Los Angeles Homeless Man Shares the Harsh Reality of Skid Row

Luke's Wife has ended up feeling the desperate need to sell her body simply in order to survive the streets

And he agreed to this?

That sure sounds like what a addict would do for a fix.

originally posted by: Boadicea
a reply to: Edumakated

The bottom line is that these folks are either junkies or can short of a six pack upstairs. It is that simple.

Even if that were the whole truth -- it's only PART of the whole truth, and we both know it -- there is still no excuse for allowing such a situation to exist.

Indeed, just knowing this is the case demands even greater effort on our part to address these weaknesses and vulnerabilities of humanity and the systems we create. ESPECIALLY when government claims "ownership" of up to 80% of the land in some western states. With great power comes even greater responsibility.

It's NOT an excuse to throw the baby out with the bath water.... as much as some would like it to be.

And yet, I've seen on this same board stories of local governments that provide needles and bandaids for junkies instead of helping them to kick their habits. Tax dollars being used to enable these losers to steal and sell their bodies for drugs.

originally posted by: Boadicea
a reply to: Edumakated

The bottom line is that these folks are either junkies or can short of a six pack upstairs. It is that simple.

Even if that were the whole truth -- it's only PART of the whole truth, and we both know it -- there is still no excuse for allowing such a situation to exist.

Indeed, just knowing this is the case demands even greater effort on our part to address these weaknesses and vulnerabilities of humanity and the systems we create. ESPECIALLY when government claims "ownership" of up to 80% of the land in some western states. With great power comes even greater responsibility.

It's NOT an excuse to throw the baby out with the bath water.... as much as some would like it to be.

How do we "allow it"?

Again, when people have free will but are severely addicted to drugs what exactly are we going to do to get them off the street? Every city and town has social services both government and private. Soup kitchens, temporary housing, drug treatment, etc. However, these people are not using those services because their addictions are so severe and they are so dysfunctional, there is nothing that can be done to help them.

You could provide free housing and it would soon look like a third world aide camp in Africa. Their drug addictions are the only things that matter in their lives.

If society wants to "help" these people the only thing we can do is to trample on their rights by forcibly removing them from the streets and throwing them in jail/rehab or a looney hospital. That's it. However, the minute we take this young man off the streets against his will, the ACLU will be out saying we violated his rights to be a junkie living on the streets.

Look, I feel sorry for these folks. I really do. I see junkies like this in my town everyday. The imagery is stark because often times they will be standing on a street corner, with a sign begging, clearly young and able bodied, but zombiefied from heroin. In the background over their shoulder will several signs in windows saying "Help Wanted".

a reply to: an325nt

And yet, I've seen on this same board stories of local governments that provide needles and bandaids for junkies instead of helping them to kick their habits. Tax dollars being used to enable these losers to steal and sell their bodies for drugs.

Yup. Our tax dollars at work. Which only affirms my point. We -- as in the collective "we" -- have created and perpetuated and escalated the situation with our own piss poor decisions and actions.

We created this mess and we can fix this mess. But will we?

a reply to: Edumakated

Yes, it's a complicated mess that we created, escalated and perpetuated in various ways. It is a multi-faceted problem and it will require a multi-faceted solution.

Let's start by guaranteeing everyone a place to live... and therefore create a life from. Give everyone a place to live and there won't be homelessness.

Let's end the war on (people who use) drugs -- end the criminalization and persecution of natural non-lethal substances, and especially the medical research and development that will minimize the need/want for addictive pharmaceuticals which eventually become addiction to illegal substances.

Let's return to teaching all kids marketable skills in high school, and finding a way for anyone and everyone to obtain vocational training and/or higher education so that everyone has the ability to make a living for themselves and their families.

And while we're at it, let's return to teaching real life skills to our kids so that they can be independent, resourceful and self-sufficient -- things like growing vegetable gardens, cooking, sewing, simple mechanics, carpentry, etc.

We've mucked it up real good. We have turned people into helpless and dependent burdens on society.

