Chada’s post asked Venice residents to sign a petition opposing a Motion submitted by former VNC president Linda Lucks to convert the Westminster Senior Citizens Center across the street from Westminster Elementary School to a homeless services/storage facility and parking lot for campers and vehicle dwellers.
On January 15, 2016, a woman identifying herself as VCHC
volunteer Ruth Lorio wrote a message on the same thread threatening the life of
Chada’s family. Lorio wrote:
'you are a vile human being. I would like to take
everything you own, give you major health problems, kill off your family and
throw you on the street and then document it for a reality TV show the profits
of which go to a homeless charity. Leave Venice.
You don't belong here.'
Lorio later deleted her post, though Chada saved a screen shot
of it.
Chada passed on the threat to LAPD Captain Nicole Alberca who
assigned it to Detective Witzer. Witzer
told Chada that because she did not know Lorio and since this was the first
instance of a threat, he did not think that the City could prosecute Lorio.
When Chada sent it to Facebook as an objectionable post,
Facebook responded that it didn’t violate their “community standards.”
When someone posted an online threat several years ago to
firebomb this writer’s house, LAPD Captain Jon Peters said it was a
prosecutable offense but the investigation found that the computer from which
it originated was in a community room at the Hollywood Gay and Lesbian Service Center
and thus it was not possible to identity the culprit.
The VSA joins Ms. Chada in opposing the placement of even more
transient-gathering spots in Venice,
next to residences and in this instance an elementary school. With all the public land in Los Angeles there is no reason to place
homeless serving facilities right next to homes or a school.
