LAist: PhiLAnthropist: Walking on Skid Row

dgarzila

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:00:19 -0800

I am grateful for the awareness. But that is what is always said when I say that it is time to start doing things about the problem. How many non-profits are out there dedicated to raising awareness? How many emmy's and accolades for journalists when the problem still hasn't been solved. What we need is action and the community members themselves are doing things to begin to solve the problem, where the many huge non-profits have failed to do solve these problems. These non profits have been here for over 25 years without accountability some as long as 75 or more , yet, the problem got worse under their watch. There is a slow revolution brewing here where the residents are out providing the solutions because the days of calling them out has not accomplished much. People don't listen to us , they prefer to listen to the so called experts who haven't solved the problem. Just saying. Let's stop just throwing money at these not-profits and expect them to solve these problems and let's ask them why they have failed to solve this problem? They are the experts. Right? And awareness is great , but action is what is needed.

Emily Lerman

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:08:58 -0800

dgarzila, Please understand that just because I spent sometime down there, I don't claim to have an idea of how things really are on Skid Row. Because I don't know what it's really like. My objective is to raise awareness. I realize there are many people who don't know and don't care about the problems on Skid Row. However, I have also quickly learned there are many people who don't know but DO care, and that's all I am hoping to do - get those people involved who do care and who are willing to work toward "implementing" solutions. I do read your blog and blogdowntown and many others, and thanks to them, I read and learned more about Skid Row, and that led me to the walk and this post. I am an accoutant, not a journalist, and I wrote about it not because "I like the story so much" but because I believe more people need to know about what is happening in their city, especially young people such as myself.

Tom Andrews

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:13:43 -0800

dgarzila, My mistake about the woman in the Obama shirt. I should have simply wrote that they were not part of the walk.

dgarzila

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:52:54 -0800

I think Brady and others Disagree with one thing. When you get statistics from the Missions , you really have to question a lot of those statistics. Another problem for people like me ,who actually live in skid row and walk the streets day and nignt is what we truly see what is out there. I went on a late night walk with a documentary crew last night , we were out at midnignt until 3 am. We didn't have police with us , or politicians , or any security guards. I can attest that just because someone who doesn't live in skid row claims that there are more homeless on the streets because he shows up to take pictures of the flags at the Midnight Mission and now and then goes on Neighborhood Watch walks you also need to question that person and their journalistic integrity. I am talking about blogdowntown and Ed Fuentes. It is ridiculous that the people quoted are people who are just doing press release reporting. You won't see Ed Fuentes down here at 3 am with a full film crew because he would be attacked along with that film crew. We were out and about last night and early morning hours and we had carte blanche of skid row because I and the other persons on that walk live here. To come down to skid row when it is safe and then say you know what is really happening is erroneous. Come down here during those hours and without hiding the film equipment. I was on that walk and I can tell you that those two in that picture are not homeless. The one with the OBAMA t-shirt. Just because they live in skid row and in an sro does not make them homeless. These are the hours you need to be here. You would have got to see the aotomated public toilets out of service and myself like a JACK ASS in front of a video camera explaining how great they were and then to see it out of order and then open the door and someone is inside laying there high on drugs. Again these warm and fuzzy stories , yeah, give props to Estella and Orlando Ward from the MIdnignt Mission, but come down to my blog to learn where many of these missions social servie providers are failing , watch and listen to the people down there who know the real reasons these multimillion dollar operations haven't solved the homeless problem , as always the cop out words are it is a complex issue , we all know the solutions , but is there anyone willing to implement them? I am not waiting . I have fathers who have approached me to teach them how to build computers and websites. This weekend I will have some at Drupal Camp learning and I will be teaching here in skid row. These people want out. I am bringing the schooling and the training here. School is a far away option for folks in skid row who also work at these non-profits. The residents and those living here are now saying enough is enough and if these social service providers can't do it with their millions and their exorbitant salaries we will have to do it ourselves. It is hard to understand this concept when the only things that people see in even articles, like this post, are the people strung out, it is hard to believe that there are thousands more who are not strung out who live in skid row. And so one questions my reasons for doing what I do because they don't see the bigger picture , just the little snippets of those willing to venture onto the streets when the police are around. Come spend a day and night with actual residents who are succeeding in skid row. It might change your mind. And watch how the residents are changing the streets and pushing the powers that be to make the difference and hold them accountable instead of doing the stories they like so much so a journalist can have access.

Tom Andrews

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:18:51 -0800

BingosDingo I agree with with what you said. It's easy for people to judge these people but it's also easy to end up like these people. I think it's hard to say anything about skid row until you have walked the streets and seen the many faces that make up the community. The lady in the Obama shirt (pic #9) was homeless. I will do a STYLEist post soon.

BingosDingo

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:05:10 -0800

Colfax: Hold up your thumb and forefinger. Look at the distance between them. Like it or not you are that close all the time. Stara: That's one of the walkers; not a denizen. Tom: When are we going to see some more stylists? FWIW. In my teens I was homeless a number of times. To look down on these people would be to look down on people I knew then who helped me and made sure I didn't end up dead or damaged beyond repair. To those of you who consider these people a nuisance, better dead or forgotten, or in need of an imaginary serial killer, chances are your current circumstances are a matter of luck and someone elses loving kindness.

Tom Andrews

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:40:28 -0800

Thanks Elise Elise it sounds like you have a smart dad, more parents should do that.

Elise Thompson

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:23:15 -0800

Well done, both on story and pics. It's nice to see something so weighty covered. The photo of the man with the scarf on his had should be in Time Magazine. I once told my parents I was dropping out of high school. The next day instead of taking me to school, my dad drove me down to Skid Row and said, "OK, Get out." I was like, "You're kidding, right?" He said, "This is where you're going to end up, so you might as well save us all some time."

Tom Andrews

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:50:46 -0800

Thanks Matt I took the photos and Emily Lerman wrote the article.

Matt Vannucci

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:40:13 -0800

Great coverage, Tom! As I rarely (never) make it down there, this really puts Skid Row into perspective.

scotyosh

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:05:57 -0800

Truly a city of Lost Dreams...

stara

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:46:49 -0800

It's nice to see that the homeless support Obama (pic #9)

Carrie Meathrell

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:30:22 -0800

EXACTLY, Colfax. Don't forget the bite marks and red ribbon around the wrist!

Colfax

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:34:49 -0800

what this city needs is a cop who's willing to bend the law and fabricate a homeless serial killer.