L.A.’s Skid Row: A Toxic Playground

Here is the report by the United Coalition East Prevention Project that surveyed the children in downtown L.A.’s Skid Row (or Central City East.) Here is the PDF file for this study.

It describes an Orwellian environment for children who are caught in the trap of homelessness—through no fault of their own.

Here are some findings:

• The percentage of the skid row population that are children increased from 1% in 1990 to 15% in 2000.

• Half of children surveyed witnessed a death while living on skid row.

• 1 in 5 children living on skid row are not enrolled in school.

• 71% of children have lived on skid row for one year or more.

• 71% of children surveyed have never tried drugs, while 29% have tried them.

Children in Skid Row are a blatant example of criminal neglect in our society. We can’t accuse them of being lazy; that they should just get a job; that they are drug addicts; that they deserve their homeless plight. It’s just not accurate.

Through no fault of their own, they are living in an environment of neglect.

When will our community mobilize its resources and creativity to end this? I don’t mean just writing a check. I mean developing a strategic crisis plan, to save these children now.

When will our community pass an ordinance that would ban our society from allowing children to live on our streets?