Originally published in LA StreetsBlog
At Monday night’s town hall meeting about helicopter noise in communities, residents from Sherman Oaks, Westwood, Torrance, Manhattan Beach and Rivera filled the Burrill Hall at Millikan Middle School with more than 400 people.
Yet, during the public comment section, it was clear there was an absence of residents from South Los Angeles and East L.A./Boyle Heights. The residents at the town hall voiced concerns about how helicopters unsettled their pets, and how phone conversations were interrupted by the noise. But in neighborhoods including Boyle Heights, residents have had it worse, and for much longer.
Law enforcement helicopters have the biggest presence in Boyle Heights, said Fredd Ortiz, a member of Corazon del Pueblo, a Boyle Heights community center.
Helicopters’ presence in the neighborhood, are so constant, he said, that sometimes it feels like it’s a natural part of the environment.
“Get this idea that is the way it is. . . (even though) it shouldn’t be.”
Andrea Joseph, a Boyle Heights resident, said that she hears helicopters even at 2 in the morning.
“Kind of annoying at night, especially when you’re trying to watch TV or enjoy yourself with your family. You just hear “the bird” all the time flying around.”
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