Residents Question Epidemic of Homeless People Screaming in Local Neighborhoods

There seems to be an epidemic of screaming homeless people in and around Santa Monica. Some draw a connection to LA County Dept of Public Health's free needle and pipe distribution program.

One homeless man in an alley behind block apartment buildings, screamed all night about a woman who had, well, apparently broken his heart.

"We have had a mentally unstable woman in our neighborhood screaming her head off for weeks. I remember someone mentioned some sort of mental health outreach team to contact regarding issues like this. Any suggestions? Thank you!" This in Venice's Penmar neighborhood.

Meanwhile, LA County is distributing free needles and crack pipes in Santa Monica parks, such as Reed Park. "Draw the dots," one neighborhood advocate said. "Psychotic drug addicts screaming in the alleys arrived when LA County began distributing free drugs, needles and crack pipes to addicts in (Reed park)."

The LA County Dept. of Public Health has been distributing crack pipes and needles for free to addicts for about six months. The program centers on Santa Monica parks, including Palisades Park and the area round the Santa Monica Pier. Which seems curious, since these are also major tourist attractions, and located in pricey neighborhoods.