The Orange Police Department’s Bike Team, in collaboration with Orange Public Works, conducted an encampment clean up along the Santiago Creek Bed. A large amount of trash was removed.
If you live in north Santa Ana and like to walk the Santiago Creek trail which goes all the way to Hart Park in Orange and beyond then you know that the homeless camp out under the bridge there and make quite a mess. For whatever reason the police usually don’t do much about this. There may be jurisdictional questions as the land belongs to various public entities.
You can usually see transients essentially chopping up stolen bikes, in the wide open.
If only the SAPD would hold transients liable and at least enforce open warrants and cite them for drug use and theft. Too many of these criminals just get away with it time and again.
There is no definitive percentage of homeless individuals in California who are “criminals,” largely because the term is broad and can be misleading. However, here are some key insights based on available data:
- Crime Involvement: In Los Angeles, about 8% of all crimes in 2020 and 2021 involved a homeless person—either as a suspect, a victim, or both 1. This does not mean 8% of homeless individuals are criminals; it simply reflects their involvement in reported incidents.
- Type of Offenses: Many offenses involving homeless individuals are “status offenses”—minor infractions like loitering, trespassing, or sleeping in public—which are often a direct result of being unhoused rather than indicative of criminal intent 1.
- Criminal Records and Homelessness: Formerly incarcerated individuals are significantly more likely to become homeless. Those with multiple incarcerations are 13 times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population 1.
So, while there is some overlap between homelessness and the criminal justice system, it’s crucial to understand that:
- Most homeless individuals are not involved in serious criminal activity.
- Many are victims of crime rather than perpetrators.
- Structural issues like poverty, mental health, and lack of housing are the primary drivers of homelessness—not criminal behavior.
The visible homeless, the ones you see on the street, are almost 100% severely drug addicted and in desperate need of mandatory in-patient drug rehab and mental health counseling. But our politicians prefer to tie the hands of police to keep the visible homeless addicted and on the streets, then buddy up with their preferred developers to build ridiculously overpriced low-income housing projects, and/or award $45 million contracts to convert a 20 room motel into a shelter. And the cycle of corruption and addiction continues.