‘There’s needles on the beach and poo all over the sand’: Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten rails against homeless anarchy in LA
Sex Pistols rocker Johnny Rotten is crying foul about the Los Angeles homeless crisis that has gripped his swanky neighborhood of Venice Beach.
The 63-year-old punk icon says his multi-million dollar home has been vandalized and that his publishing heiress wife is ‘struggling to cope’ with the surge of ‘vagrants’ in the area.
‘They moved in en masse. They’re all young, they’re all like 24,’ Rotten ranted to Newsweek reporter Paula Froelich, the The New York Post reported.
The frontman, whose real name is John Lyndon, added: ‘They’re aggressive, and because there’s an awful lot of them together they’re gang-y.’
Rotten’s comments may seem somewhat ironic given the star became a spokesman for aggressive anti-authoritarianism as the lead singer of the Sex Pistols in the 1970s.
The rocker, famed for his track Anarchy in The UK, even admitted he was forced to call the police after homeless people set up camp in front of his residence.
Sanitation workers are seen cleaning up homeless encampments in the beachside neighborhood
Rotten shot to fame as part of the Sex Pistols who were famed for their anthem Anarchy In The UK
‘They came over the gate and put their tent inside, right in front of the front door. It’s like… the audacity,’ he moaned.
Rotten says his wife Nora Forster, who suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease, ‘can’t cope’ with the scourge.
However, the star insists he’s not part of the ‘establishment elite’ who preach liberal values of tolerance and acceptance, whilst cocooning themselves behind gates and fences.
‘No, I’m a bloke that’s worked hard for his money and I expect to be able to use my own front door,’ he firmly stated.
He additionally said he was unable to take friends down to the water Vat enice Beach, as needles and feces are often found on the sand.
According to a report published by NPR in January, around 50,000 people are experiencing homelessness in and around Los Angeles.
The Hollywood Reporter claims Venice Beach ‘is now home to the largest concentration of homeless anywhere on L.A.’s Westside’ and that ‘several encampments have swelled in more residential areas’ in the last 18 months.
Public property records do not show when Rotten and Forster purchased their home in Venice Beach.
The rocker listed his Malibu retreat for sale in 2013 for $1.9 million.
The home, 30 minutes drive from Venice Beach, boasted a swimming pool with a waterfall and a cabana with a bar.
Meanwhile, in 2016, Rotten listed his London apartment in the ritzy suburb of Chelsea for sale for $2.45 million (£1.9 million).
