Los Angeles Unhoused Become Targets

Latest

A notice for the Special Enforcement Zone in Los Angeles that prohibits sitting, sleeping, and lying on the public sidewalk / Photo by Chris Venn

Los Angeles CA — Last week in Los Angeles three homeless people were shot on the streets. This happened in the middle of the night as each person was alone.

In her first year in office, Mayor Karen Bass had $250 million to spend on housing. This is the one-year anniversary of her “Inside Safe” program. As part of this program, only 200 people have been housed.

“A lot of this is coming from failed politicians. People are tired of seeing all this money spent. Here it is one year and there are 46,000 unhoused people living on the street” says General Dogon of the LACAN Human and Civil Rights Committee.

There was a 24-hour news cycle covering of these killings. What about the consistent violence of six people a day dying in Los Angeles from being unhoused?

When Karen Bass became mayor of Los Angeles, she stated there was a homeless crisis.

The mayor claims 20,000 people have been housed, but this is just “shelter shuffle.” $3,200 a month is being spent by the city on hotel rooms, lining hotel owner’s pockets. This is way too much for a hotel when you have condos renting for $1,500 in downtown Los Angeles.

This is the same thing as Triple H in 2016 where $1.2 billion in bonds was raised, with the support of 77% of the voters, to build housing. In September 2020, estimated building costs rose to $531,000 per unit.

“This is why we see the killers. It is because city hall is breeding them,” said General Dogon.

When decent people see this, it is pissing them off. Everyone doesn’t have the same understanding. City council policies grow those kinds of attacks because as they continue to fail to provide actual housing, people grow more and more frustrated, and they end up targeting the vulnerable.

“All this money with barely any results is going to be a lot of trouble unless we make a serious change to the cost.” —General Dogon

+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Pushing People into a Really Bad System Will End Really Badly

President Trump's executive order fuses drug use and homelessness, ignoring that homelessness can cause or exacerbate substance use because people use drugs to cope with pain. Forced institutional settings rather than housing will not help the ill or unhoused.

Chicago Resistance Speaks: ‘Until All Are Free, None Are Free’

An uprising is growing as the government tries to impose a dictatorship. Chicago resistance leaders recently offered their thoughts in public remarks made at demonstrations and press conferences.

Los Angeles Continues to Rebuild and Resist

Angelinos, suffering from the profit over people economy, continue to rebuild after the fires and to protest immigration raids, while also experiencing joy in such difficult times.

Chicago Teachers Union Says: Trump, Stay Out of Our City

Chicago Teachers Union rejects any unlawful federal occupation of their city, while welcoming federal leadership that fully funds public education, restores SNAP, and expands Medicaid to healthcare for all.

Journalist Says Why ‘I Can No Longer Work With Reuters’

A photojournalist says why it is impossible for her to maintain a relationship with Reuters "given its role in justifying and enabling the systematic assassination of 245 journalists in Gaza."

More from the People's Tribune