Letters to the Editor: A homeless man built himself a makeshift home. The city’s response was awful

To the editor: The description of the destruction of Alejandro Diaz’s beautiful hand-built home along the Arroyo Seco channel in Highland Park was one of the saddest things I have ever read. In what way does this solve any problem or do any good? (“He spent 5 years building makeshift home. It took one day for authorities to dismantle it,” Feb. 24)

The residents of the encampment were sent warning notices saying that “their personal property could not be stored in a city park” — a basic cease-and-desist order. Only in this case, the real message to them was to cease to exist.

Our housing crisis is a matter of malfunctioning economic structures. Trashing the meager earthly possessions of members of our society who are unable to find official housing does not end homelessness and is a shameful way to approach this challenge.

Do we really want a cleanup? Then offer homeless residents a city-owned space where they can camp, equipped with toilets, showers, a cooking area and trash pickup.

Anne Hormann, Pasadena