Overview
- This week video and resident reports of a woman defecating at the corner of Goshen and Barrington prompted the mayor’s office to ask the county to deploy its mental‑health outreach team and the LAPD to increase patrols in Brentwood.
- Neighbors say the woman has been in the neighborhood for years and frequents corners near Barrington and Wilshire, and one resident, Wendy Kush, reported a recent lunging threat that left her frightened.
- An outreach group that located the woman after a six‑month effort told residents she refused services, highlighting that most outreach requires the individual’s consent and cannot force long‑term care.
- The LAPD said it had no prior record of repeated incidents in the area but is boosting patrols; officials and providers say legal and procedural limits make involuntary placement difficult.
- Residents and local officials frame the case as a symptom of wider homelessness and mental‑health system gaps in Los Angeles, raising questions about sanitation, neighborhood safety and the city’s reliance on county services.