Drugs != Homelessness

By Eric Richardson
Published: Wednesday, September 27, 2006, at 12:30AM

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — While reading an article in today's Times on the D.A.'s plans to keep drug dealers off the streets of Skid Row I hit a great "Well, duh!" moment. The plan would make it a parole violation for convicted drug dealers to be in the Skid Row area, allowing them to be picked up regardless of whether they're seen doing anything else illegal.

"It is another stopgap measure that doesn't address the real issues," said Ramona Ripston, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. The plan may be legal but doesn't address the underlying issue of homelessness, she said.

Exactly. It addresses the issue of drug dealing. That's it.

I've said it many times: you will not get a handle on the homelessness problem Downtown until you root out the drug problem. Until then everything is mashed and mixed together when really they are separate problems with separate solutions.

Comments

jim writes:

it's strange that they're calling 4th street the border -- third and the street in between third and 4th are ripe for drug activity, too.

walking back to our place from little tokyo (try fiore's yogurt!) along los angeles street, there was some obvious drug dealing going on around those streets. the big tip-off was the whistle signals as cars and pedestrians passed by.

# on Sep.27.2006 AT 11:58 AM

Matt writes:

Giuliani did this in NY. It's been called Broken Window Thoery. He banned window cleaning at stop lights and subsequently crime went down in those areas that window cleaning was most prominent. So getting rid of the drugs can only help the situation, and not hinder it. What the ACLU is looking for is an overall solution to the homeless problem downtown. Trust me, a homeless person on their own, is much less dangerous than a homeless person on crack!

# on Sep.27.2006 AT 02:27 PM

Joanna writes:

Homeless people on crack have impaired, absurd, destructive judgment. What's Ramona Ripston's excuse?

# on Sep.27.2006 AT 04:45 PM