Why Does Skid Row Exist? Los Angeles History
Channel: These Are Our Humans
Date: 2022-11-24

A brief dive into the LA homeless crisis. We look at the history of the Los Angeles homeless tent city known as Skid Row. Before asking how bad is Skid Row we think it's important to discuss why the homeless problem exists in the first place. Covering homelessness in Los Angeles dating all the way back to the 1800s, this quick deep dive will get you up to speed in just 6 minutes. Wonder why do they call it Skid Row?

Chapters:
0:00 Skid Row Los Angeles - Homeless Capital of the U.S.
1:00 The 19th & Early 20th Century - Forming of Skid Row
2:09 The 1970s: Skid Row Becomes Official
3:16 Late 20th Century: Homeless Population Boom and the Los Angeles housing crisis
4:20 The 21st Century: Police Crackdown and la homeless ban
5:43 Today Skid Row remains the hub for help for the unhoused


Footage Courtesy of:
CBS New Los Angeles
The Associated Press
Library of Congress
Pexels
The Globe and Mail
C.D.C. Communications
ABC World News Tonight
the legendary Richard Kotuk
Downtown Los Angeles 1974 David Dutkowski
Los Angeles California 1977 Mackenzie Rough
Google Earth
Wall Street Journal
PBS News Hour
CBS This Morning
LA Times
LAHSA
Myself!

Images Courtesy of:
Associated Press
LA Times
Ken Lubas
NY Post

Sources, Links & Recommended Further Reading:

A special thank you to UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy for their extensive write up in 'The Making of a Crisis' report
https://luskincenter.history.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2021/01/LCHP-The-Making-of-A-Crisis-Report.pdf

MENDLY v. COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES 
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1769890.html

LA Times (paywall)
https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-1119-county-lawsuit-20151119-story.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-09-18-vw-11186-story.html

William Bratton scandal
https://nypost.com/2015/10/15/lapd-altered-cases-to-conceal-crime-under-bratton/
https://www.latimes.com/local/cityhall/la-me-crime-stats-20151015-story.html

The People of LAHSA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbIbWfNVexU

Further reading:
Michael Harrington, The Other America: Poverty in the United States (New York: Macmillan, 1962), 
Steve Gorman - “Los Angeles Homelessness Rises Sharply as Housing Crisis Deepens”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-homeless-losangeles/los-angeles-homelessness-rises-sharply-as-housing-crisis-deepens-idUSKCN1T609L