Sherman Oaks business owner frustrated over incidents involving homeless population
SHERMAN OAKS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Sherman Oaks business owner is pleading for help after a wave of incidents involving the local homeless population.
Many of the incidents over the last few weeks have been caught on surveillance video. That footage includes someone breaking into a car in the parking lot, shattering a window. In another instance, a homeless individual defecates in front of the store and walks away.
"I don't know what to do anymore. I'm scared, I'm scared," said Jessica Lewis, who owns Dragonfly Cycling in Sherman Oaks. She said there are also incidents where customers are attacked on the sidewalk as they walk in.
"We use a lot of the metered parking on Van Nuys Boulevard for the evening classes, one of my clients literally was chased by one guy who was throwing bottles at her and her car. She had to run into the studio and we had to lock the door," she added.
While Eyewitness News was at the business to conduct the interview, one man walked in and started harassing customers.
"Then he came back outside and mooned me because I was trying to get a photo of him. There's four people in there right now who are here for the first time and I guarantee you they'll never come back, and I don't blame them."
Lewis called the office of city Councilmember Nithya Raman, who represents the area, and someone from that office arrived at the business within minutes. She also called police.
In a statement to Eyewitness News, Raman's office said they have staff to deal with businesses in the area.
"The CD4 Ventura Team responds to calls from the business community to de-escalate situations with people experiencing homelessness in the area and conducts proactive outreach to unhoused individuals along Ventura Blvd.," the statement read.
But Lewis feels in the attempt to address the homeless, the other issues are being ignored.
"I'm in tears because this has been going on for so long and they don't do anything," says Lewis.
