L.A. meanest city for treatment of homeless

The Associated Press
7:33 p.m. July 14, 2009

LOS ANGELES — Two national homeless advocacy groups say Los Angeles is the nation's meanest city.

A report released Tuesday says the city's two-year-old police crackdown on Skid Row has trapped thousands of poor, homeless and disabled residents in the criminal justice system.

The so-called Safe City Initiative target the homeless by making it illegal to sleep, eat or sit in public spaces in the 50-square block area of downtown.
The report said the crackdown resulted in 1,000 citations a month for crimes such as jaywalking.

The report was the result of a survey of 273 cities by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless.

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