From bad to worse.
City officials and residents of Santa Monica are reaching their breaking point as crime in the once-peaceful city seems to be spinning out of control as a recent wave of violence has washed over the city. The California city’s mayor has requested emergency funds from higher levels of government, as well as more police officers and law enforcement assistant from state agencies.
Christina Tullock, a resident who lives in Santa Monica near its border with Venice, complained to reporters with local news outlet KTLA that she feels as if the beautiful things about the city are being lost. She regularly witnesses violent attacks and believes that the violence is stemming from the drug and mental health problems like those that have become endemic on the streets of cities throughout California in recent years. When speaking to reporter Rachel Mentinoff, she expressed her dismay that law enforcement alone wouldn’t be able to make much of a dent in the problem. Instead, she said, she believes that preemptive help for the sick and interventions for those hooked on drugs are required to actually solve the problem.
Since the first of the year, a string of violent attacks have plagued the city which houses the famous Santa Monica Pier, a picturesque tourist destination that is expected to draw its customary annual massive crowds over the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.
The last weekend in June saw five men thrown in jail after one man was stabbed and another man had his ankle broken in a colossal brawl on the beach. Earlier that same week, a 32 year-old homeless man was arrested for violently attacking three different women on the beach.
On June 11, a Jameson’s Pub patron punched the bar’s manager after being asked to leave the establishment. The bar’s manager died from the attack.
Phil Brock, the city’s mayor, says that the city council previously rejected his request for extra security funding for the summer tourist season. At this point, there’s no telling how much worse things will get.