Thread by @shellenberger

People blame the pandemic for increasing crime & homelessness but Sheriff Villanueva of Los Angeles, a Democrat, says two of the biggest causes were letting 28,000 people out of prison and Gov. @GavinNewsom inviting homeless to come to California from out-of-state

"If you're on Skid Row [in L.A.], it's about a 100% certainty, if you're female, you're going to be raped, or they call "romancing," on the street. And you'll be a victim multiple times."

This vulnerable, psychotic woman we saw on Skid Row last week broke my heart.

Why do we let mentally ill & drug addicted young women get repeatedly raped on Skid Row and the Tenderloin?

Because that's what progressive politicians & "advocates for the homeless" demand

They even block efforts to help pregnant addicts

michaelshellenberger.substack.com/p/san-francisc…

Two blocks from the girl in the pink coat we interviewed James. He lives in a two story wood shack in the middle of the sidewalk. Upstairs are two mattresses. He says he brings his "wives" there. "Most people don't worry about much other than [their] drug habits," he said

It's possible that young women like the girl in the pink coat are consenting to have sex in tents and shacks, but when you're psychotic, or dope sick, it's hard to give consent. I suspect but can't prove that James is using his shack in the middle of the sidewalk as a brothel

The upstairs at James' has pretty decent views though I doubt it is in compliance with city or state energy efficiency standards, which is weird, because the progressives who govern LA and California say energy efficiency standards are critical to addressing climate change

Over half of all fires in LA are started by or in homeless "encampments" (open drug scenes). I'm always amazed by how long it takes to clean up the burned remains. The people who live next door don't like it. But they have to focus on maintaining their illness.

The man near the burned area says he moved to the busier street from a smaller one after he heard a man beg for his life from a man, likely a dealer, who had arrived with a machete. He is having skin problem. He receives a monthly check from the city

Across town, in Venice Beach, there is an open drug scene at the public library. Nobody hid their meth & fentanyl use. One got out of jail two months earlier. He boasted of violence. They had expensive bikes & equipment. One admitted to burglary before claiming he was just joking

This is Brian Jones. He says he suffers from schizophrenia. He was not psychotic when I interviewed him. He says he needs psych & other medicines but doesn't want to go to Skid Row for treatment. He is in the same open drug scene as the violent addicts above and thus vulnerable.

Another man in the same open drug scene at the Venice Public Library said he was hit by a car the day before. He said he was in drug rehab four months ago. It didn't stick. He hopes to get his own place and a job some day.

This young mom & her husband moved to Venice Beach from New York City in the fall 2020

It had been a safe, middle class neighborhood with an elementary school across the street

But it quickly became a dangerous open drug scene

Then, a psychotic woman tried to snatch her baby

The young mom & her husband live across the street from an elementary school. The open air drug scene in the alley behind their house resulted in a massive, dangerous fire. Now, there's a mentally unstable man dealing meth from his RV across the street, just feet from the school.