Protect The Homeless, Or Stop Homelessness?

The Los Angeles Times published an article today by Carla Rivera, “Protection Sought For L.A.’s Easy Prey.” Here is the LA Times article. The recent beatings of two homeless men in downtown Los Angeles, the articles states, has “spurred police and advocates to look for better ways to safeguard the city’s homeless.”

It says police “are more alert to the need to protect elderly and sick homeless people who might present easy targets.”

Advocates are looking for “remedies” such as increasing lighting at intersections, adding beds to shelters and adapting services for homeless people who have resisted help.

The real remedy to this sad situation is not more lighting, it is providing enough shelter and permanent housing so that people living on the streets do not have to choose to sleep on the streets.

We all know that living on the streets is not safe. We should not be allowing such living conditions.

Orlando Ward, a staff person from the Midnight Mission has a terrific quote in the article, “There’s a deeper message that these people’s lives are not worth protecting or honoring. And we all share the blame, as we have allowed skid row to fall into lawlessness.”