March 25, 2023 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Santa Monica Residents Call For Safety Amid Crime: 75-Year-Old Woman Robbed in Broad Daylight Causes Community Cries for Help

By Armen Melkonians

 

Last week, my 75-year-old mother-in-law was assaulted and robbed on Lincoln Boulevard near Hill Street. She was walking on the sidewalk in broad daylight when a car stopped and someone got out, shoved her, and ripped her cross from her neck. She fought back and was dragged by the car as she tried to get her cross back. She’s one tough cookie. Ended up with bad bruises and scrapes. No broken bones. She’s a 26-year resident of Santa Monica. She doesn’t drive, but walks at least 4 to 5 miles per day, as she has for the last 26 years. This is the first time something like this has happened to her.

The crime in Santa Monica is getting unmanageable. We hear about something every day from someone we know, and now it’s hit home for me.

Our City officials welcomed the Metro and the densification of Santa Monica with open arms. They made plans upon plans. Over a decade in the making, with a thousand public hearings to change Santa Monica. They made fortunes for developers while securing their own political power. The new Zoning Plan, Bike Plans, Mobility Plans, Downtown Plan, Bergamot Plan, Walking Plans, Millennial Plans, bogus plans. You name it, and City Hall has a plan for it. But there’s one plan that’s missing, and that’s the Safety Plan.

We pay our City Manager, our Police Chief, our Police Captains, our City Attorneys, and our City Planners an absurd amount of money each year. Our City officials say they want the best and to get the best we must pay for it. Well, it’s a shell game. Nobody at City Hall planned for our safety. Nobody cared, even the best. They all just got rich while scratching each other’s backs.

There’s no safety plan. And we the residents are paying the high price. In the 2016 elections, the Police Officers Association and most of our elected officials opposed Measure LV, a slow growth measure by Residocracy. They manufactured a “Public Safety” concern. They argued that the city would be unsafe after an earthquake and that crime would run rampant as buildings would sit empty. What a bunch of baloney.

Well, I got news for our elected officials and the Police Officers Association…it’s unsafe now and our elected officials are to blame.

How did City Hall, in all its glory and high paid staff, fail to plan for our safety? Why is crime so rampant that criminals feel emboldened enough to assault and rob a 75-year-old woman in broad daylight, on a busy street, without a second thought of being caught? Why did our elected officials not plan to significantly increase the size of our police force with the arrival of the Metro and with all the fancy plans to densify Santa Monica? Why do we not have a Safety Plan and how did politics and political back scratching get in the way of our Public Safety?

We must demand answers and we deserve a safe Santa Monica. We must hold our elected officials accountable. Why are we here and how do we fix it? The crime rate in Santa Monica is climbing and it’s getting out of control. We deserve better.

Armen Melkonians is the founder of Residocracy.

Armen Melkonians is the founder of Residocracy.

Related Posts

California Court Upholds Ride-Share Companies’ Right to Treat Drivers as Contractors

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

Proposition 22 exempted ride-share companies from certain labor laws, court rules in favor of the companies By Sam Catanzaro ​​A...

Culver City Police Arrest Juvenile Suspect in Carjacking of Senior Citizen

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

Authorities are still searching for a second accomplice Police announced Wednesday that they have arrested one suspect in connection with...

Laguna Niguel Man Accused of Swindling $1.6M From Investors, Including Residents of Playa Del Rey Senior Living Center

March 23, 2023

March 23, 2023

Federal lawsuit alleges John David Gessin used false pretenses to fund lavish expenses By Sam Catanzaro A Laguna Niguel man...

Famed Hinano Cafe in Venice Replaces Sign, Celebrating Sixty Years of Business

March 23, 2023

March 23, 2023

“We put it out to say we’re here for another 60 years,” says owner  By Keemia Zhang The Hinano Cafe,...

Municipalities Are Imposing New Fees and Regulations on Outdoor Dining. Take Our Survey and Share Your Thoughts on This Issue

March 23, 2023

March 23, 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed the way we live our lives, and one of the most significant impacts has been...

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel’s AB 1217 Could Help Local Restaurants Avoid Costly Permitting Fees

March 22, 2023

March 22, 2023

Legislation would preempt local ordinances and preserve regulatory flexibility for struggling neighborhood restaurants By Sam Catanzaro A new bill proposed...

Culver City Expands Ban On Single-Use Plastics

March 22, 2023

March 22, 2023

Regulations require reusable food service ware for dine-in facilities and ban non-compostable food ware for takeout and delivery Effective January...

Culver City Middle School Student Finishes Second in Statewide Songwriting Contest

March 22, 2023

March 22, 2023

Eighth-grader Alaya (Lay J) Johnson recently finished second in the statewide Music Notes student songwriting contest.  Culver City Middle School...

LA Institutions of Learning Offer Free Admission to LAUSD Students Amid Strike

March 21, 2023

March 21, 2023

Natural History Museum and La Brea Tar Pits provide free admission during three-day strike, Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens...

Senior Living Facility and Managers Charged in Connection to 14 COVID-Related Deaths in Los Angeles

March 21, 2023

March 21, 2023

Managers are accused of not following accepted clinical standards and not taking appropriate steps to quarantine the new resident or...

LAUSD Families Brace for 3-Day Strike

March 20, 2023

March 20, 2023

Union representing workers, including custodians, cafeteria workers, teacher assistants and other support staff have voted to walk off the job...

LAPD Investigates Shooting in Palms After Man Found Murdered

March 20, 2023

March 20, 2023

Andrew Conaway arrested in connection to March 16 shooting The Los Angeles Police Department’s West Bureau Homicide Detectives are investigating...

Man Rescued After Falling Into Well at Hyperion Water Plant

March 20, 2023

March 20, 2023

Man falls into roughly 20 foot well Thursday  LAFD reports rescuing a 32-year-old man who fell into a well at...