Andy's Updates - 11/2008

What I shared at LA Police Commission

by monica on Monday, November 24th, 2008, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments

At the behest of the LAPD, this morning at 5 A.M. we went out as a URM team and alerted folks sleeping on the street that the LAPD right was right behind us carrying out maximum enforcement of a code that prohibits sleeping on the streets after before 9:00 P.M and after 6:00 A.M. We also were able to invite them to our Thanksgiving Celebration tomorrow. Everyone mentioned they were so thankful for the caring wake up call, the “Good morning” and “God bless you” greetings. We were very well received and I am sure that it made the LAPD’s challenging task much easier. Union Rescue Mission has supported and still supports the police and their successful efforts to reduce overdose deaths by nearly 50%, violent crime by 40%, and the number of people sleeping on the streets from 2000 to nearly 700. When I spoke at the LA Police Commission this last week, I shared my friend Irvin’s story:

“My name is Irvin Atwater and I would like to commend LAPD for putting officers on foot and bicycles in the downtown Skid Row area. The streets are safer now. Evidence of this can be seen in the different ethnic faces seen after dark downtown. This did not happen two years ago. People were afraid to walk the streets in the Skid Row area even in the day time, because police presence was limited. I would have never believed that downtown LA streets would be as drug free as they are today -not as many drugs, less reason for a lot of the criminal activity. I use to be on these streets and the only time I have ever had a LAPD Officer say anything to me was when I was in a place where I shouldn’t have been or I was breaking the law. I support more officers on the street and making personal contact with the people whom they protect and serve.

If it was not for the compassion of a LAPD Officer, Deon Joseph, when I was addicted to rock cocaine, I would not be here before you today writing this letter as a tax paying citizen who is now drug free for almost two years – the first time in nearly 20 years.

Officers downtown have an extremely difficult job and I believe their being in close contact with the public allows not only the public to see the officers as human beings who have a job (that is not always easy), but it allows the officers to build relationships in the community based on trust and respect. These are two of the greatest benefits of the Safer Cities Initiative.”

As I finished Irvin’s story before the commission, I was booed loudly by many activists in the room, but I received a very nice note of thanks from the Assistant Chief of Police, Sergio Diaz.

Irvin’s story and my time at the Commission were in my mind as I went out this morning at 5 A.M. Hopefully, awakening our friends who are homeless so that they can follow the law encourages them and helping the officers with upholding the law would be made a bit easier. This is just a temporary solution until the day when we have roofs over the heads of all people and we live up to Los Angeles’ name – the City of Angels. Andy B.

Deconstructing Skid Row

by mindy on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments

As I stood speaking next to an LAPD Patrol Officer, a gentleman lay still on the sidewalk, covered in a sheet.  He had not awakened that morning due to what appeared to be an overdose of heroin.  Other folks in the same dire straits walked past and made signs of the cross, respectfully prayed, or blessed the man now departed.

The officer asked, “What is it going to take to change this area?”  I shared the usual answers: the difference and improvement the LAPD has made through the Safer Cities Initiative, the increased outreach, the building of permanent supportive housing and the plans to build more. But then I said what I believe needs to be said, “This area of Skid Row needs to be deconstructed, disestablished.  The plan to corral/contain homelessness in the 50 square block area known as Skid Row over the past several decades has created, what I describe as, the worst human made disaster in the United States.  Dropping off, dumping, and gathering all of our County’s most challenged, struggling, and, sometimes, desperate folks into one dense area has done the area and those individuals undue harm.”

My friends who are homeless would be best served if they could regularly connect with other healthy people in a community surrounded and filled with Hope.  That is why Union Rescue Mission founded Hope Gardens Family Center, far from the mean streets of Skid Row.  The transformational locale and community has done wonders for the spirit of our moms and children.  We moved ahead with the plan for Hope Gardens because of our own convictions, but also due to a study by University of Southern California which stated that our friends who are homeless would best be served in their own regions, in smaller facilities, away from the mean streets of Skid Row.

As the CEO of one of the largest Mission’s of its kind west of the Mississippi river and as the President of the Los Angeles Central Providers Collaborative on Skid Row, I now truly believe we need 100 facilities like Hope Gardens for each of our men, women and children homeless in our communities. Skid Row, as we know it, and the policies of containment and corralling need to be deconstructed and disestablished for the good of our community and the good of the individuals we are trying to assist, encourage and provide a hand up and out of homelessness.  -Andy B.