LOS ANGELES – After LA County officials issued a controversial call for public art to decorate recreational vehicle (RV) campsites from which unhoused people have been displaced, more than 150 artists and housing advocates have signed an open letter they condemn the project, which they say seeks to “beautify” (i.e. obscure) the sites of trauma and loss.
“These are not just RVs – they are actually people’s homes and, more importantly, together they form communities,” reads the letter, which was sent Oct. 1 and distributed by artists Hayk Makhmuryan and Carol Zou and activist Judy Branfman .
“Lives depend on these networks and nearby services. Targeting poor people in this way resembles political maneuvering,” the mission continues. “Why not use very creative approaches to help people get back on their feet?”
Published by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture (LACDAC), County Supervisors and Los Angeles Housing Services Authority (LAHSA), the telephone conversation invited artists to provide public art for encampments, including “any barriers erected to discourage campers from returning after being removed.”
The recent letter outlines concerns about the initiative, including the recruitment of artists to erect or beautify barriers to prevent RVs after the county has evicted them, and the inefficiency of programs like LA. Mayor Karen Bass initiative Safe insidewhich they say is failing to provide comprehensive, long-term housing.
“Actively participating in the displacement of unhoused residents is contrary to what artists do,” reads the artists’ recent letter. “Respect commonalities, meet people where they are, create trust, build relationships, co-create and speak truth to power.”
In October 2023, LA County passed the so-called “RV Resolution,” intended to reduce the number of these vehicles parked in LA by forcing residents into “halfway housing” under a program known as Way home. The program and call for artists are part of LA Counties Homeless Initiative Programlaunched in February 2016.
On October 3, Branfman, Makhumuryan and Zou met with LA County Deputy Supervisor Isela Gracian, whose office oversees much of downtown Los Angeles. The artists told it Hyperallergic that they reiterated their concerns outlined in the letter and reiterated their demand that the call for proposals be withdrawn and rewritten with a narrative that prioritizes artistic engagement with RV residents, and that LACDAC would host a public conversation as part of the process.
At the end of the meeting, Gracian reportedly confirmed that even if no artists had signed up, the province was committed to moving forward with the project, which she described as “experimental,” with or without the Ministry of Arts and Culture.
Branfman, one of the letter’s co-authors, told the story Hyperallergic that she was disappointed by the outcome.
“There are so many ways we can work together to find caring solutions instead of exacerbating divisions between marginalized communities and using artists to cover that up,” Branfman said.
On June 28, the United States Supreme Court ruled City of Grants Pass v. Johnson that cities can enforce bans on public camping and sleeping without violating the Eighth Amendment, even if adequate shelter options are not available.
Within a month of this ruling and at the height of one of the hottest summers on record, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered state agencies to sweeping through campswhich intensified locally in the city of Los Angeles in September, as many RV residents moved to unincorporated areas.
“As a sociologist who studies vehicle dwellers in Los Angeles, I am concerned that LACDAC is misusing the language of ‘community,’ says Sam Lutzker, a doctoral candidate in the department of sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Hyperallergic.
As an emergency response program launched in August 2023 in accordance with the RV Resolution, Pathway Home targets the 120 unincorporated zones in LA County where 538 campers have been removed or displaced from the area, despite having long-term residence in their community and regardless of whether or not residents living in RVs were housed on a short- or long-term basis. According to the program’s online dashboard, 824 individuals have “moved to temporary housing.”
“Where have all those vehicle dwellers gone?” Lutzker said. “Pathway Home has not been transparent with program data, especially regarding participants’ return to homelessness.”
Hyperallergic has contacted LA County Liaison Christina Villacorte Homeless Initiative Programas well as LA County Deputy Supervisors Gracian, Kathryn Barger, Janice Hahn, Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis.
LACDAC did not respond to requests for comment.
According to a 2024 reportbetween 2021 and 2023, the city spent about $3 million on inspections and enforcement, but only two people remained in permanent long-term housing. Most cleared encampments were repopulated within weeks, indicating that clearances are not an effective longer-term solution to the region’s housing crisis.
“The city and the province have numerous tools at their disposal,” Makhumuryan said Hyperallergic. Implementing strict protection of tenants’ rights and redirecting funds to build social housing projects with funded maintenance and built-in support are two ideas that Makhumuryan advocates as an artist.
“Artists are community members who are personally affected by rising rents and evictions,” said Zou, an artist who often collaborates with non-arts organizations. Hyperallergic.
“We ask the Board of Trustees, LAHSA and LACDAC, to open their imaginations and imagine a world where art can uplift, humanize and empower the most marginalized in our society,” Zou said.
