--- [ ARCHIVE ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=16) # The Day Laborer Effect **![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Apr-2011/cw9-33c.png)THE VIEW FROM HERE -** Day laborers are becoming a hot topic across Los Angeles communities, especially in South Los Angeles. Besides the loitering and mass congregating, complaints are increasing about public drunkenness, brawls, urination, and other behaviors that are bringing down the quality of life for neighborhood residents. Every problem has an anchor and a source. In this situation, it is Home Depot and the contractors. It is not a surprise that Home Depot is the culprit. By far, most communities that have a Home Depot have a problem with day laborers. No one knows why Home Depot is a magnet for day laborers and other similar chains are not. The best explanations offered are that Home Depot is the number one retailer in home improvement and is popular with contractors. If there is any additional accountability outside of Home Depot, start with the contractors who contribute to the problem by hiring day laborers for $5 to $10 an hour. If they cease the practice of hiring cheap labor, then we don’t have topic for conversation. In a heated discussion last month with my neighborhood council meeting, a community member compared day laborers to prostitutes. I found the comment offensive because there is no comparison by far of a sex exchange for money and labor exchange for money. The two just don’t equate. One is a crime, the other is not. In listening to the public comments, neighbors felt a sense of infringement on their quality of life. Loitering and other behaviors by the day laborers appeared to bring down the community standards, mainly during a time when the community is working extremely hard to change its perception and foster better living conditions. In addition, most felt that day laborers were illegal immigrants and were not entitled to congregate on the sidewalks, streets, abandoned property, or commercial strip to solicit work. Allowing their presence was nothing more than promoting illegal immigration. It’s hard not to have a position on this issue because the rights of the community and if any, the rights of the day laborer are at stake. Legitimately, I believe the residents affected by the day laborers have the right to a clean and decent neighborhood free of loitering. Having day laborers hanging out for work all day long is an unsightly scene and nuisance that is frustrating. On the other hand, these day laborers can’t work in our country legally and have no other recourse than to solicit under the table work from contractors in order to meet their basic needs. Without an economic opportunity, there is a potential for criminal activity. Despite what anyone thinks, they do have a right to food and shelter. A win-win solution is to have Home Depot post non-solicitation signs and designate a spot for day laborers to congregate and have restroom facilities. Although this sounds like a simple solution, I am aware that this suggestion imposes on Home Depot’s right to operate business. There is no other compromising solution that adds enforcement for the police department, removes the day laborer from the neighborhood sidewalks or parks, or creates a welcoming environment for customers to shop without an encounter. No one really likes seeing people contained to an area, but it is the best humane solution that I can conceive. The day laborer effect calls for a win-win solution, not a virulent one. Spending time debating illegal immigration or insinuating a need for day laborers to return back to the country of origin to appease the neighborhood residents only perpetuates negative opinions and shies away from the matter at hand of addressing the problem in compassionate way. *(Janet Denise Ganaway-Kelly offers more than a decade of accomplishments in the housing and nonprofit sector. Janet brings valuable insight in the areas of community and economic development. Additionally, she brings knowledge regarding the leadership and management challenges faced by large and small nonprofits that are struggling or growing organizations. She blogs at [jdkellyenterprises.org](http://jdkellyenterprises.org) ) -cw* **CityWatch Vol 9 Issue 33 Pub: Apr 26, 2011** Written by Janet Denise Kelly. April 26 2011 [](https://www.addtoany.com/share) **![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Apr-2011/cw9-33c.png)THE VIEW FROM HERE -** Day laborers are becoming a hot topic across Los Angeles communities, especially in South Los Angeles. Besides the loitering and mass congregating, complaints are increasing about public drunkenness, brawls, urination, and other behaviors that are bringing down the quality of life for neighborhood residents. Every problem has an anchor and a source. In this situation, it is Home Depot and the contractors. It is not a surprise that Home Depot is the culprit. By far, most communities that have a Home Depot have a problem with day laborers. No one knows why Home Depot is a magnet for day laborers and other similar chains are not. The best explanations offered are that Home Depot is the number one retailer in home improvement and is popular with contractors. If there is any additional accountability outside of Home Depot, start with the contractors who contribute to the problem by hiring day laborers for $5 to $10 an hour. If they cease the practice of hiring cheap labor, then we don’t have topic for conversation. In a heated discussion last month with my neighborhood council meeting, a community member compared day laborers to prostitutes. I found the comment offensive because there is no comparison by far of a sex exchange for money and labor exchange for money. The two just don’t equate. One is a crime, the other is not. In listening to the public comments, neighbors felt a sense of infringement on their quality of life. Loitering and other behaviors by the day laborers appeared to bring down the community standards, mainly during a time when the community is working extremely hard to change its perception and foster better living conditions. In addition, most felt that day laborers were illegal immigrants and were not entitled to congregate on the sidewalks, streets, abandoned property, or commercial strip to solicit work. Allowing their presence was nothing more than promoting illegal immigration. It’s hard not to have a position on this issue because the rights of the community and if any, the rights of the day laborer are at stake. Legitimately, I believe the residents affected by the day laborers have the right to a clean and decent neighborhood free of loitering. Having day laborers hanging out for work all day long is an unsightly scene and nuisance that is