Brazen homeless man builds his own SHED on LA sidewalk, fit with electricity and a flower garden
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A homeless man has built his own functioning house on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Identifying as ‘Q’, the man has built a shelter using discarded wood from construction sites and old floors from a shop across the street. The house runs on car batteries and is decorated on the outside with various plants.
The makeshift house complements other recent buildings built by the homeless in Los Angeles, including a 10-person tent with a spinning washing machine.
Saggy tents, rusting RVs and makeshift structures have become common along Hollywood Boulevard to Venice Beach—and even in the shadow of City Hall.
Born in Kansas City, Q has lived in the city for a few years and has been hiding in his sidewalk shed for a few months.
“I’m sure there are better places than this, but I don’t think I’m bothering anyone here” he said.
Q said he was offered temporary housing but declined, preferring his makeshift home as it empowers him. Other options make him feel like he’d be living in “a concentration camp.”
The man identified himself as ‘Q’ and created a makeshift shelter on the sidewalk next to Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles
The house was built from leftover wood from construction sites and old floors from a shop across the street
It stands on several car batteries and has plants that decorate the outside
Q currently runs a company that repairs bicycles for locals. He plans to become a mechanical engineer and start his own business
Local reactions to Q’s home have been mixed as some show empathy for him while others emphasize his unwarranted stay.
“I don’t like it, it’s not good,” said one woman.
Rance Shaw, who works at City Vibes Coffee across the street from Q’s house, said he doesn’t mind Q living there.
“I don’t even know why, or how—I mean, it’s crazy,” Shaw said. “It’s crazy to say the least.
“He hasn’t bothered anyone, and honestly I’m glad it’s there because I feel safer with him there. For some reason – I don’t know why – it feels like he knows what he’s doing and he’s not here to hurt anyone.’
Another man chimed in: “It’s a little weird out there, but he’s safe and he doesn’t have to worry about someone burning his tent down.”
Some added that Q’s situation is indicative of the city’s growing homeless population, which has become a dominant issue in the upcoming mayoral elections.
“It’s not okay that it has come to this,” said one man. “I have no problem with him being here.”
The shelter does have running electricity which is powered by a nearby generator
Police have told Q to move his hideout sooner, which he does by using several dollies
Q said he was offered temporary housing but declined, saying he prefers his makeshift home because it “empowers” him
The Los Angeles Police Department has approached Q about his home, constantly telling him to move the building — which he does by using several dollies.
Q, an Army veteran, describes himself as “self-employed” as he fixes bicycles for locals. In the future, Q said he wants to be a mechanical engineer and start his own business.
The decision to build the house followed numerous encounters with urban sanitation workers who forced him to leave the tent in which he used to hide.
He says he plans to continue living in the house despite possible opposition.
“I don’t know where they come from or why they believe what they believe,” he said.
Shocking images and videos show Los Angeles homeless people siphoning water and electricity in camps blasting through the city streets – with a saucy encampment with a working washing machine and king-size tent, blocking the entrance to a local business
The city’s current crime-ridden state has prompted countless residents and even celebrities to flee the Golden State for a better life, most recently actor Mark Wahlberg, who flees his old LA home in favor of a life in the city. nearby Nevada.
People like Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and Matt Damon have also participated in the mass exodus — as have hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens — citing a combination of overtaxation, crime and the infamous ever-exacerbation of the homeless problem.
In addition, the state recently experienced its first population decline in decades last year, when about 250,000 residents reportedly left the city — many opting instead to buy properties in less expensive places like Texas and Arizona.
Mayoral candidate Rick Caruso has made keeping Hollywood ‘in Hollywood’ a key point of his campaign, though he appears to be fighting a losing battle to wake up progressive Karen Bass.
Caruso will take on Democrat Karen Bass in the November election on a platform to tackle crime and homelessness and end a steady stream of “career politicians” like DA George Gascon, whose “soft-on-crime” policy, according to him, destroyed the city.
Caruso has also criticized the city’s treatment of local businesses, which, instead of being rewarded for putting their money into the city, now face aggressive homelessness that likely deters customers.
A photo taken by a stunned bystander showed one such encampment in Hollywood, where several people were seen washing their cars and motorcycles with siphoned water from a nearby fire hydrant.
Several cars were parked on the makeshift campsite – which also had several working washing machines and several tents
The photos, shared Monday by @LeatherJoseph on Twitter, show that the camp’s residents are also stealing water from a city fire hydrant and electricity from a nearby street lamp to support their surprisingly lavish lifestyle.
Caruso recently claimed how this is the case with Netflix, which moved its headquarters to Hollywood during the pandemic, only to find regular homeless camps outside the office.
He cited how the office of current mayor Eric Garcetti has so far been unable to address that problem, as have the hundreds of other camps currently operating in plain sight in the city.
‘Look at [Netflix CEO] Ted Sarandos. Here’s a man who said, “I’m going to make a commitment and have my headquarters in Hollywood,” and made a big, unbelievably awesome commitment to the city. And what has the city done?’ asked Caruso during a recent appearance at: The Anchor.
“The city has allowed encampments around that headquarters.”
He added that such encampments are preventing the city’s professionals from returning to office work, virtually stalling the city’s recovery after the pandemic.
“People come to work, and I’ve talked to the executives there, who come to work with human waste on their shoes because there is so much human waste on the sidewalk, because we’ve allowed people in the most inhumane live situation.
“It is unbelievable what all our elected officials have allowed to happen. We let people live on the streets and die in their own waste. And then let’s make that happen for one of Hollywood’s big corporations.”