Residents form coalition after concern of homeless, crime in Little Italy and surrounding areas

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The newly-formed San Diego Neighborhood Coalition hosted a community meeting Monday night, where local business owners and residents came together to discuss what they are calling the main issues plaguing Little Italy.

“Homeless, crime, break-ins and thefts in cars,” said Kevin Arnold, Founder of San Diego Neighborhood Coalition.

Arnold, a Little Italy resident for more than eight years, said he needed to do something about the homeless and crime plaguing the community, and created the coalition about four months ago to push local leaders for change.

The community meeting at Our Lady of the Rosary was a packed house.

“These are residents, these are homeowners, these are business owners, they have a stake in this community,” Arnold said.

He said the coalition doesn’t just fight for change for Little Italy residents, but also for downtown, East Village, Hillcrest, North Park, etc.

Representatives from the San Diego Housing Commission, San Diego Police Department, Little Italy and city and county leaders offices were in attendance.

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“It’s not acceptable, we’re not going to let them take over our sidewalks, we’re not going to let them take over businesses, this is the message we are giving to the homeless people: we are going to fight for this community,” Arnold said.

He said the homeless situation in Little Italy has grown over the last two years and the tents are often blocking sidewalks.

Monday’s meeting comes about two months after two shootings in Little Italy along State Street.

One man was shot after a shooting in the 1600 block of State Street in Little Italy around 11:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

Then on January 2, a man was shot in the back in the early morning hours in Little Italy at the intersection of West Grape Street and West State Street, according to San Diego police.

According to SDPD data, total violent crime in Little Italy has been on the rise in recent years, and doubled since 2017.

But, reports of property crime decreased from a recent high of 223 reports during 2020 to 189 reports of property crime in 2023.

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