City Attorney Carmen Trutanich Visits Weingart Center

On April 12, 2010, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich visited the Weingart Center Association to tour our facilities and discuss the new approach to the Safer Cities initiative. 

Safer Cities, a targeted enforcement program for the Skid Row area, has succeeded in lowering crime rates, but some critics maintain that the methods used have amounted to “criminalizing homelessness.”  In the new approach unveiled at a press conference on April 7, enforcement efforts will focus on so-called “commuter drug dealers,” who travel into Skid Row to sell illegal substances, often to the homeless men and women who call the streets and shelters of the area home.

Weingart Center Association applauds the efforts of the City Attorney’s office to end the victimization of homeless individuals with substance abuse problems, many of whom have been working to recover for months or years.  We look forward to working with the City Attorney’s office on ensuring that targeted enforcement helps make Skid Row a safer place, especially for those who, like our participants, call Skid Row home.