Visitors to the Promenade have mixed opinions to a proposal to increase private security guards in the area.
Downtown Santa Monica, the nonprofit business district covering the area, recently voted to transition $1.7 million from its ambassador program to a new contract with Covered 6 security for dedicated security guards. The ambassadors are contracted through Block by Block and the company has been criticized by some for doing too little to address crime and homelessness in the area.
Covered 6 security teams will operate with both armed and unarmed personnel, but all will be wearing bodycams. The company said their primary mission is to de-escalate every single situation no matter how long it takes.
The Daily Press spent several hours on the Promenade on Tuesday, June 20 asking people what they thought about the proposal to increase security guards in the area. Of the 24 individuals who responded, 12 were neutral on the proposal, nine viewed it favorably and three thought it was a bad idea.
Santa Monica resident Maya Brotherton said she already felt safer in Santa Monica than other places due to the City’s existing police force but she said additional security might motivate her to shop a little later in the evening.
"I think I would feel more inclined to come down here later, I wouldn’t be as scared about my timing walking around here if there was more security and stuff and at night time especially," she said. "Definitely parking garages are kind of scary because especially some of them don’t have cameras, either. And over night by the Pier is really scary sometimes like that one intersection around Colorado is really weird sometimes. I think otherwise it feels safer in here for the most part then like the rest of Santa Monica."
Resident Duron Slyvester said he’d probably come to the Promenade more with the additional security but wanted it to be paid for out of visitor taxes.
"It costs more for us versus it coming out of tourists, because you know this place is only 90,000 some people here and then in the summer, there are like a million people," he said. "I would add a tourist tax, not to us."
Tourist Sandy Lyons said it would definitely make her feel safer and she would absolutely be more inclined to come back if there was more security.
"Well, I have noticed, it’s our first time here, that there were a lot of homeless people. I took my children to Tongva Park, and even just walking down this stretch here I noticed a lot of homeless people, people actually smoking drugs," she said. "I don’t feel particularly safe honestly, so I would possibly encourage it. I’m not sure about the armed, but certainly having a patrol would be good, just to kind of keep young people safe."
Several tourists compared Santa Monica to Hollywood and while they supported more security guards, they still felt safer on the Promenade than in other parts of Los Angeles.
"Yeah, I think a little bit because sometimes when I walk in America I feel not safe," said Rami Abulfadl. "Around here I feel safe because everyone is minding their own business and nothing seems scary here. In another neighborhood, maybe. I think it won’t need security because so far it feels safe and it is not an issue here."
Jim Bartz agreed.
"I don’t have a problem with that," he said. "At this point I don’t feel unsafe. I think I would feel safer in Hollywood if they had that."
Several people, both local and visitor, didn’t think the proposal would impact their decision to shop or visit DTSM but others questioned the optics of having armed individuals on patrol.
"I don’t feel unsafe," said Spencer Haddad. "Going around Hollywood with the armed guards, I feel weird. In front of the sneaker shops, guys just in bulletproof vests, like is there a guy with a gun here? I don’t think it would make a difference. It might affect it a little bit. I feel like the presence of armed guards makes it a little different in a bad way. Makes you think there’s more theft, more crime."
Los Angeles resident Laila Casillas also questioned the way she’d feel about visible guns.
"I don’t know, because I think guns in general make other people uncomfortable, so I would probably feel a little weird," said.
Los Angeles resident Robert Cavalera said safety is a concern for him but he didn’t think private security guards would make him feel any differently about the area. He said homelessness was the primary problem and he questioned if the guards would be able to do anything about it.
"This is my first time in a month or so, I don’t know if anything has changed, I don’t think so," he said. "I don’t see many homeless right now. So it looked like in the past there was more, so you have to watch your back."
Maggie Marks & Matthew Hall
SMDP Staff
