Councilmember Jan Perry Responds To 9th Circuit Court Decision

In a strongly worded op-ed today in the L.A. Times, Los Angeles Councilmember Jan Perry responds to the court decision by starting off, “ACLU’s victory is a loss for skid row.”

Councilmember Perry represents parts of Central City East (“skid row”), and has been very active in resolving homelessness there. She expresses the frustrations of some community members who are desperately trying to resolve acute homelessness in this part of Los Angeles.

Here is how she ends her piece:

ANYONE WHO TRULY cares about the homeless will not rejoice in the court's decision. Law enforcement is not the problem. The LAPD has never swept the streets of downtown Los Angeles clear of the homeless, nor has it tried. But some attempt to restore order is necessary. For years, the anything-goes attitude toward skid row has created a culture of lawlessness in which many people (mostly African Americans) have died.

The 9th Circuit's decision will only reinforce the view of law enforcement authorities and mental health officials from outside Los Angeles that public drunks, drug users, homeless people and those suffering from mental illness belong not in their city, but in downtown L.A.

The city of Los Angeles cannot be held accountable by itself for housing the county's entire homeless population of 88,000. The whole region needs to step up. The city of Los Angeles will always bear the lion's share of the responsibility for providing housing and homeless services. But we can't do it all.