Public Safety
LAPD Video Details Rat-Infested Los Angeles Homeless Encampment Prior to City Cleanup
LOS ANGELES — Unsanitary conditions have been caught on camera at a sprawling homeless encampment in Los Angeles, prompting a multi-agency crackdown and highlighting the ongoing frustrations of nearby business owners caught in a repeating cycle of temporary cleanups.
Footage released by the LAPD's Rampart Division on Instagram showed tents, bicycles, mattresses, and piles of personal belongings overflowing from the sidewalks and directly onto the streets near the intersections of West Olympic Boulevard, Lake Street, and West 10th Street. Most alarmingly, the video captured rats darting through the debris and climbing over trash piles where individuals were living day after day.
The enforcement surge in District One was executed through the city's CARE+ program, a collaborative initiative where LA Sanitation crews, outreach teams, and the LAPD work together to clear out hazardous encampments. Los Angeles City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez noted that the area has been a long-time hotspot for public health and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance concerns.
"L.A. Sanitation requested LAPD presence due to public safety concerns," Hernandez's office said in an official statement. "Staff from our office were on-site during the operation alongside outreach workers and community partners, and have been working to connect these individuals with housing and resources."
While the Mayor’s office maintains that citywide operations—including the signature "Inside Safe" initiative—are successfully reducing homelessness across Los Angeles, local stakeholders say the interventions feel more like a short-term band-aid than a permanent solution. Neighbors note a frustrating cycle where encampments are reported to 311, sanitation teams eventually clear the block, and people move right back in shortly after.
Just a block away from the recent sweep, the exact same scenario is playing out in front of a neighborhood strip mall on Alvarado Street. Cruz Varilla, the owner of Varilla Pizza, expressed the steep economic and psychological toll the crisis has taken on local merchants.
"It is muy dificil [very difficult]," Varilla said, explaining that it has become incredibly hard to run his business because customers refuse to come inside. He noted that potential patrons see people living on the street, asking for money, or loitering, and choose to leave the area entirely.
Beyond the severe financial strain, Varilla raised pressing safety concerns, admitting that he operates in constant fear. The shop owner stated he recently installed surveillance cameras throughout his property so that if anything volatile happens, there is a permanent record of it.
Councilmember Hernandez’s office promised that city crews will continue working to connect the displaced individuals from the Olympic Boulevard area with housing and supportive services. Meanwhile, the LAPD's Rampart Division confirmed that the joint operation resulted in several arrests and multiple citations.
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By: CNN Newsource
May 24, 2026
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