Fence surrounding Echo Park taken down

By DARLEENE POWELLS

Click here for updates on this story

    ECHO PARK, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A fence that has surrounded Echo Park since city officials forcibly removed a homeless encampment last year has been knocked down as of Monday morning.

Most of the fencing was left haphazardly around the park, where a homeless camp was removed recently. The park had reopened in May of 2021 after a cleanup operation that relocated hundreds of people who had been living there.

The fence had been put up around the park, reportedly after an encampment of about 200 people were kicked out. Homeless advocates say the people living there were not relocated, but were kicked out or arrested.

According to social media, a sign was put up saying, “Community De-fence.”

It’s not clear who took down the fence. But the park has been the focus of an increasingly heated struggle between city officials and residents who want to keep the park clean and safe, and homeless Angelenos and their advocates who say they have no other place to go. Echo Park was finally closed off for the clean-up operation after protests and confrontations with park rangers and city crews.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.