Business owners in Van Nuys are complaining to city officials, asking them to clean up a large homeless encampment and trash pile that they say has become dangerous.
"We have to make sure our employees are safe because they keep throwing stuff over the shoulder, so we just don't know what to do at this point," one business owner in the area told KFI's Andrew Mollenbeck, adding that she has to keep her doors locked all day and her employees have to avoid parts of their own lot. "It's not even describable, it's crazy. Flies, fleas, urine all kinds of stuff you can imagine."
Workers say they have to deal with dirty needles, human waste, as well as rats that have invaded the encampment where about one hundred people are living next to the 405 freeway and the businesses.
"There's a lot of drug use, they throw their syringes over the wall," another man said. "We find paraphernalia everywhere."
Calls to the city to get it cleaned up have been ignored, the business owner added.
Photo: Andrew Mollenbeck