Santa Monica Community Group Pleads With City To Address Crime

SANTA MONICA, CA — Once again, a controversial banner by The Santa Monica Coalition is hanging above the 3rd Street Promenade, warning visitors, "Santa Monica is not safe."

Members of the community group behind the banner say they are pleading with the city to address crime and quality of life issues linked to homelessness. Critics say they are disparaging the community and demonizing people experiencing homelessness.

The sign first appeared late last year. John Alle, owner of the business where the banner was displayed and a member of The Santa Monica Coalition, said he and 400 other people in the coalition believe the city has done little to address concerns about crime that have forced some businesses out of the city. The full text of their sign reads, "Santa Monica is not safe. Crime... Depravity... Outdoor mental Asylum."

For a short period of time less than a month ago, Alle said, the controversial banner came down from the walls outside his building because a new tenant was moving in to sell NFL merchandise leading up to the Super Bowl. After just six days, that tenant left because their employees had been accosted, robbed and pushed, Alle contends. However, none of the alleged crimes were reported to the police, Alle acknowledged.

When Alle's tenant left on Jan. 9, the banner went back up just days later and has garnered increased community attention, Alle said.

Though countywide violent crime statistics don't bear it out, Alle claims Santa Monica is one of the least safe places in the county.

"Things are more out of hand and dangerous here than anywhere else in LA County," Alle said.

He contends that most people he talks to know somebody who has been accosted, attacked, robbed or had their cars vandalized.

When the sign first appeared above the promenade, city officials and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce denounced the message, saying the banner promoted "hate and dehumanizing rhetoric" toward the unhoused population in Santa Monica.

The chamber and Santa Monica Democratic Club said the message was not only harmful but counterproductive to the community's values and efforts to help the unhoused in the city.

"Demonizing those who suffer from homelessness, addiction, or mental illness does nothing to get help and only stigmatizes and further dehumanizes them," the organizations said in a statement.

Though many criticized the banner's message, Alle said the coalition's goal was not to demonize unhoused people. Rather, it's to bring attention to their need for help. During the recent rainstorms that hit Santa Monica, Alle said members of the Santa Monica Coalition distributed blankets, safety gear and coffee to those living on the streets.

The issue isn't with homeless people, Alle said. The issue is the crime and open drug use impacting businesses like the one that vacated his building after a such short time, he said.

"We're not demonizing the homeless. They're the most vulnerable because they're the ones who need the most support," Alle said.

Crime in Santa Monica has been declining in the last 15 years, and the city is making every effort to recover post-pandemic, according to the Chamber of Commerce. Santa Monica Public Information Manager Constance Farrell said the city's main priorities are homelessness, clean and safe neighborhoods and economic recovery.

In the last Los Angeles homelessness point-in-time count, the county saw an increase of unhoused people within county limits. Farrel said despite that fact, Santa Monica saw an 11 percent decrease in people experiencing homelessness in the city.

"We recognize homelessness is a regional crisis, and we have street teams that are connecting people to services and housing daily in concert with our network of city-funded direct service providers," Farrell said.

In response to community feedback about crime and perceptions of crime, Farrell said the Santa Monica Police Department has increased patrols in high-traffic areas such as downtown and the beach. Additionally, the city added overnight security resources in public parking structures downtown, Farrell said.

According to data from the Santa Monica Police Department, there was an 8 percent increase in the second quarter of 2022 of crimes such as simple assault, DUIs, fraud, vandalism and narcotics. Major or violent crimes such as homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, grand theft auto and arson — showed no notable change, according to SMPD data.

Though Alle claims smash-and-grab robberies have increased downtown, police data shows that residential and non-residential burglaries have decreased since 2021. In addition, overall police incidents have trended downward in Santa Monica in the last 15 years, according to a report by the L.A. Times.

Alle said members of the coalition have spoken to SMPD to express their support for the police. He added that they're grateful for increased patrols. Alle says he is displaying the banner and handing out yard signs in an effort to raise awareness and urge city leaders to take additional measures to protect the quality of life in Santa Monica.

"We're in this together and we just want the city to view the promenade as important," Alle said. "Everybody benefits from a safe Santa Monica and right now we're very far away from it."