Federal judge says LA officials altered records after seizing, destroying homeless people's property

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A U.S. District Court judge criticized the city of Los Angeles for altering records after seizing and destroying property from people living on the streets.

Judge Dale Fischer said officials altered evidence of property belonging to homeless people.

Fischer said the city's credibility has been damaged by those actions.

The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles said the city has been throwing away unhoused peoples' property for decades under the guise of health and safety.

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"Claiming that unhoused people's belongings -- the items they need to survive -- are contaminated and therefor the city can throw them away -- that's what's at issue in the heart of this litigation," said Shayla Myers, a senior attorney with the nonprofit advocacy group. "What the plaintiffs are seeking is a change in those policies, to prevent the city from taking and throwing away the items that they need to survive on the street."

Those items include tarps, tents, medication and documents related to court cases, Myers said.

Reached by ABC7, the Los Angeles city attorney's office declined to comment on the matter, citing pending litigation.