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Socialist LA mayoral candidate Nithya Raman is getting hammered online after appearing visibly rattled by a staged homeless encampment protest outside her own home.
“I’m glad my kids didn’t have to see that,” Raman told comedian Adam Conover on his podcast released Wednesday before adding, “I thought this campaign was going to be about bike lanes and transportation.”
Raman was referring to a staged Memorial Day protest outside Raman’s Silver Lake-area home.
Footage from the stunt shows homeless people climbing out of tents, staging an open-air barbecue and one individual walking around carrying a bucket as neighbors recorded the scene.
The podcast was quickly shared on online with comment exploding because Raman has spent years defending homeless encampments near schools, parks and neighborhoods across Los Angeles while opposing tougher enforcement restrictions.
Critics immediately accused the Democratic Socialist councilmember of showing a stunning lack of self-awareness as families across Los Angeles continue dealing with encampments outside homes, playgrounds and schools.
“When it’s her own kids, Nithya Raman suddenly cares where homeless encampments are set up,” one viral comment read. “But when it’s your kids near schools and parks? She votes to keep the tents there.”
Another commenter blasted Raman’s reaction as “a slap in the face” to residents who live near encampments every day.
“My kids see it EVERYDAY on our way to school!!!” another wrote.
“A local man pulled off what might be the stunt of the year outside Nithya Raman’s house on Memorial Day,” one widely shared social media post said.
“5 feet or 500 feet, it doesn’t matter, right, Nithya?” another viral comment read, mocking Raman’s previous remarks about encampments near schools.
Others called the stunt “savage,” while another commenter wrote, “We are a rich country with the taxes we pay and we look like a third world nation.”
The backlash exploded because Raman has repeatedly opposed expanding Los Angeles’ anti-camping law, which restricts homeless encampments near schools, daycare centers, parks and libraries.
At a 2024 Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association debate, Raman was loudly booed after dismissing concerns about homeless encampments near children.
“I don’t think a kid’s gonna be safer if they are 10 feet or 500 feet away from a school,” Raman told the crowd as audience members erupted in boos.
Raman also stated on the podcast that she thought the mayoral race would focus more on “bike lanes and transportation,” two issues that polling consistently shows rank far below homelessness, crime and public safety among voter concerns in Los Angeles
The Post reached out to Raman’s office for comment on this story.
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