SAN DIEGO — Residents living in and near downtown shared their top concerns when it comes to safety during a meeting Monday evening organized by the San Diego Neighborhood Coalition.
More than 100 hundred people attended the meeting in Little Italy. They had the chance to share their concerns and get some of their questions answered.
"We're so happy to be living here and it has just gotten so bad over the last even 6 months I think," said Connie Barnes, who lives in Little Italy.
The goal of the meeting was for people living in the San Diego neighborhoods of Little Italy, East Village, Downtown, Hillcrest, North Park and City Heights to have their voices heard. Their main concern centered around the homelessness crisis.
"I had to pull my car in front of a girl getting chased by two homeless people," said a man during the meeting.
Another woman said a homeless man broke into her apartment at 2 a.m. when she was home alone. She thanked the San Diego Police Department for their response.
"I'm only two years in living here, and I just want to say thank you for helping me with that," she said.
When it comes to drug possession offenses, Captain Adam Sharki explained the limitations officers face due to Prop 47.
"Possession of cocaine, crack, meth, fentanyl, heroin and even using it in public is a misdemeanor, which is a citation," he said. "Those are the constraints we're working under."
The Little Italy Association says they hired private security in 2021 and 2022 but felt it wasn't getting to the root of the neighborhood's issues. They've since brought in the San Diego Rescue Mission, which is working with unhoused people on a daily basis. Some residents say it's making a difference.
"My family has been on the block over 100 years. I feel the rescue mission is our lifeline," one resident said.
The San Diego Neighborhood Coalition is hopeful solutions can be found.
"The more people that can get involved, make phone calls, canvas the neighborhoods, then the more impact we can have. The San Diego Neighborhood Coalition, contact us and get involved," said Anna Firicano with the San Diego Neighborhood Coalition.
WATCH RELATED: More homeless encampments are popping up, Little Italy residents say (Feb. 22, 2024)