We created the problems. We can fix the problems. But we have to have the will to do so.

Drugs, they say, are made in California.

originally posted by: Fisherr

Luke's Wife has ended up feeling the desperate need to sell her body simply in order to survive the streets

And he agreed to this?

That sure sounds like what a addict would do for a fix.

I certainly don't agree with it, I just struggle to judge others when I don't know what led them to the place they're in.

Briefly; I was kicked out of my family home at four years old and thrown to the dogs. I spent the next twelve years of my life growing up in all kinds of children's homes, foster homes, and 'units' of all kinds, all over the place spread over three different countries. It was hard.

During those years, I met, lived with, and grew up with other kids from all kinds of backgrounds. For the most part, these were all kids with broken hearts and minds and we're invariably from broken homes.

I've seen them turn to hard drugs, suicide, committing serious crimes and ending up in and out of the slammer, or any combination of the above.

I've seen the process from the beginning to end too many times to have a cold heart, these truly are people with stories to tell.

Me? I was lucky, I simply walked a different path. It's not that easy for everyone though, some people are simply too broken, they choose to self-destruct.

After seeing and experiencing some seriously dark stuff in the world myself, I can hardly blame them, to he honest.

It's a bitch...

originally posted by: Boadicea
a reply to: Edumakated

Yes, it's a complicated mess that we created, escalated and perpetuated in various ways. It is a multi-faceted problem and it will require a multi-faceted solution.

Let's start by guaranteeing everyone a place to live... and therefore create a life from. Give everyone a place to live and there won't be homelessness.

Let's end the war on (people who use) drugs -- end the criminalization and persecution of natural non-lethal substances, and especially the medical research and development that will minimize the need/want for addictive pharmaceuticals which eventually become addiction to illegal substances.

Let's return to teaching all kids marketable skills in high school, and finding a way for anyone and everyone to obtain vocational training and/or higher education so that everyone has the ability to make a living for themselves and their families.

And while we're at it, let's return to teaching real life skills to our kids so that they can be independent, resourceful and self-sufficient -- things like growing vegetable gardens, cooking, sewing, simple mechanics, carpentry, etc.

We've mucked it up real good. We have turned people into helpless and dependent burdens on society.

We created the problems. We can fix the problems. But we have to have the will to do so.

How do you "guarantee" everyone a place to live? The issue isn't that there isn't a place to live, the issue is they are too drugged out of their mind to hold down any kind of job to afford to live anywhere even with room mates. All their money goes towards getting high.

War on drugs? I agree that we need to decriminalize drugs. I'd rather the money spent locking people up in prison go toward rehab. It also would lower profits enough that it would drive out most of the criminal element.

Yes, we don't teach life skills enough. No real disagreement but I don't think that is necessarily a huge contributor to the situation on skid row.

a reply to: intrepid

I LIVE MAH LIFE IN GUTTTTUHHHHHH

I have been biting my tongue because this is going to sold cold and cruel.

I have been in the property management business for close to 20 years.
I have dealt with it all from rooming houses to commercial property to apt buildings.

I've dealt with the richest of people and the poorest of people.

Rooming houses are a step up from living on the streets most times and I have met people who were going from homeless to having a room.
Room gets destroyed,needles and crackpipes in their units and they always think they deserve a(nother) break.

A property is an investment and a lot of what I see....I would prefer they stayed homeless since there is no respect for anything and they have no issues ruining things,pissing people off and then laughing because screwing with others is funny.

After running a couple rooming houses in my time....the bad behavior and attitude outweighs the tear tuggin tales they tell and I regret most of the times I gave someone a chance.
(sad isn't it)

If this guy tried to rent a room from me...I would turn him away and wouldn't lose sleep.

Sometimes kicking someone out into the streets is just better off for all the people who want to live peacefully without having their stuff stolen every time they turn around....to me,I suspect the parents of the girl know this too.

I have seen a lot of things and have been homeless myself....if you are going to tell me your sad story,I am a VERY tough sell.

