#SheDoes Tent Protestors Support Building Homeless Shelter in Koreatown

#Shedoes protesters march down the streets of Koreatown to support a homeless shelter being built in the city in Los Angeles, California on May 26, 2018. (Jayrol San Jose/Corsair Contributor)

Darryl Robinson (center), 57, who is homeless himself, joins in the demonstration in support of the proposed emergency temporary shelter for homeless on May 26, 2018 in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, California. Robinson, who is originally from South Central Los Angeles, has faced mental health and substance abuse problems on top of struggling with being chronically homeless. In the past he has had the experience of sleeping on the sidewalks of downtown Los Angeles for 22 years. Robinson found temporary assistance through a program called Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System (HOPICS) where he was placed in 90 day housing through Rapid Rehousing. Within this time he needed to secure permanent housing that could fit within his budget. When asked what is the biggest barrier to finding housing Robinson responded, "The availability [of affordable housing]. I have an income but what I'm able to pay is not out there." Robinson who has an income that affords him the budget of $750 cannot find anything below $900 in this expensive housing market. As a result Robinson has since found himself homeless once again in Koreatown forcing him to live out of his car. (Jose Lopez/Corsair Contributor)

Chris Phillips, 47, attaches an American flag to a tent setup along Vermont Ave. representing the homeless issue during a demonstration in support of a homeless shelter on May 26, 2018 in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, California. Phillips said he volunteers with his wife in support of the homeless because he believes that,"Everybody deserves shelter, nobody deserves to be on the street." This demonstration in support of housing for the homeless came days after a demonstration that voiced opposition to the emergency temporary shelter for homeless that was proposed to be set up for a period of three years in a nearby parking lot. (Jose Lopez/Corsair Contributor)

#Shedoes supporters put up a sign stating what the streets would look like in Koreatown without the homeless shelter being built in Los Angeles, California on May 26, 2018. (Jayrol San Jose/Corsair Contributor)

Tents are setup along Vermont Ave to demonstate what Koreatown could look like by 2021 without a homeless shelter being built in Los Angeles, California on May 26, 2018. (Jayrol San Jose/Cosair Contributor)

Protesters hold up signs in support of a proposed homeless shelter as they gather at the corner of Vermont Ave. and Wilshire Blvd. on May 26, 2018 in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, California. This demonstration was a show of support toward the homeless and a response to a demonstration days earlier that voiced concern that residents and businesses in the area were not included in the planning process which led to their opposition of the emergency temporary shelter for homeless that was proposed to be set up for a period of three years in a nearby parking lot. (Jose Lopez/Corsair Contributor)

Claudia Perez, the founder and director of the organization L.A. on Cloud 9, rallys the crowd of demonstrators at the corner of Vermont Ave. and Wilshire Blvd. on May 27, 2018 in support of the homeless and the proposed emergency shelter in a nearby parking lot in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, California. (Jose Lopez/Corsair Contributor)

#Shedoes supporters putting up tents along the corner of Wilshire and Vermont in Koreatown in Los Angeles, California on May 26, 2018. (Jayrol San Jose/Corsair Contributor)

Protesters gather along Vermont Ave. with signs in support of the proposed emergency temporary shelter for homeless on May 26, 2018 in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, California. (Jose Lopez/Corsair Contributor)

Beulah Baetz (center) stands at the corner of Vermont Ave. and Wilshire Blvd. showing her support for the emergency temporary homeless shelter on May 26, 2018 in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, California. Baetz says that homelessness is a serious issue because, "You have children and whole families homeless. Little babies on the street with no where to live. It is time that somebody does something for these human beings. (Jose Lopez/Corsair Contributor)

Tents setup along Vermont Ave to show the effects of not having a homeless shelter built in Koreatown in Los Angeles, California on May 26, 2018.(Jayrol San Jose/Corsair Contributor)

Protesters in support of the proposed emergency temporary shelter for homeless walk along Vermont Ave. to bring about awareness of the issue on May 26, 2018 in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, California. (Jose Lopez/Corsair Contributor)

Protestors in support of the emergency temporary shelter stand in front of the parking lot that is the proposed location and which displays a large banner in opposition of the project off of Vermont Ave. on May 26, 2018 in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, California. (Jose Lopez/Corsair Contributor)

Mel Tillekerantne leads #Shedoes protesters down the streets of Koreatown in Los Angeles, California on May 26, 2018. (Jayrol San Jose/Corsair Contributor)

Joe Dominguez (right) and Teresa Chuc (center right), who are part of the #SheDoes movement to push for more housing for homeless women and children, work with Darryl Robinson (center left) to break down one of the tents used during the demonstration to bring attention to the need for a homeless shelter on May 26, 2018 in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, California. When asked why is this issue important to her Chuc said, "What are you teaching children if you're not teaching them compassion and you're teaching them to be judgmental to not care about people that are hurt, people who are experinceing mental illness, people who need help. That's not what we want to teach our future generation. We want to teach compassion and how to care for our neighbors." Dominguez and Chuc met Robinson before the demonstration and in recognizing his struggle they invited him to a meal and then later donated to him the tent that they broke down at the end of the event . (Jose Lopez/Corsair Contributor)

Over 100 protestors filled the corner of Wilshire Blvd and Vermont Ave in support of building a temporary homeless shelter in Koreatown this Saturday, May 26, at 5 p.m. 

As people chanted various messages, such as “Facts, not fear. We should build a shelter here,” Mel Tillekeratne, organizer of the event, walked around the intersection, handing out picket signs. The Santa Monica College alum has been working on Skid Row for the past seven years and founded the #SheDoes organization four months ago.

“I’ve been working on skid row for seven years helping the homeless population and I saw how much more the crisis was," Tillekeratne said. "Women were always more vulnerable, women were always more exploited when they’re on the streets.”

Approximately 12 tenants lined the sidewalk on the east side of the intersection on Vermont Ave to showcase what Koreatown would look like if progress isn’t made regarding the homeless epidemic. Standing on the corner of the protest with an American flag in hand, Ruben Garcia, a #SheDoes member, said, “I don’t recognize this country anymore, because now people will walk by people that are on the street dying and they won’t help them. And I don’t think that’s America… I don’t think it’s who we are and everyone at some time in their life needs a little help, right?”

Garcia believes that Koreatown would be a great place for a homeless shelter. "People can get on the subway and go just a few blocks east to downtown, get a meal, see their caseworker, their social worker, case manager," she said. "They’ll be in close proximity and access to all the resources [in] downtown on skid row.”

As the group of chanting protestors walked around the block with signs in hand, cars honked in support of the groups' message. The group briefly stopped at the city-owned parking lot, where the temporary homeless shelter would be located, on the east side of Vermont Ave in between W 7th St and Wilshire Blvd.

“People like to believe that [the homeless are] on the streets because they’ve done something wrong, and they deserve it, and that is absolutely not right," said Amanda Varona, another protestor. "And if you want to call ourselves a Christian nation, which we do, we should just take care of each other and stop wanting to punish people for being poor.”

Following a brief message from Tillekeratne and other #SheDoes members, the crowd of protestors dispersed from the intersection at approximately 7 p.m. with no counts of injury or violence.