Within the greater Los Angeles homeless “community” the city of Santa Monica is known as a relative refuge from the rest of the area. The city offers a rare combination of tolerance and personal safety for those living on the street.

Beach cities in general tend to be much safer than other parts of the city. But among those who spend nights outdoors, cities like Manhattan Beach and Malibu have deserved reputations as actively hostile towards transients who appear in their towns.

Unfortunately, it seems the reason the ACLU has taken notice of Santa Monica is because of its deserved reputation as a haven.

This complaint is comparable to claiming that hospitals are dangerous because there are more people dying in them.

Homeless people can find compassion at the beach – latimes.com.