HOMELESS TOLD MOVE OUT OF PARK, MAKE WAY FOR STAR TREK!
The District Weekly (2007)
Can the city really spare cops for a big-time film? It can!
The city has rented out and fenced off over half of Lincoln Park for Paramount Studios’ filming of the latest Star Trek movie—displacing homeless people who squat there in this happiest time of the year.
The fenced-off area is a base camp for the crew. Filming will take place inside City Hall. The base camp is also covered in tarp to protect the costumed actors from photographers like me.
Included in the off-limits area is the seldom-used concrete park atop the library. This area overlooks the set and is watched over by Long Beach’s finest. Asked if the upstairs park was closed, a uniformed cop busy locking the gates said that it was. Asked if it was really possible to rent a public park she replied, “The park is closed.”
I wonder how we can spare cops to guard movie sets when every politician who runs for public office says that he will hire more cops to battle escalating crime. Maybe they just schedule less crime for the days that Hollywood is in town. I wonder if they keep statistics on how much the crime rate falls when Long Beach cops are busy being paid to guard Hollywood’s most essential secrets.
I also wonder if Paramount couldn’t feed the homeless they’ve put out with some of that tasty craft food.
The sidewalk has been fenced off along Pacific Ave. to prevent pedestrians from walking anywhere near the entrance to Paramount’s base camp and discovering what people in the future will look like.
Don’t try to walk around that [barrier], a homeless man told me. “The cop on the other side is a real asshole.”
A couple minutes later I hear the police car’s speaker system screech out, “USE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET!” to someone who apparently tried to cross from the other side of the barrier.
I’ll bet the cops are being fed.
HOMELESS TOLD MOVE OUT OF PARK, MAKE WAY FOR STAR TREK!
The District Weekly (2007)
Can the city really spare cops for a big-time film? It can!
The city has rented out and fenced off over half of Lincoln Park for Paramount Studios’ filming of the latest Star Trek movie—displacing homeless people who squat there in this happiest time of the year.
The fenced-off area is a base camp for the crew. Filming will take place inside City Hall. The base camp is also covered in tarp to protect the costumed actors from photographers like me.
Included in the off-limits area is the seldom-used concrete park atop the library. This area overlooks the set and is watched over by Long Beach’s finest. Asked if the upstairs park was closed, a uniformed cop busy locking the gates said that it was. Asked if it was really possible to rent a public park she replied, “The park is closed.”
I wonder how we can spare cops to guard movie sets when every politician who runs for public office says that he will hire more cops to battle escalating crime. Maybe they just schedule less crime for the days that Hollywood is in town. I wonder if they keep statistics on how much the crime rate falls when Long Beach cops are busy being paid to guard Hollywood’s most essential secrets.
I also wonder if Paramount couldn’t feed the homeless they’ve put out with some of that tasty craft food.
The sidewalk has been fenced off along Pacific Ave. to prevent pedestrians from walking anywhere near the entrance to Paramount’s base camp and discovering what people in the future will look like.
Don’t try to walk around that [barrier], a homeless man told me. “The cop on the other side is a real asshole.”
A couple minutes later I hear the police car’s speaker system screech out, “USE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET!” to someone who apparently tried to cross from the other side of the barrier.
I’ll bet the cops are being fed.