Doctors say many homeless people have lived on the rooftops of Tahani Soliman in Huntington Park for the past three years.
She said the group had caused a fire, damaged the roof and removed the air conditioning units of the parts, and she had to repair or replace all of them, making her nearly $100,000.
To stop them, Soliman said she installed barbed wire and metal cages around the outdoor faucet. She said she had complained to the city and police about the aim of vandals, but they failed to address the issues.
"The police told me to install the cameras and I told them I had one," she said. "They told me I should put them on the roof. roofcan you believe it? ”
The city of Huntington Park told Times that it plans to contact Soliman to address her concerns.
Dr. Tahani Soliman said she spent tens of thousands of dollars to repair damage to the roof and air conditioning units installed there.
(Ruben Vives/Los Angeles Times)
The Huntington Park Police Department said it is committed to addressing public safety issues and that it is working with stakeholders to investigate not only the issues in the Soriman building, but also the wider nearby issues.
“In addition to our crime prevention efforts, the department continues to address challenges related to the unpopulated population through a compassionate and balanced approach,” the statement said. “Our officials regularly interact with unwelcome individuals, linking them with mental health services, social support programs, and asylum options in working with city and county partners.”
Soliman's medical practice - La Doctora - Spanish "Doctor", is one of three businesses located in a commercial property adjacent to a two-story parking structure. She said the vandals used the top floor of the structure to enter the roof of the building, which she said she managed.
She said this prompted her to install the iron fence with a razor, but it was eventually damaged by the intruder.
On a recent warm Thursday afternoon, a portion of the razor was hung from a ferrous metal fence in the cage in the trash can be found next to the faucet. A purple sweater hangs on the branches of the jacaranda tree.
The two doors of Soliman's medical practice are the American Bioclinical Laboratory. By passing the double-glass door, Maria Pascual, an employee, sat in front of the computer, and his forehead started from the warmth.
"We can't turn on the air conditioner," Pascal said.
She said she noticed that the AC unit was not working when trying to turn it on during the recent heat wave. Later she learned from Soliman that AC troops were damaged again.
"This happened before," she said.
Soliman said the homeless people canceled the unit as parts again. Huntington Park police said the theft occurred on May 7 and police are actively investigating it.
"We live in pain," Soliman said.
The doctor said she hopes she will have to spend thousands of dollars again to replace the air conditioning unit and perform necessary repairs for the roof.
Having enough, she shared with The Times a handwritten list of invoices for the estimated cost of installing AC equipment: $20,800 for four AC units, delivery and use of crane lift units and $6,000 for labor costs, $20,800.
The owner of the medical practice said the homeless had been sleeping on the roof of her building and they entered through the parking structure next door. To stop people, Tahani Soliman installed an iron fence with a razor-wired wired, which was damaged.
(Ruben Vives/Los Angeles Times)
The invoice also shows the cost of installing a new iron fence around the device, bringing the total cost to $35,900.
She said the cost and lack of response from the city and police made her think about two things: retirement and possible business closure.
"I can't accept it anymore," she said. "No one protects me."
Soriman said the root of the problem is the two-story parking structure next to her building, and the root of many other problems.
Broken glass, human waste and burnt areas were visible on the floors and stairs of the parking lot on Thursday afternoon. On the top floor, burnout motorcycle tire traces are visible, and the metal strips of the iron fence installed by Soliman have been separated.
Opposite the parking lot is a residential building. Maria Luiza, 78, watered her balcony and said she saw not only the drug use of homeless people, but also young people in the area's parking lot. She said the motorcycle had burnout and several fires occurred.
The problem got so bad that the owner of her building had to install gates on the building sheds to keep people away, she said.
"They need to permanently close the structure," she said. "It's just a problem."
Across the street, walking to their apartment, Marta Becerra, 50, and Margarita Mota, 60, said people in the parking structure wandered in their apartment building, stealing bicycles and other items from people’s porches. There are also cars breaking in.
"We made a lot of complaints, but nothing happened," Bebera said.
Mota said: “The police did nothing.