Walking into the raw reality of LA’s Skid Row

A few months ago, as I was at a coffee shop waiting for my drink to be made, I came across an article written in the Los Angeles Downtown News that caught my eye.  It was about ” title=”LA’s Skid Row” target=”_blank”>LA’s Skid Row community, which I felt would be invaluable and necessary to have, especially as someone studying to become a social worker. 

This past Wednesday, my dear friend ” title=”Midnight Mission” target=”_blank”>Midnight Mission is a human services organization in downtown, Los Angeles’ skid row.  My friend and I parked in the lot underneath the Midnight Mission, and as we walked out of the elevator and into the main building, we found ourselves entering into a very raw reality.  We walked towards the front of the building, and had to cross through the courtyard to catch up with the group. There were around fifty people, whom I’m assuming were all homeless, who were laying and sitting on the ground, seeking refuge behind the gates.  It was an intense reality to face, as I looked around and saw many tired and lost faces, who were holding onto their minimal possessions.  As I passed through, I did not want to stare and potentially make them feel as though they were being gawked at, and so I carried myself in a way that was calm and collected.  When we passed through the gate and got to the sidewalk, we walked directly into a protest that was going on, led by an organization that was there to protest the walk.  I saw a sign that said, “Take your intervention somewhere else,” which they kept yelling repeatedly.  The walk has been going on for six years, and up until five months ago, the organization has come to protest every month.  I had no idea what to think or what was going on.  I was feeling sensory overload though, with all the intensity.  There were about five police officers there to accompany the walk, and so I felt protected.  Despite all the yelling, the officers kept calm as they made sure the protest didn’t get too chaotic.  One of the officers caught my attention because amidst the clamor, he appeared to be very calm and deep in thought.  Moments later I realized that it was Officer Joseph, whom I had read the article about in the coffee shop.  I went up and introduced myself to him and told him that I was there because of the article I had read.  He instantly welcomed me and let me know that he was there to answer any of my questions.  I could tell off the bat that he was a kind man.  With everything going on, the walk began to move forward, as the protest trailed behind us with their drums, signage and yelling.

As we walked down the street there were a couple of homeless people lying on the sidewalk.  The police officers accompanying us told them that they had to move.  During the day, homeless individuals are prohibited from sleeping on the sidewalk, and are arrested by the police if they are found doing so.  They are only permitted to sleep on the streets between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.  The idea is to keep the sidewalks clear of crime, violence and drug abuse throughout the day.  ” title=”Our monthly walks ” target=”_blank”>Our monthly walks have successfully garnered the attention of federal, state, county and city legislators who are all working on various solutions for the inhumane conditions that exist in Skid Row.  First and foremost is our call for public safety – all people who live Downtown, and especially Skid Row residents, deserve a crime-free, gang-free, drug-free and empowered community to call their own.”  Prior to the walk, I had never heard of the CCEA.  Hearing the protesters yell about how they believe that the CCEA and the police officers are corrupt really confused me.  All I could do was keep my eyes and ears open, and observe what was going on all around me.  What I was told by one of the officers, which I found to be interesting, was that people participating in the protest weren’t even living on skid row and had been bused in for the protest, and that the residents of skid row supported the work that the police were doing.  I found it interesting that the protesters’ yelling and signage was personalized in a way that would suggest that they did live on Skid Row.  Some of them looked like people that one would find living comfortably in the suburbs.  I also wanted to keep an eye out for how skid row residents were responding to Officer Joseph, to see if they possibly did support the work done by the CCEA and the police. 

As we proceeded down the street, I began to wonder about how many of the people living in the Skid Row population were lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ). I’ve heard many times about LGBTQ youth getting kicked out of their homes because their families don’t want to accept their sexual orientation or gender expression.  I read an article by the ” title=”JQ International” target=”_blank”>JQ International, that goes into different synagogues and educational establishments, to train their clergy, teachers and family members on how to prevent such circumstances within the LGBTQ Jewish community.  If I had been in another family, I may have ended up living in the conditions that I was witnessing on Skid Row. 

I noticed an odd looking structure, and was told that they were ATP’s, which stands for Automatic Public Toilets.  They replaced all the porta-potties on skid row, which were being used for illegal activity.  I was told that the ATP’s are consistently monitored and that the doors automatically open after 20 minutes.  They are also self-cleaning.  When I went online to find out the name of the structure, I saw a quote in an ” title=”Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority” target=”_blank”>Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.  Their workers join the monthly walks to conduct outreach to those living on the streets. For a moment, the man was almost willing to get into the van, but his temperament changed and he declined their help.  Officer Joseph said that was the 26th time that he has tried to get him to seek shelter.  We had to move forward. 

Seeing the old man made me think about the beast of addiction, and how people are willing to kill themselves over it.  I have known several young people, who had every opportunity in the world, overdose on heroine.  They knew that death was always around the corner, but it didn’t matter.  They were in such pain that they didn’t want to stop doing the very thing they felt was the only solution for escaping their pain.  Officer Joseph said that there are many young people living on skid row that come from very prominent and wealthy families.  I’ve known a few people from the Jewish community that have ended up on skid row. Addiction discriminates against no one.  I have been to way too many funerals at ” title=”Central City Association Treasure of Los Angeles Award” target=”_blank”>Central City Association Treasure of Los Angeles Award.  He said, “In law enforcement, we do not put on our badges to win awards.  The real reward is being able to make positive changes where we serve.”  He said that he felt there were others who deserved the honor more than him, that rarely get recognized for their work in the Skid Row community.  He put out a list of amazing people that worked for organizations like ” title=”Midnight Mission” target=”_blank”>Midnight Mission, ” title=”Skid Row Housing Trust” target=”_blank”>Skid Row Housing Trust, and many others.  He even thanked someone he referred to as “the unknown man” who had given up a chance for Officer Joseph to house him, so that an elderly man could be housed.  He said, “You touched me brother.  I have never forgotten you.”  While watching Officer Joseph interact within the Skid Row community, I felt that I was witnessing unconditional love.  It was very touching and I hope to have that same kind of presence and influence as I engage within the world.

On the last few blocks of the walk, we passed by where all the gangs congregate.  There must have been over a hundred people hanging around in the area.  Officer Joseph had me walk with him as he pointed out specific gangs that he recognized, and told me the nicknames of their different members, such as Mousey…  They were standing around a park that was closed, but after 9pm the gates open and the gangs take over.  You can only be a gang member to enter.  They were there to mostly sell drugs.  I learned that there was a team effort going on between the men and women in the same gangs, when it came to how they sold the drugs.  The men looked out and the women hid the drugs inside of their bodies. They also hid weapons in their bodies.  While we were passing through, I saw an old woman scurrying across the street.  She must have been over 70 years old.  Officer Joseph said that he has tried multiple times to get her into housing but she refuses to go.  It was very upsetting to see, especially with the awareness that women are sexually assaulted all the time.  Men are also sexually assaulted. 

After we turned the corner we once again saw the Midnight Mission, which is where the walk both started and ended.  I thanked the woman from the CCEA, Officer Joseph and the other police officers, and tried to walk away quickly since I could see that the protest was getting all rallied up.  Once again,