It sucks but sometimes the homeless don't respect having a home enough to deserve one.
Its sad but true.

Its nice that someone wanted to hear his story,but I feel the person filming is a well meaning idiot,with 0 clue as to how the other half lives.

originally posted by: Lysergic
a reply to: intrepid

I LIVE MAH LIFE IN GUTTTTUHHHHHH

Someone disagrees with that:

I would rather shoot for the moon and miss than aim for the gutter and make it -Danny Trejo

www.instagram.com...

He would know. What a history he has. I LOVE this quote by Danny. Aim high and go for it even if you fail.

a reply to: an325nt

whenever a beggar asks me for money, i always say to them, 'you know i have HUNDREDS of friends i can call to crash, why dont you call a friend or relative...'

the answers are all the same VAGUE bs.

well my sister did this, my friends do not live around here, my friends do not believe me, i have no friends...

it sucks, most of the homeless have lost focus and clarity. might be drugs, might be something in their brains, who knows.

i know a few alcholics, and their ONLY mission is to get drunk. ive seen a friend burn thru 250,000 in cash, a car, a job, etc. he has nothing now, but he is living on someone's couch. i assume once they kick him out, he will be forced to get sober.

but any beggar who talks to me, i tell them go crash with a friend or relative and get a job. they all give me the same BS runaround, and i just tell them the same thing, 'dude im broke'

it sucks in nyc guiliani got rid of the beggars for about 15 glorious years. thanks to bloombergdebalio, beggars are everywhere again. i saw a guy laying down on the street on 9th avenue, i pulled over told him its dangerous. he yelled at me. this vagrant was just laying down on the street, and 9th avenue is sort of a fast street, for sure with TONS Of traffic.

look if nyc can go 15 years without beggars, and no one died, then they can do it again.

the only reason there are beggars, is because the cities let them. start arresting them and kicking them out, and WHAM, all of a sudden these people WILL find their way back home, and they can stop their whining and bothering people.

right now, all these cities are ENABLING alcholics and addicts to live on the streets to get their fix.

originally posted by: DrumsRfun
I have been biting my tongue because this is going to sold cold and cruel.

I have been in the property management business for close to 20 years.
I have dealt with it all from rooming houses to commercial property to apt buildings.

I've dealt with the richest of people and the poorest of people.

Rooming houses are a step up from living on the streets most times and I have met people who were going from homeless to having a room.
Room gets destroyed,needles and crackpipes in their units and they always think they deserve a(nother) break.

A property is an investment and a lot of what I see....I would prefer they stayed homeless since there is no respect for anything and they have no issues ruining things,pissing people off and then laughing because screwing with others is funny.

After running a couple rooming houses in my time....the bad behavior and attitude outweighs the tear tuggin tales they tell and I regret most of the times I gave someone a chance.
(sad isn't it)

If this guy tried to rent a room from me...I would turn him away and wouldn't lose sleep.

Sometimes kicking someone out into the streets is just better off for all the people who want to live peacefully without having their stuff stolen every time they turn around....to me,I suspect the parents of the girl know this too.

I have seen a lot of things and have been homeless myself....if you are going to tell me your sad story,I am a VERY tough sell.

It sucks but sometimes the homeless don't respect having a home enough to deserve one.
Its sad but true.

Its nice that someone wanted to hear his story,but I feel the person filming is a well meaning idiot,with 0 clue as to how the other half lives.

I've seen the same. Everyone always wants to believe all people are inherently good and a victim when that is not really the case.

The opioid crisis is out of control. I hate seeing homeless and have empathy, but you also cannot be naive either.

My town is quite liberal and unfortunately, our empathy is attracting a lot of these losers to beg on the streets. They are over running our library (to the point we actually have a social worker at the freaking public library), destroying the public restrooms and littering up our parks, bringing petty crime to fund their drug habits, etc. To be blunt, I am even losing empathy at this point.

