‘Collapse of a city that’s lost control’: Shocking new pictures from downtown LA capture the huge problem it faces with trash and rats amid fear of typhoid fever outbreak among LAPD

June 2, 2019 in News by RBN Staff

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
By 
LAUREN FRUEN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS

  • A decision to not cap property that homeless people can keep on Skid Row was announced last Wednesday
  • It sparked fury among some who say it will ‘only perpetuate the public health crisis that already exists’ there 
  • Images from the downtown area show trash piling up as workers struggle to keep the area sanitized 
  • Rows and rows of tents line the sidewalks of Skid Row in the sprawling 50-block area, home to around 4,200
  • On Thursday it was revealed a Los Angeles police detective has been diagnosed with typhoid fever 
  • At least five other officers are also showing symptoms and their division polices downtown LA
  • Dustin DeRollo, a union spokesman, said cops who patrol Skid Row ‘walk through the feces, urine and trash’ 
  • In an op ed for The LA Times reporter Steve Lopez called it ‘the collapse of a city that’s lost control’

    These shocking pictures from downtown Los Angeles capture the growing problem it faces with trash and rodents in a desperate city also trying to contain a typhoid fever outbreak linked to worsening sanitary conditions.

    A decision to not cap the total amount of property that homeless people can keep on Skid Row was announced last Wednesday and it sparked fury among some officials who say it will ‘only perpetuate the public health crisis that already exists’ there.

    That, coupled with the news a Los Angeles police detective has been diagnosed with typhoid fever, has sparked concern among LA’s residents.

    The city has now said it will dispose of sofas, refrigerators and other large items in the 50-block area of downtown.

    But councilmen Joe Buscaino slammed the decision, saying: ‘The settlement will only perpetuate the public health crisis that already exists in Skid Row and will set a precedent for the rest of the city that will normalize encampments.

    ‘The city is sending a clear signal that we are turning the sidewalks in Skid Row into free, unlimited public storage, doing a disservice to the residents of Los Angeles, especially to those living on the streets.’

    Images from the downtown area show trash piling up as workers struggle to keep the area sanitized. They are pictured wearing face masks among the dirt and grime.

    Rows and rows of tents line the sidewalks of Skid Row in the sprawling 50-block area, home to around 4,200 homeless people, many in tents and shantytowns.

    Some lay passed out in the street, seemingly from the effects of drugs as others are pictured lugging their property around, in search of the next spot to set up.

    Belongings of the homeless crowd a downtown Los Angeles sidewalk in Skid Row. The city of Los Angeles on May 29 agreed to allow homeless people there to keep their property and not have it seized, providing the items are not bulky or hazardous

    Belongings of the homeless crowd a downtown Los Angeles sidewalk in Skid Row. The city of Los Angeles on May 29 agreed to allow homeless people there to keep their property and not have it seized, providing the items are not bulky or hazardous

    Piles of trash remain near the intersection of 25th St. and Long Beach Ave. Images from the downtown area show trash piling up as workers struggle to keep the area sanitized. They are pictured wearing face masks among the dirt and grime

    Piles of trash remain near the intersection of 25th St. and Long Beach Ave. Images from the downtown area show trash piling up as workers struggle to keep the area sanitized. They are pictured wearing face masks among the dirt and grime

    A law had been passed in 2016 which limited the amount of belongings a homeless person can store on the sidewalk to 60 gallons. Piles of trash remain near the intersection of 25th St. and Long Beach Ave

    A law had been passed in 2016 which limited the amount of belongings a homeless person can store on the sidewalk to 60 gallons. Piles of trash remain near the intersection of 25th St. and Long Beach Ave

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