Monday 28 November 2022 06:14 PM Los Angeles city councilman says homeless crisis means children 'step over ... trends now Democrat Los Angeles city councilmember Joe Buscaino told Dr. Phil last week that kids in his city are being forced to 'step over needles' and 'human waste' on their way to school due to the ongoing homeless crisis in California. The TV-doctor discussed on his show a piece of recently passed legislation that is meant to address the dangerous and ever-growing tent cities in LA. 'At a recent Los Angeles city council meeting, members voted to prohibit homeless people from setting up tents within 500 feet of schools and daycare centers,' he said. But all are not content with the measures being taken to address the city's unwieldy issues with the unhoused population. 'Protesters at one point shut down the meeting, angered by new restrictions that will expand the number of locations where sleeping and camping are prohibited,' he continued. The city's homeless population has grown in tandem with a rising crime rate and the same economic issues the the rest of the country currently faces. Los Angeles has seen 7.3 percent more homicides this year than last, according to law enforcement. And the same progressive bail reform policies that have contributed to the crime surge in New York are allowing dangerous criminals to mix among the rest of the LA homeless population. Last year, homicides climbed 12 percent over last year, robberies were up 5.3 percent and shootings rose by 14.8 percent. Two attempts to recall the city's progressive DA have ended in failure. Sarah Tindall, middle, walks her sons Dylan and River past a homeless encampment near Larchmont Charter School in Hollywood City councilmember Joe Buscaino says children should not have to be afraid of drug needles, human excrement and erratic behavior as they walk to school Another mother walks her middle-school aged daughter to school through a Los Angeles homeless encampment. Los Angeles is currently home to the most homeless encampments in the country Buscaino appeared on the show to defend the measure. He said, 'No child in America should be afraid to walk to school, and what we have found in Los Angeles [is] is kids are afraid to walk to school.' 'They tell their parents they have to step over needles, human waste, and deal with individuals unfortunately suffering from psychotic behavior - right next to their playground area,' he added. Buscaino represents the 15th district of Los Angeles and in the last election, ran to become the city's mayor before dropping out and endorsing businessman Rick Caruso. The politician told Dr. Phil that his legislative agenda is not driven by hatred or bigotry toward homeless people, but rather the need to protect the vulnerable in his community. 'It’s not a crime to be homeless, but these are sensitive spaces we have to protect, the most sensitive spaces among us. Playgrounds, beaches, libraries, parks - and have some accountability for those who are in these spaces,' he said. On his office's website, Buscaino advertises to his constituents the ability to report a homeless encampment directly to the city. Most encampments are illegal. Over the past year, the camp residents have become increasingly bold, putting up full-sized tents and cordoning off entire streets, much to the chagrin of outraged locals Some evidence even suggests residents of the pop-up camps are siphoning water and power from the city. The aggression of the city's homeless population increased during the pandemic, as was the case in virtually all other major metropolitan areas. Like many other liberal-run cities across the country, LA has become a den of debauchery and crime and its path forward is unclear at best. TikTok star Franky Bernstein documents his regular encounters with the homeless population of Venice, California Dr. Phil also spoke with TikTok star Franky Bernstein, who has recorded many videos highlighting the homeless crisis in California and specifically his interactions with the many homeless individuals where he lives in Venice, California. Bernstein's video document a number of interactions he's had including an encounter with a 'homeless guy with a shotgun.' In that particular video, he noted that it took police '30 minutes to show up.' 'Which is insane.' he added. In a different video, he recounts a confrontation he had with a 'homeless man with a club' trying to break into his neighbor's house. The man allegedly then attempted to break into a different neighbor's house three doors down. In a third video, Bernstein says he encountered a homeless woman swimming in his neighbor's fountain, before she took a dip in the Venice canal. Bernstein told Dr. Phil he's 'dealt with my own fair share of addiction and mental health problems...so I totally get it.' He added that he believes one of the 'main problems as a civilian (dealing with the homelessness crisis) is that most people don't do anything.' 'We could have all the money in the world to solve this problem, but if we don't have enough people showing up to volunteer, it's not really going to work,' he said. Dr. Phil said that California is home to more that 'half of all unsheltered homeless people in the United States,' and currently the 'highest number of homeless encampments.' 'This problem is not going away,' he warned. 'It seems to be growing, if anything, I think maybe inflation is making it even worse.' The citizens of Los Angeles recently voted to elect progressive Democrat Karen Bass as their next mayor, over more conservative leaning businessman Rick Caruso, who ran on a platform of mitigating the city's out-of-control homeless issue. Though Bass now says she will work to 'solve homelessness' and deal with 'chaos on the streets' and rising crime in her city. All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility