A Southern California man who suffers from schizophrenia claims that he was dumped in front of a homeless shelter by a local hospital, rather than being taken to his mother's house, per his request. more ›

No doubt you woke up this morning, threw open your front door to inhale the scent of jasmine, like in a Joan Didion essay, then closed the doors and reached for your bottle of whiskey, the fumes going straight up your nose like they once did to Charles Bukowski. According to GQ, it's these types of scents that make Los Angeles the smelliest -- not the stinkiest, but the smelliest -- city in the world. And it's these romanticized literary notions of L.A. that fuel our dubious distinction. more ›

On the heels of last weekend's music festival starring Public Enemy, The Real McCoy and Kurupt, Skid Row will host the Festival for All Skid Row Artists, a two-day event that will highlight the creative work of residents of Skid Row and their neighbors. more ›

Public Enemy brought the noise to Operation Skid Row Music Festival on Sunday, along with several other acts, proving that music activates and block parties rock. Chuck D, the hip hop group's founding member, and Skid Row activist General Jeff collaborated on the event to create some fun for Skid Row residents. more ›

Last week there were three stabbings on Skid Row within four days. The good news was that they occurred under a surveillance camera. The bad news was that the camera wasn't working. more ›

Father Maurice Chase, better known as Father Dollar Bill, has died. Chase, 92, was a fixture on Skid Row during Thanksgiving and handed out thousands of dollars, mostly in singles, to homeless and struggling people he encountered there. more ›

Skid Row's homeless population has something to be thankful for this weekend. The Union Rescue Mission (URM) began serving its annual Thanksgiving feast this morning at 11am, kicking off this year's holiday early by filling grumbling tummies with turkey and all the trimmings. more ›

A man "distraught over personal issues" was seriously injured just before 9:00 a.m. on Sunday when he jumped from the third-story fire escape of the Jonah Project building on skid row, said authorities, according to LA Now. more ›

Has this lady ever tried to grab and gobble your baby? The Los Angeles Police Department are releasing the photograph of and information about Natasha Hubbard, a 36-year-old woman charged with aggravated assault after a July 21 incident in which she yanked a 4-month-old baby from a stroller, slammed him into a pole, and tried to break off his arm so she could eat it. more ›

480 hours of community service is a lot of work, and actress Lindsay Lohan has barely scratched the surface of her sentence. LiLo has logged a mere four of the 60 days--just 33 hours of work--ordered in conjunction with the necklace theft case that had her in and out of the courtroom recently. more ›

Prince William and Kate's Summer Tour 2011 comes to a Southern California end with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge getting royally gritty during a downtown spin through Skid Row and a nearby school, according to the Associated Press. more ›

Downtown Los Angeles' homeless population won a battle with the City this week, after an injunction reaffirmed Thursday guaranteed that a homeless person's property cannot be seized and destroyed if left unattended on the street. more ›

Frankie C takes iconic photos of the people he encounters on the streets of Skid Row and surrounding neighborhoods against a black backdrop. An L.A. native, he likes to "keep it street" but now he has an opportunity to show his photos in a gallery and is looking to raise $1,000 to fund the exhibition using Kickstarter. Check out his work in this video. more ›

Barre's newest resident, Jackie Tohn's, "There's a Big Show in Here" is more animated than a Saturday morning cartoon, funnier than a barrel of funny things and is clinically proven to stop your spring doldrums in a single bound. A musical story of guts and glory, the voice that launched a thousand, "Wow I wish I could sing like thats" is all yours, for a limited time. more ›

Lindsay Lohan loves accessories so much she sometimes wanders out of the store wearing some without paying. So how will she enjoy spending 480 hours donning rubber gloves and accessorizing with mops, sponges, and industrial disinfectant? The actress has a whole lot of community service to complete, per Friday's ruling by Judge Stephanie Sautner, explains LA Now. more ›

An armed man waving his gun at bystanders on skid row was shot and injured by LAPD on Sunday evening downtown in the 500 block of San Julian Street. The suspect, reportedly upset over a stolen laptop, grabbed a weapon from a backpack and began pointing it at people on the sidewalk, including at a woman in a wheelchair. The man fled to a nearby apartment where officers found him arguing with another person. The suspect, refusing to obey officers, was shot in his legs and initially refused treatment. Officers found a woman and a cocked semi-automatic handgun inside the room where he was hiding, reports the LA Times. more ›

Reverend Maurice Chase, aka Father Dollar Bill, was at it again this Thanksgiving, handing out $15,000 in cash yesterday to eagerly awaiting homeless in what has become an annual tradition. Singles, twenties and a few benjamins were handed out to those in need at the Salvation Army Mission at 5th and Sanford in downtown LA. KTLA reports that the money Father Chase donates comes from Mrs. Bob Hope, Mrs. Frank Sinatra, Bob Newhard, Eli Broad, Vin Scully and many others. His stated goal, despite criticism, is simply to make sure skid row residents know they are not invisible. more ›

Detectives are investigating the fifth homicide in Downtown L.A. this year, after officers were led to what the LAPD is calling a "bloody crime scene" inside the Renato Apartments on Skid Row. Last night a woman told passing officers there were two men fighting in one of the single-occupancy residence (SRO) units; in room 415 they found a "bloody mess" and one dead man, and one man who is now expected to survive, and provide vital details about the incident. In the small apartment, the LAPD found at least one knife, signs of a struggle, and indications alcohol played a role in the crime. more ›

A 35-year-old man was shot and killed this morning just feet from the LAPD's Central Division police station early this morning. At around 12:45 a.m., an argument between two men on the 500 block of Maple Street developed before at least one shot was fired, witnesses told police. more ›

Recipients of meals at Skid Row's Union Rescue Mission has some unusual options for dinner last night thanks to a large donation, according to LA Now. 250 pounds of game meat, including elk, deer, antelope, bear, sheep, and wild pig, was donated by The Sportsman Channel as part of a national initiative called "Hunt. Fish. Feed." more ›

It's impossible to mention the positive change happening on Skid Row without mentioning General Jeff. LAist met him back in 2008 at the site of his first major project, the Nike-sponsored basketball court in Gladys Park. KCET recently caught up with him as well. more ›

The man suspected of killing a popular Skid Row resident last Friday has turned himself in, the LAPD announced this morning. Charles Colbert, 50, saw himself on the news and called detectives Sunday evening. He was booked at the Central Police Station and is being held with no bail at the downtown Metropolitan Jail. “Despite the arrest, the investigation continues,” Lt. Paul Vernon said. “We want to encourage the public to provide any tips they may have on this case.” Conrad "Dread" Phillip, 41, was gunned down Friday on Los Angeles Street. more ›

LAPD Detectives took less than 24 hours to identify a suspect in the shooting death of 41-year-old Conrad "Dread" Phillip, who was gunned down early yesterday morning at 563 South Los Angeles Street on Skid Row. A warrant was issued overnight for 50-year-old Charles Colbert, who was last known to be living at the Pershing Hotel, an SRO located a block from the scene of the crime. more ›

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich and other public safety officials gathered yesterday to announce a plan to create an injunction in Skid Row to curb drug dealing in the area. "The single biggest criminal threat facing this area is the open and notorious drug dealing," explained Trutanich at a press conference yesterday in Gladys Park, where protestors from the L.A. Community Action Network surrounded him, chanting loudly against the proposal. more ›

LAPD detectives arrested the man they'd nicknamed the "Stun-Gun Bandit" during the course of an investigation yesterday, according to a news release. Lester Robert Evans, 68, was on parole for a bank robbery, and has been tied to a December boutique robbery during which "the suspect was captured on video shocking the young clerk with a stun gun." more ›