R-19 Correspondence – Lana Haddad
From: Lana Haddad [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, May 9, 2022 2:49 PM
To: CityClerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Support of Item 22-0511 relating to Strategies to Address Human Trafficking on LB Boulevard Corridor
-EXTERNAL-
Dear Mayor Garcia and Members of City Council:
I'd first like to recognize and thank Vice Mayor Richardson, and Council Members Saro and Allen for their leadership and continued advocacy on this important quality of life matter for North Long Beach residents. I am writing to respectfully request your support for Item 22-0511.
I consider this wonderful city my hometown, and I have lived in Long Beach for the majority of my life, arriving in North Long Beach in 1977. I grew up here, went to school and university here and worked here (CSULB, LBMMC and finally CLB). As my career grew, no matter where it took me, I was always trying to get back to my hometown. As soon as I had the chance, I purchased a home in North Long Beach in 2017, excited about the pending transformation of Uptown that I could see in the works.
Since that time, sadly, the uptown renaissance has slowed and there has been a visible, dramatic and distressing increase in human trafficking activity on Long Beach Boulevard (outlined in detail in the Council item 22-0511), fueled and supported and enabled by the motels and liquor stores, and deeply dampening the sense of safety, dignity and community on our streets. The pandemic's economic and human toll has only increased the activity; many of the prostitutes can be seen at all hours of the day and night, strolling the Boulevard.
The city's adoption of the regulations and ordinances are great first steps, but until these good policies are implemented consistently to address the challenges they were meant to mitigate, they're not enough on their own. These are complicated issues that will require coordination and collaboration with our neighboring City of Compton, as well as local compliant business, community members, the strong support and commitment of the Council and City Manager, the LBPD, the Health Department and others to provide support for human trafficking victims/survivors and accountabilty to those who engage and support trafficking.
All our City residents and our neighbors deserve to have a thriving, healthy and safe community - especially the young families, like my own parents long ago, who are buying good, affordable homes in North Long Beach in which to raise their children in a dynamic and culturally rich city like ours.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this item. Your support is much appreciated.
Lana Haddad
Resident, CD 8 (formerly CD 9)