Help Kevin Recover Post SECZ Sweep
Donation protected
Help us raise funds necessary to get our friend Kevin back on his feet!
Kevin Hills is a talented artist and machinist who is living unhoused in the San Fernando Valley. Born and raised locally, Kevin currently lives in Canoga Park and is a well known community fixture with generational ties to several legacies within the aviation and aeronautics industries here in the SFV. He's well loved in the neighborhood, and often puts his skills towards countless acts of kindness for community youth, often hosting open bicycle clinics and workshops. Ever tinkering, Kevin pours his heart into repair work, transforming materials headed to the landfill into kinetic works of art. His neighbors know him by name, and lovingly call him Krash.
This past Monday, February 8, 2021, Kevin was the victim of a violent sweep that blindsighted him- stripping him of the majority of his belongings. LAHSA, LAPD, and LA Sanitation, showed up targeting Kevin and confiscating and disposing of his property. Among the items taken were irreplaceable heirlooms, including several custom bike builds he was creating for several clients and projects. The sweep literally left Kevin with just the clothes on his back, separating him from all the tools he relies upon to make a living. This sweep cut Kevin at the knees. He recently was accepted as a resident in the newly opened transitional bridge shelter in Canoga Park, and was in the process of organizing and moving in.
This particular sweep was a blow for Kevin, especially now during his transition into bridge housing. He is especially vulnerable. Without warning or consent, LA Sanitation took everything valuable Kevin has built up over the years waiting for permanent housing. He could only watch from a distance as the crew worked systematically to remove any trace of his life that day.
Sweeps are always demoralizing. They create a ripple of effects that can setback any progress, reducing shelters to health violations, and personal belongings to garbage. They are incredibly destabilizing for any unhoused person, and can even result in death. The construction of transitional shelters goes hand in hand with the creation of new enforcement zones that routinely target unhoused residents. This will not be the last sweep that impacts Kevin's neighborhood. In fact it may be the first of many more to come.
The reality is this is not the first sweep Kevin has lived through, though we hope it's the last. Despite the tremendous losses he's experienced, Kevin remains stubbornly hopeful. Like any dyed in the wool artist, Kevin just wants to get back into his work. He sees this sweep as just another road block to his creative expression. Kevin doesn't dabble, he makes things out of necessity.
We want to give Kevin the support he needs to get building again. It is our hope that this fundraiser will serve as a catalyst for his success, and help him recover the tools he needs to launch back into his work.
Let's commit to restoring Kevin's livelihood, and push him one step closer to opening his own workshop. Let's replace what was taken, and help him build again.
We stand in solidarity with all unhoused artists.
Kevin Hills is a talented artist and machinist who is living unhoused in the San Fernando Valley. Born and raised locally, Kevin currently lives in Canoga Park and is a well known community fixture with generational ties to several legacies within the aviation and aeronautics industries here in the SFV. He's well loved in the neighborhood, and often puts his skills towards countless acts of kindness for community youth, often hosting open bicycle clinics and workshops. Ever tinkering, Kevin pours his heart into repair work, transforming materials headed to the landfill into kinetic works of art. His neighbors know him by name, and lovingly call him Krash.
This past Monday, February 8, 2021, Kevin was the victim of a violent sweep that blindsighted him- stripping him of the majority of his belongings. LAHSA, LAPD, and LA Sanitation, showed up targeting Kevin and confiscating and disposing of his property. Among the items taken were irreplaceable heirlooms, including several custom bike builds he was creating for several clients and projects. The sweep literally left Kevin with just the clothes on his back, separating him from all the tools he relies upon to make a living. This sweep cut Kevin at the knees. He recently was accepted as a resident in the newly opened transitional bridge shelter in Canoga Park, and was in the process of organizing and moving in.
This particular sweep was a blow for Kevin, especially now during his transition into bridge housing. He is especially vulnerable. Without warning or consent, LA Sanitation took everything valuable Kevin has built up over the years waiting for permanent housing. He could only watch from a distance as the crew worked systematically to remove any trace of his life that day.
Sweeps are always demoralizing. They create a ripple of effects that can setback any progress, reducing shelters to health violations, and personal belongings to garbage. They are incredibly destabilizing for any unhoused person, and can even result in death. The construction of transitional shelters goes hand in hand with the creation of new enforcement zones that routinely target unhoused residents. This will not be the last sweep that impacts Kevin's neighborhood. In fact it may be the first of many more to come.
The reality is this is not the first sweep Kevin has lived through, though we hope it's the last. Despite the tremendous losses he's experienced, Kevin remains stubbornly hopeful. Like any dyed in the wool artist, Kevin just wants to get back into his work. He sees this sweep as just another road block to his creative expression. Kevin doesn't dabble, he makes things out of necessity.
We want to give Kevin the support he needs to get building again. It is our hope that this fundraiser will serve as a catalyst for his success, and help him recover the tools he needs to launch back into his work.
Let's commit to restoring Kevin's livelihood, and push him one step closer to opening his own workshop. Let's replace what was taken, and help him build again.
We stand in solidarity with all unhoused artists.
Organizer
Kristine Lee
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