frustrating. On the other hand, these day laborers can’t work in our country legally and have no other recourse than to solicit under the table work from contractors in order to meet their basic needs. Without an economic opportunity, there is a potential for criminal activity. Despite what anyone thinks, they do have a right to food and shelter. A win-win solution is to have Home Depot post non-solicitation signs and designate a spot for day laborers to congregate and have restroom facilities. Although this sounds like a simple solution, I am aware that this suggestion imposes on Home Depot’s right to operate business. There is no other compromising solution that adds enforcement for the police department, removes the day laborer from the neighborhood sidewalks or parks, or creates a welcoming environment for customers to shop without an encounter. No one really likes seeing people contained to an area, but it is the best humane solution that I can conceive. The day laborer effect calls for a win-win solution, not a virulent one. Spending time debating illegal immigration or insinuating a need for day laborers to return back to the country of origin to appease the neighborhood residents only perpetuates negative opinions and shies away from the matter at hand of addressing the problem in compassionate way. *(Janet Denise Ganaway-Kelly offers more than a decade of accomplishments in the housing and nonprofit sector. Janet brings valuable insight in the areas of community and economic development. Additionally, she brings knowledge regarding the leadership and management challenges faced by large and small nonprofits that are struggling or growing organizations. She blogs at [jdkellyenterprises.org](http://jdkellyenterprises.org) ) -cw* **CityWatch Vol 9 Issue 33 Pub: Apr 26, 2011** [ ![LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20level%20pay%205-7-25.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)") ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/banners/signup-for-cw.png) ## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays & Thursdays Name [ ![Home - HHR Rent is too High - SB-2](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/HHR/AHF-rent-too-high.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/104 "Home - HHR Rent is too High - SB-2") --- ## Featured CityWatch Stories [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/34/065h-34e1b43b.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33212:reminder-to-the-red-states-turnabout-is-fair-play&catid=395) ### [Reminder to the Red States, Turnabout is Fair Play](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33212:reminder-to-the-red-states-turnabout-is-fair-play&catid=395) GELFAND’S WORLD - Indiana has been pounded by rains that resulted in widespread flooding. While the rain was still comi… [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/d8/066m-d8f0fac6.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33229:democrats-finally-tell-iowa-and-new-hampshire-you-dont-go-first-anymore&catid=395) ### [Democrats Finally Tell Iowa and New Hampshire: You Don’t Go First Anymore](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33229:democrats-finally-tell-iowa-and-new-hampshire-you-dont-go-first-anymore&catid=395) GELFAND’S WORLD - Earlier in the week, the Democratic National Committee did something good. Mind you it wasn’t great… [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/d0/065o-d02f23ac.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33213:californias-empty-classrooms-are-a-warning-sacramento-cant-ignore&catid=378) ### [California’s Empty Classrooms Are a Warning Sacramento Can’t Ignore](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33213:californias-empty-classrooms-are-a-warning-sacramento-cant-ignore&catid=378) A STUDENT'S VIEW - California is spending more on public education, yet classrooms are emptying, campuses are closing… [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/da/066j-daf22e28.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33231:a-prisoner-a-peacemaker-and-israels-defining-choice&catid=375) ### [A Prisoner, A Peacemaker, and Israel’s Defining Choice](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33231:a-prisoner-a-peacemaker-and-israels-defining-choice&catid=375) P.O.V - Marwan Barghouti remains one of the most consequential—and controversial—figures in the Israeli-Palestinian con… [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/df/065q-dfb89383.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33224:john-mckinney-on-what-separates-the-city-attorney-candidates&catid=401) ### [John McKinney on What Separates the City Attorney Candidates](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33224:john-mckinney-on-what-separates-the-city-attorney-candidates&catid=401) INTERVIEW - Voters will have a clear and defining contrast in the goals and objectives of the remaining general electio… --- ## [ ARCHIVE ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=16) [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Apr-2018/034e.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15339:early-intervention-and-jobs-are-key-to-stemming-chronic-homelessness-in-los-angeles&catid=16)### [Early Intervention and Jobs are Key to Stemming Chronic Homelessness in Los Angeles](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15339:early-intervention-and-jobs-are-key-to-stemming-chronic-homelessness-in-los-angeles&catid=16) ### [Tucker Carlson and Gay Rightwinger Blame California Wildfires On Hiring LGBTQ People](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18755:tucker-carlson-and-gay-rightwinger-blame-california-wildfires-on-hiring-lgbtq-people&catid=16) ### [Anti-LGBTQ Veep Just Can’t Stop Talking about Mayor Pete](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17690:anti-lgbtq-veep-just-can-t-stop-talking-about-mayor-pete&catid=16) [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Apr-2018/033j.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15316:news-pulse-corrupt-system-reason-for-not-voting-in-2018-majority-wants-more-than-two-parties&catid=16)### [NEWS PULSE: ‘Corrupt System’ Reason for Not Voting in 2018 … Majority Wants More Than Two Parties](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15316:news-pulse-corrupt-system-reason-for-not-voting-in-2018-majority-wants-more-than-two-parties&catid=16) [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Jan-2016/1404d.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10245:dead-dog-set-on-fire-sparks-fears-for-strays-in-los-angeles&catid=16)### [Dead Dog Set on Fire … Sparks Fears for Strays in Los Angeles](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10245:dead-dog-set-on-fire-sparks-fears-for-strays-in-los-angeles&catid=16)