For the first anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments in the Grants Pass case, which allowed for the criminalization of the unhoused community, Housing Is A Human Right and the Los Angeles office of the National Coalition for the Homeless will take part in a national day of action on April 22 to demand “Housing Now” for unhoused communities across the country by surrounding L.A. City Hall in red tape ribbon.
The red tape represents the years of delayed construction of permanent housing for homeless and low-income communities caused by L.A. government bureaucracy. HHR and NCH will be joined by more than 100 advocates.
“Seven people die on the streets of Los Angeles every day,” says Susie Shannon, the policy director for Housing Is A Human Right. “Delays in bringing permanent housing online immediately through adaptive reuse and new construction are unconscionable. The city response of breaking up encampments for the more than 45,000 people experiencing homelessness in the City of Los Angeles has led to individuals taking refuge in abandoned buildings and in places where services are scarce.”
As of the 2024 point-in-time count, there were more than 45,000 homeless individuals in Los Angeles. The city remains far behind in the approval of building permits and the creation of new, affordable housing units, something further exacerbated by the apocalyptic January wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes and buildings in Pacific Palisades (part of the City of Los Angeles) and Altadena (part of Los Angeles County).
WHAT: ‘STOP THE RED TAPE’ PROTEST: 100 housing advocates to wrap entire perimeter of Los Angeles City Hall in red tape.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 22, starting at 8 a.m.
WHERE: L.A. City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street — Main Street entrance.
NOTE: Due to its large-scale logistics, the 100 advocates will gather to assemble the red tape ribbon at 8:00 a.m. However, the red tape ribbon may be more fully visible by 8:30 a.m. — just as City Council members and the public start arriving for a regularly scheduled council meeting.
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