LA residents blame Disneyland for homeless workers

World
Europe

‍The Disneyland theme park in the Los Angeles metropolitan region has faced fresh protest as residents claim the resort's low wages have left its workers homeless.

The protest erupted on Friday and dealt a major blow to the Anaheim-based Disneyland, a branch of the world renowned tourist chain and one of the biggest tax generators in the Orange County region.

Mickey Mouse jumps during an indoor parade at the D23 Expo 2017 in Anaheim, California, US, on July 14, 2017. /VCG Photo

"Disney, we feel, is a contributor to the homeless problem here in Anaheim," Jeanine Robbins, organizer of the protest, was quoted by the Guardian newspaper in a Monday report as saying.

The longtime resident said Disney employees were seen living on the streets, in cars and in unstable housing.

When residents of the Disneyland neighborhood reported instances of drinking, pot smoking and defecating by vagrants to the Anaheim City Hall, the authorities responded by removing 20 nearby bus benches on which the homeless people used to huddle.

Attendees dressed as Disney characters in gym attire gather outside the D23 Expo 2017 in Anaheim, California, US, on July 14, 2017. /VCG Photo

The move soon resulted in those deprived of shelter competing to occupy pavement, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Meanwhile, Disneyland said it provided "vast employee resources" for those in need. "Specific to homelessness, we support a number of nonprofits and have donated millions of dollars to support their efforts," the Guardian reported, citing a company spokesperson.

Data from Orange County's Office of Care Coordination (OCC), part of whose work is to prevent and address homelessness, shows 4,792 people are living either unsheltered or in emergency or transitional shelters so far in 2017, an increase of 340, or 7.6%, compared to last year.

Attendees in costume interact with a droid in the Walt Disney Co. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge exhibit at the D23 Expo 2017 in Anaheim, California, US, on Saturday, July 15, 2017. /VCG Photo

One of the factors leading to the current crisis is the unaffordable high housing prices in the area surrounding the Disneyland, which is among the most expensive metropolitan housing markets in the United States.

The OCC said in its "Community Indicators 2016" report that the hourly wage needed to afford a median-prices one-bedroom unit in Orange County in 2016 was 25.46 US dollars, while the actual minimum wage in the county was 10 US dollars per hour.

Orange Country's housing wage ranked third highest in a nationwide comparison that also included Minneapolis, Austin, Riverside/San Bernadino, San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, San Jose and San Francisco, according to the report.

(Source: Xinhua)