Tell Mitch O'Farrell: Protect the Count. Stop Sweeps.

Mitch O'Farrell

UPDATE: They've pushed back the Homeless Count to February 22-24! But our work isn't done, Mitch is still doing sweeps and enforcement actions of 41.18 displacement zones, despite skyrocketing COVID cases in the homeless community. Even the Mayor agrees that 41.18 enforcement should be paused for the duration of the surge. We demand an end to the superspreading criminalization policies.

URGENT: Mitch O'Farrell is purposely displacing our unhoused neighbors with violent sweeps to artificially manipulate and lower the number of unhoused people in his district for the upcoming homeless count to make himself look better politically. But the data gathered in the Homeless Count is used to allocate desperately needed resources to help end homelessness. By helping only himself in the short term, Councilmember O'Farrell is hurting our district and our city in the long term

This year, our Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), and many community organizations have asked Councilmembers to stop doing sweeps of homeless encampments to ensure there is an accurate count.

We demand that Councilmember O'Farrell, and any others, call off sweeps until LAHSA has conducted its count. While we're at it, we demand the end of sweeps, and criminalization altogether, because they waste millions of dollars just pushing people around the city. Services and housing are the only compassionate and effective way to actually solve homelessness.

To: Mitch O'Farrell
From: [Your Name]

As a Los Angeles resident, I demand you immediately suspend CARE+ sweeps until LAHSA has had the time to properly conduct an accurate count of the city's unhoused. Sweeps are not only inhumane, but will also be considered 100% politically motivated, as to skew the results of LAHSA's count. What the city needs is more housing and services, not sweeps. To do this effectively, we need an accurate account of homelessness in the city. Your actions not only create suffering, but are counterproductive to solving this crisis.

We also demand a stop to all 41.18 actions. Even the Mayor agrees that 41.18 enforcement should be paused for the duration of the Omicron surge. We demand an end to these superspreading criminalization policies.