A homeless man takes the Hollywood bus stop, a resident says the city won’t help

A homeless man turned a Hollywood bus stop into his camp, forcing passengers to wait elsewhere.

His constant refusal to help left neighbors uneasy, with many feeling that the bus stops were wanted by the homeless.

Hollywood has long been known for its aggressive homeless population even as city officials — like Mayor Karen Bass — celebrate the decline in homelessness across Los Angeles.

Keith Johnson told NBC Los Angeles that he was watching one man, identified as David, who he said lived at the bus station at Melrose Avenue and Vine Street.

For forty years, Johnson called Larchmont Village home. When he does some work in Hollywood, he often stops by bus stops to check on homeless people to see if they need help.

“I see little tents. I think that’s been amplified by the recent homeless population, but (there are) bad campers like this guy,” Johnson said.

“One night, (David) was on a foam mattress, and now he’s just sleeping in a pile of trash,” Johnson said.

Another homeless person was sitting on a bus bench at the north-south bus stop on Vine Street until Thanksgiving last year, according to Johnson.

“He had been there for weeks, and (city council officials) said they were going to send someone right away. And when I walked by, he really died,” said a neighbor.

Johnson said he started noticing more homeless people taking over bus stops last year. He said it is not possible to reach someone by phone to report the situation.

“I reached 211, and they referred me to LAHSA. That agency sent me to another website,” said Johnson. “In the end, I don’t know if anyone ever came out.”

He also contacted the office of Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, whose 13th District includes Hollywood, but said the answer was always the same: “We’ll send someone.”

“It’s embarrassing, I think the councilor and others, to show what’s really happening on our streets and why many of us don’t speak up.”

On Tuesday, the city of LA released a statement saying, “Health, mental, and behavioral health services are county-only – the Mayor’s Office has asked the County to deploy mental health support today.”

By Tuesday evening, the bus station at Melrose Avenue and Vine Street had been cleared of debris, but David reportedly moved to the side of the road just a few meters away. The newspaper checked the area on Wednesday morning and David had cleared the trash.

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