.
What I find outrageous is that new storage facilities have been built in Venice and nearby areas. In other words, we'll build fancy new storage facilities for all the trash people can't store in their homes, but it's much harder to do the same for people who have nowhere to live.
Nauseating.
David Tempest, Mar Vista
