Burned-Out Bus Removed After Months Of Fires, Violence In Venice

VENICE, CA — A burned-out bus with "Boninville" spray-painted on the side was removed Tuesday in Venice after months of fires and complaints from residents along Rose Avenue and near the Penmar Golf Course.

Neighbors documented how long it took for the bus to be removed, asking local leaders for help and even snapping photos along the Santa Monica (10) Freeway to show it was leaving town.

The bus burned and exploded on Jan. 4 and remained along Rose Avenue, where a line of RVs, homeless encampments and other fires have created a safety problem for neighbors who can no longer walk in the area.

As homeless encampments and fires rise in Venice, the once-popular real estate market is also taking a hit.

"On March 17, 2020, in response to the Covid crisis, the Los Angeles City Council approved a measure suspending enforcement of laws that prohibited people from leaving tents assembled during the day, thus legalizing encampments that have sprouted throughout Venice and other parts of Los Angeles," The Wall Street Journal reported this week.

"Mike Bonin, the 11th-district council member who serves the Venice area, said homelessness is increasing across Los Angeles and consequently is also growing in Venice. “Another reason is there is open space on the beach to sleep," Bonin told WSJ.

“I’m sure the fact that people are living on the street is impacting real-estate values where it is most concentrated,” Bonin told WSJ.

Bonin does not want to outlaw tents or encampments but has instead suggested more options for housing on the Westside.

“I want to build more homeless housing and homeless shelters in Venice,” he told WSJ.

In a recent meeting about converting the Ramada Inn on Washington Boulevard to homeless housing, neighbors shared their concerns about the growing violence in the area. The hotel was sold for $10M to the city of Los Angeles to convert to homeless housing. It's part of Project Roomkey, which uses vacant hotel and motel rooms to house people experiencing homelessness.

The city says this is a solution that could help unhoused people, and that tourists can rely on "ample supply" of Airbnb or other "boutique brand" hotels for affordable stays. Some neighbors disagree and have accused the city of pushing homeless people to Venice, creating tensions among residents they believe could backfire and lead to even more homelessness in the area.

Neighbor Anna Roca says she no longer walks around Venice at night, and that it's putting families, particularly children, in a bad position.

"Nobody has mentioned our children and the schools that we live near," Roca said. "There is a school of children from kindergarten all the way to fifth grade, not to mention we have St. Mark's and on the same street, we have a preschool. Nobody seems to address what is happening to our children."

Roca says the area is becoming less safe for residents.

"My house got shot at in December," Roca said. "I got assaulted at 9 a.m. walking down the street with a guy with a pipe."

Neighbors near the boardwalk asking for help are starting to feel ignored, Venice local Alexander Poe told Patch.

"The fires, assaults and robberies on the boardwalk have become worse and worse as Councilman Bonin fails to make this area safe for either the unhoused or housed," Poe told Patch. "Bonin and his Venice Deputy, Nisa Kove, don't reply to residents' emails and months ago they refused to hold a Venice-specific town hall on public safety. Since then things have only become worse."

Firefighters have started asking residents to call "Call your Councilman," Poe said.

"They are as frustrated as we are by the way people are allowed to live in unsafe conditions where a spark from a cooking fire can lead to a conflagration," Poe said.

In the last week, a rise in attacks has made people nervous, including a group of men who were macing each other along the boardwalk.

"The Councilman needs to act now to make this area safe for the unhoused and housed," Poe said.

"This weekend a 76-year-old man died from injuries he sustained while walking his dog near the boardwalk, another man was robbed at gunpoint, another robbed at knifepoint, there were numerous assaults and group fights," Poe said.

"The victims of these crimes are unhoused and housed alike," he added. "The Councilman needs to devise a plan to make this area safe for everyone. We cannot wait."

RELATED:

• Alley Fires, More Boardwalk Flames In Venice
• Puppy Stolen At Gunpoint In Venice, $1K Reward Offered
• Firefighters Battle Fire Along Ocean Front Walk In Venice
• Should The Ramada Inn Be Converted To Homeless Housing?