Los Angeles’s Skid Row is getting a makeover. The slum, infamous for its very large homeless population and general lawlessness, has been transformed in recent months into a cleaner, safer, and more business-friendly place. More police officers have been walking the beat, and the principles of CPTED have been implemented: cleaning up trash, trimming shrubbery, and providing better lighting. This month, according to a Washington Post article, violent crime in the neighborhood is down 36 percent from last year, and property crime is down 38 percent. But all of this progress does not come without a price.
In a series of opinion pieces published in the Los Angeles Times, I have seen the controversy unfold. In those editorials, Estela Lopez, executive director of the Central City East Association, insists that,
“Instead of an average 2,100 calls a month involving sick or mentally ill people, last month we received 729.”
But other editorial contributors rebut that comment by asking, where have these sick or mentally ill people gone? It seems that the area known as Skid Row was not only a place where the homeless and drug addicts congregated, but also the area of Los Angeles with the most support services, such as shelters and treatment centers. The police have been writing tickets for jaywalking, and have made 1,400 drug arrests since the crackdown started last September. They are also accused of performing unconstitutional searches in order to “clean up” the streets.
Although it has helped business, and driven down crime in that particular area, the displacement of the homeless from Skid Row only forces them elsewhere. Rather than address the issue of homelessness, this strategy only forces them to live elsewhere. So while this particular Los Angeles neighborhood has become nicer to look at, the underlying problem is just moving to another location, making it harder for the people who need help to actually receive it.
The issue is complex, and I applaud the city of Los Angeles for cracking down on crime. However, I wonder what the long-term effects of this crackdown will be. As usual, we welcome your comments and discussion. Please share any insights you may have.
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