We have plenty of social services for people who are down on their luck, but the reality is that most of these people on the streets are not "down on their luck". They are chronic homeless suffering from addiction other issues that make it impossible for them to function at all in society. No amount of free sh*t will get them off the streets.

These folks are like feeding pigeons in the park. It may make you feel better feeding them, but at the end of the day, they will just leave a bunch a sh*t all over the place hence why parks don't want you feeding pigeons. See San Fran and their poop patrol... it applies to human's too.

a reply to: Edumakated

How do you "guarantee" everyone a place to live?

Very easily... the same way we divide and assign property rights now... except we do so without regard for "ability to pay" and in regards to "right to live." Especially in regards to the vast acres of land that the government claims ownership to. If they can assign that land to themselves then they can assign it to someone else.

At the very least, home buyers -- the operative word being "home" -- should not be forced to compete with investors... and our tax dollars should not be used to subsidize investors in the home market. Nor should we have to compete with foreign investors who buy houses then leave them to rot, thus artificially decreasing housing supplies.

Everyone has a right to live someplace. No one has a right to any more than that.

Understanding that -- and legislating/regulating accordingly -- would go a very long way to easing the homelessness problems (and many others).

originally posted by: Boadicea
a reply to: Edumakated

How do you "guarantee" everyone a place to live?

Very easily... the same way we divide and assign property rights now... except we do so without regard for "ability to pay" and in regards to "right to live." Especially in regards to the vast acres of land that the government claims ownership to. If they can assign that land to themselves then they can assign it to someone else.

At the very least, home buyers -- the operative word being "home" -- should not be forced to compete with investors... and our tax dollars should not be used to subsidize investors in the home market. Nor should we have to compete with foreign investors who buy houses then leave them to rot, thus artificially decreasing housing supplies.

Everyone has a right to live someplace. No one has a right to any more than that.

Understanding that -- and legislating/regulating accordingly -- would go a very long way to easing the homelessness problems (and many others).

We don't divide and assign property rights... property has value and the only way to own property is to either have cash or get financing. You can't get financing without assessing "ability to pay". Lenders tried making loans without "ability to pay" and all it did was inflate housing because it allowed people who should have never been able to buy homes to play with money they didn't have. Without evaluating ability to pay... guess what... people don't pay.

I've been in mortgage business for 15 years.

No investor leaves a property to "rot" as the property is an asset. Why would anyone buy something and let it rot so that the underlying asset is worth less than their investment? NO ONE.

Sorry, but your suggestions are absurd.

People don't take care of free sh*t because the have no skin in the game. We have decades of real world proof with public housing and section 8 to document this fact. It is cultural by in large. If people can't keep public housing clean and tidy what makes you think some drugged out meth head is going to care for his tiny house?

a reply to: markovian

Just a question for clarity, are you speaking from experience? Or....

a reply to: Lysergic

Who is this “they”, I live here. Other than Mary-Jane, I take your baseless posit, and raise you the opioid crisis swallowing the eastern seaboard.

A broken clock and is right twice a day....

a reply to: Edumakated

We don't divide and assign property rights...

Excuse me??? We divide the land into parcels and lots and we then assign it to people with deeds. Please.

... property has value...

Of course it does... because people need to live and work somewhere.

... and the only way to own property is to either have cash or get financing.

It wasn't always that way, and it is only that way now because that's how MAN made it -- not God, not nature, not nature's god. Man made the rules. Man made cash. Man made financing.

We made the rules and we can change the rules. But we need to change our attitude and purposes first.

originally posted by: DrumsRfun

....if you are going to tell me your sad story,I am a VERY tough sell.

With all due respect, if you reread the comment that I presuming you're alluding to, you will see that it was never about me, I'm a survivor.

Besides briefly setting the scene, I was talking about those who are less fortunate and perhaps less equipped to deal with life and the situations it can throw at us.

As a side-note, my Mother rents out properties of her own and runs and maintains a multi-million-pound portfolio for a property management company, so I do understand where you're coming from. She's mega-strict on references and who she'll let properties to.