'Literally a psych ward': Video shows homeless man throwing a bagful of his poop at furious LA business owner
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A homeless man in Los Angeles has been caught on video throwing his own poop at a business owner.
Paul Scrivano, owner of the Blue Dog Beer Tavern near Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, shared footage of the man, known for openly defecating in the area, throwing a bag full of his feces onto the hood of Scrivano's SUV.
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"Every single day, every single morning, I’m wiping that off my property before I have to do business," Scrivano told Fox 11 while showing the video of the homeless man. "Every day is like an adventure of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckcoo’s Nest.' It is like literally a psych ward," Scrivano added. "That’s OK – pooping on the street, peeing on the street, having sex on the street. Making threats without a weapon. That’s OK now," he added angrily.
Mentioning the issue of the growing transient crisis in the area, Scrivano said, "The solution is – that person who thinks he works for the FBI and who terrorizes my neighborhood, is given the choice as to whether he wants housing or not, It’s not a choice anymore. When people are suffering, you give them care. If they’re really suffering, you pull them into care or you lose them."
When the homeless man was asked as to why he threw feces at Scrivano’s car, he said, "This guy gotta understand, I’m half paralyzed, I’m blind. I have had no car for nine years. You’re bothering me, I don’t need help, he needs help!"
Reacting to the issues, Attorney Larry Spade, chair of the Homelessness Committee for the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, said businessmen have to deal with homeless people defecating in front of their business.
"Homeless people will camp out in front of a store, make it there home, bring their possessions, use it as a bedroom, use it as a bathroom. In the morning, when the business owners try to open up, they have to deal with a homeless person blocking the entrance to their business, And then they have to deal with cleaning up hazardous waste. Right in front of their business. Right in Sherman Oaks. Right on Ventura Boulevard," Spade said.
"There has to be a balance between those two rights, and right now, that balance is tipping mightily in favor of the homeless to the detriment of the people that live here and work here. We’re not insensitive to these issues, but it’s gotten to the point where it’s beyond control and something’s gotta give," Spade added.
However, this is not the first time Scrivano raised the issue. He said he has repeatedly raised the issue with city officials and has sent the footage of homeless people making threats and exposing themselves in public to LA City Councilwoman Nithya Raman. But instead of taking action on the issues, Raman blasted Scrivano and asked him not to send ‘graphic material’ of unhoused people.
"The reality is the people experiencing homelessness are still individuals there on the street because they don’t have a home," Raman said, admitting that mental health plays a role, but the crisis was getting worse due to a lack of housing. "This issue is a humanitarian crisis, and it’s a crisis for the entire city of Los Angeles," she added.
