Reuters - Protesters and activists for the homeless clashed with police in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (March 24) to protest against a plan by city officials to clear a large homeless encampment at the city's iconic Echo Park Lake.
Echo Park is an affluent Los Angeles neighborhood but the area's homelessness problems have worsened as the pandemic set in.
The encampment around Echo Park Lake has now grown to more than 100 tents, housing several dozen people.
Los Angeles City officials say they are planning to clear the Echo Park Lake encampment to carry out maintenance work on the lake and the surrounding park, in order to improve public safety.
Local media reports suggest the park could be cleared as early as Thursday for what officials describe as $500,000 in repairs, NBC reported.
Aerial images of the protest showed crews putting up fences around the park shortly before midnight as protesters faced off with police in riot gear. Police issued an 'unlawful assembly' order and asked the crowds to disperse. There are no reports of arrests so far, NBC reported.
