The story of forty Los Angeles young people, organizing themselves as the League of Homeless Youth, who occupied a bank-owned unused home, 917 E. 29th, in March, 1933 during the Great Depression. Holding on and making the space livable despite threats for two weeks, in a raid 24 would be arrested, charged with vagrancy, defend by the I.L.D., and acquitted.

‘League of Homeless Youth Take Possession of Empty House’ from Western Worker. Vol. 2 No. 10. March 6, 1933.

Committee Asks County to Rent House for the 40 That Are In

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 22. A committee of organized homeless youth, some twenty-five unemployed young men, recently presented a statement to the County Welfare Bureau, demanding that a house at 917 East 29th street be rented immediately by the county and turned over to them for their use. The county put them off with vague promises. On February 21, over forty homeless youth, led by Larry Collier, took possession of the house. The house is owned by a Los Angeles Real Estate company, though there was no representative present when the homeless youth took possession of the house. The neighbors are entirely sympathetic and have donated brooms, and pails and other necessary tools with which to fix the house up. There were many newspaper men present. Today Mr. Price, one of the supervisors of the county charities, stated that the demand that the county rent the house would be ignored. He stated that there were plenty of road camps where the unemployed young men could work for their board. He states that these so-called road camps, which are in reality prison camps are open for all and that no young man need starve in Los Angeles, However, the homeless youth intend to move into the house and stay there.

‘Homeless Youth Hold House for Second Week’ from Western Worker. Vol. 2 No. 11. March 13, 1933.

LOS ANGELES. Feb. 28. The League of Homeless Youth, a group of young workers who recently took possession of a house at 917 East 29th street, is fast developing into a militant, well organized organization. They have been IN POSSESSION of the house for just a week, and report that there are thirty active members living at the house.

The organization has received the endorsements and cooperation of the U.C.R.A., the Unemployed Council, and various other workers organizations. At the United Front Conference held at the Unemployed Council hall here last Sunday, a delegation representing the League, offered all cooperation in the matter of militantly fighting against evictions, gas-light-and water turn-offs for unemployed workers families. Previous to this, some of the workers organizations had sent a committee to the house to turn on the gas-lights-and water there.

The newborn militant workers group, organized as a method of fighting against the placing of homeless youth in military training camps, is issuing a call to all working-class organizations to endorse and support them. They announce that an affair will be held on Tuesday, March 7, at their home, for the purpose of further furnishing the house and stocking the pantry. All workers are invited. Charles Spiwack, 20, has been elected organizer of the group.

‘Homeless Youth to be Tried for Occupying House’ from Western Worker. Vol. 2 No. 12. March 20, 1933.

24 Arrested For “Vag Sleeping:” Held House For Two Weeks

LOS ANGELES. March Twenty-four boys, Negro and white, were arrested at 1:30 A.M. Saturday morning in the house occupied by the League of Homeless Youth. On Sunday night they were arraigned at the Lincoln Heights po lice court, where they all pleaded not guilty to the charge “vag-sleeper” and will be brought to trial before a jury on Monday, March 13, at the Municipal Court.

The house which they had occupied and cleaned up was boarded by the Health Dept as uninhabitable, although they allow the homeless youth to sleep in dirty boxcars. and eat contaminated sloppy food in the missions and on the concrete floors at the flop houses. Some of the homeless youth who are roaming the country sleep under bridges of the Los Angeles river and later railroaded to the forced labor camps.

Protests should be sent to the Municipal Court, Mayor Porter, Board of Supervisors and city Board of Health demanding that these boys be freed and adequate facilities be given these boys for living quarters and that food be furnished by the county.

The Unemployed Cooperative Relief Associations who have endorsed the program of the League of Homeless Youth are protesting against the outrageous persecution of these homeless boys.

The Unemployed Council of Los Angeles, which has supported the struggle of these homeless youths will carry on the fight to gain the freedom of these boys and will help them establish other quarters.

‘24 L.A. Homeless Youth Dismissed’ from Western Worker. Vol. 2 No. 13. March 27, 1933.

LOS ANGELES, March 16. Vagrancy charges against the 24 homeless youths, who were arrested on Saturday, March 4th, in the house which they had occupied and cleaned up and used as their home.

Attorney Leo Gallagher, of the International Labor Defense pointed out to the judge that these boys could not be held under the “Vagrancy act” as they were in peaceable possession of a private home and that a charity worker had told these homeless boys that she had paid the rent. It was later brought out in the testimony of this fake relief worker that she had perjured herself and that what she told the boys was merely to make a new racket for herself.

As the house was boarded by the police and health department officials as an unsanitary place, the boys are now out looking for another house to make their home.

Western Worker was the publication of the Communist Party in the western United States, focused on the Pacific Coast, from 1933 until 1937. Originally published twice monthly in San Francisco, it grew to a weekly, then a twice-weekly and then merged with the Party’s Daily Worker on the West Coast to form the People’s Daily World which published until 1957. Its issues contain a wealth of information on Communist activity and cultural events in the west of those years.