Mrs Avant was the wife of Clarence Avant, 90, an influential music executive who signed soul legend Bill Withers and became chairman of Motown Records.
She was a valued member of the affluent Beverly Hills community for 55 years, and had become known for her charity efforts, whether working on fundraisers with Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, who she considered friends, or quietly volunteering in the Watts neighbourhood in South LA, 20 miles from Beverly Hills, but a world away.
President Clinton, basketball great Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, and TV star Oprah Winfrey were among those to publicly pay their respects.
Mr Smiley, Mrs Avant’s friend and neighbour, told The Telegraph: “No place is safe”.
“One of my neighbours was robbed at gunpoint the other day as she pushed her baby in a stroller,” he said.
“We think we are the greatest country in the world, but at some point, when people are hopeless, and desperate, and poor, you end up at anarchy.”
Policy to tackle homelessness
Homeless encampments have taken over many of the city’s public parks and spaces during the pandemic, with officials split on the best policy to deal with it. The city has been divided on a reluctance to clear the camps on Venice Beach.
“Rome is burning,” former LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a recent local TV interview. “I have lived here my entire life. I have never seen this town so dirty, I’ve never seen crime go up so quickly, and the spread of homelessness all throughout the city. I think there is a lack of urgency and clear leadership in this town right now.”
Bryce Eddy is vice president at private security firm Covered 6, one of two hired by the City of Beverly Hills to help keep their streets safe. His firm has deployed as many as 40 individuals per shift to perform high-visibility, armed patrols in the area.
“The need for our firm is increasing, and that’s not a good thing,” Mr Eddy, 47, said.
The residents of well-funded Beverly Hills, with their private security guards and crime-fighting drones, are, of course, among the lucky ones.
