Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words

Satirical Video Focuses on LA's Skid Row While Imploring Tourists to Visit Los Angeles

Visit LA Voice Over While Rolling Homeless People Video and Hilarity Ensues.

A video newly posted on Youtube rolls video or homeless people living in tents on LA's infamous Skid Row, as a voice implores people to visit Los Angeles and engage in all the activities LA has to offer.

Republicans from President Donald J. Trump on down have pilloried Democratic run big cities like Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles and San Francisco, for the large numbers of homeless people living on its streets and sidewalks.

The conservative view is that these people are mentally ill or addicts. The more liberal opinion is that they are simply jobless in the information economy, and even if they do work minimum wage jobs, cannot afford $2400 a month one bedroom apartments in major West Coast metropolises.

According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the demand for emergency shelter in 270 U.S. cities increased 13 percent in 2001 and 25 percent in 2005. 22 percent of those requesting emergency shelter were turned away.

Into 2016, homelessness is considered an epidemic in several U.S. cities. "Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and seven of the 15 City Council members announced they would declare a state of emergency and try to find $100 million to cure what has become a municipal curse." Homelessness in New York City has tripled since January 2000, from approximately 20,000 people using provided nightly shelter services to more than 60,000 in January 2015. These counts do not include those persons who choose to stay away from shelter providers.

I've got economically zero unemployment in my city, and I've got thousands of homeless people that actually are working and just can't afford housing. There's nowhere for these folks to move to. — Seattle City Councilman Mike O'Brien on the explosion of homelessness on the West Coast.

 

Reader Comments(0)