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<a href="http://www.ocregister.com/articles/martinez-association-law-2365000-spirit-neighbors">Neighbors unhappy with Irvine homeless man's habits</a>
<blockquote>ADAM PROBOLSKY
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST
Comments 2 | Recommend 2
A nuisance, scary, even a threat to public safety is what neighbors say about Edward Martinez, a Native American who calls himself Spirit.
Mr. Martinez sometimes makes a south Irvine retail center and open space in a nearby homeowners association his home. After my column about him last week, several residents e-mailed me, as did some of his family members.
"Is he skinny?" asked his daughter who says she speaks to him several times a week and worries he's not treating his diabetes.
Some neighbors are far less sympathetic. They accuse Martinez of everything from piling trash on association property to siphoning gas out of cars at night. It cost the association several hundred dollars to have a refuse company haul away Mr. Martinez' stash of trash.
eighborhood Watch leader Fran Lugo sends regular e-mail alerts about Martinez and says she spends a lot of time fielding calls and talking to neighbors about him.
The other night I saw Martinez playing with a soccer ball in the parking lot of the retail center. I didn't feel threatened by him (maybe because his mother's e-mail to me mentioned that "Spirit" likes me), but I clearly understand why neighbors want him gone.
Residents claim he sifts through garbage and recycling bins, uses the association pool and shower facilities and even circles his bike around people he does not like when they are out walking. They also complain that the police do nothing to help them.
Most residents I have spoken with are indifferent about him, although one woman, who lives directly adjacent to the patch of dirt where Martinez stores his trash and sometimes sleeps, does say she watches her children more closely when he is around.
Another resident, who happens to also be a law enforcement officer, helps to put things into perspective by explaining that there is a difference between the letter and spirit of the law concerning "private" association property Martinez frequents.
When you are driving 68 on the freeway, you expect the Highway Patrol to enforce the spirit of the law and give you a break, he explains. However, when you call the Irvine Police Department about a homeless man loitering in the greenbelt, you want the police to enforce the letter of the law.</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.ocregister.com/articles/martinez-association-law-2365000-spirit-neighbors">Neighbors unhappy with Irvine homeless man's habits</a>
<blockquote>ADAM PROBOLSKY
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST
Comments 2 | Recommend 2
A nuisance, scary, even a threat to public safety is what neighbors say about Edward Martinez, a Native American who calls himself Spirit.
Mr. Martinez sometimes makes a south Irvine retail center and open space in a nearby homeowners association his home. After my column about him last week, several residents e-mailed me, as did some of his family members.
"Is he skinny?" asked his daughter who says she speaks to him several times a week and worries he's not treating his diabetes.
Some neighbors are far less sympathetic. They accuse Martinez of everything from piling trash on association property to siphoning gas out of cars at night. It cost the association several hundred dollars to have a refuse company haul away Mr. Martinez' stash of trash.
eighborhood Watch leader Fran Lugo sends regular e-mail alerts about Martinez and says she spends a lot of time fielding calls and talking to neighbors about him.
The other night I saw Martinez playing with a soccer ball in the parking lot of the retail center. I didn't feel threatened by him (maybe because his mother's e-mail to me mentioned that "Spirit" likes me), but I clearly understand why neighbors want him gone.
Residents claim he sifts through garbage and recycling bins, uses the association pool and shower facilities and even circles his bike around people he does not like when they are out walking. They also complain that the police do nothing to help them.
Most residents I have spoken with are indifferent about him, although one woman, who lives directly adjacent to the patch of dirt where Martinez stores his trash and sometimes sleeps, does say she watches her children more closely when he is around.
Another resident, who happens to also be a law enforcement officer, helps to put things into perspective by explaining that there is a difference between the letter and spirit of the law concerning "private" association property Martinez frequents.
When you are driving 68 on the freeway, you expect the Highway Patrol to enforce the spirit of the law and give you a break, he explains. However, when you call the Irvine Police Department about a homeless man loitering in the greenbelt, you want the police to enforce the letter of the law.</blockquote>
