I spent the day in Los Angeles' most dangerous neighborhood that is riddled with crime - here is what it is REALLY like YouTube creator Drew Binksy spent a day on Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles The area is known for its rampant drug use, homelessness and general danger RAED MORE: Downtown LA slammed as 'third world' as shocking video By Emily Lefroy For Dailymail.Com Published: 21:36, 29 August 2024 | Updated: 22:01, 29 August 2024 e-mail View comments With rows of tents, trash littering the sidewalk and stories of violent crimes, Skid Row's reputation as one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in America is well documented. 'Prison is much better than this,' declared a 70 year-old man, who has been homeless since 2004 and calls Skid Row home.
The man is just one of thousands of people who live on Skid Row which is home to one of the largest homeless encampments in the country as well as being one of the most notorious and dangerous neighborhoods in the United States. YouTube creator Drew Binksy spent a day on Skid Row with an organization called Midnight Mission, seeing first hand the devastating violence and spiraling mental health crisis that consumes the entire area. Drew was led by Midnight Mission volunteers Heidi and Dante, who help conduct regular welfare checks on vulnerable people living on the streets, as well as food, medical care and shelter.
YouTube creator Drew Binksy spent a day on Skid Row to see first hand the devastating violence and spiraling mental health crisis that consumes the entire area Skid Row is home to one of the largest homeless encampments in the country as well as being one of the most notorious and dangerous neighborhoods in the United States The 50-block area in downtown Los Angeles is filled with extreme poverty, mental illness and drug addiction. Currently there are over 5,000 people living in encampments with many experiencing horrific violence from those around them. 'So she was having a seizure and someone decided to jump on top of her and rape her,' Heidi told Drew as they approached a woman sleeping on a street corner.
'And while that was happening the cops came and while the cops came to try to help her somebody had a knife and tried to knife the cops,' she added, explaining the escalating violence that surrounds them. Heidi and Dante added it's not unusual to find people have passed away in their sleep, often from hypothermia. 'More people die of hypothermia on the streets of Los Angeles than in New York because New York has the right to shelter, so they'll have shelter but here, people don't think about it,' Heidi explained.
Drew spent the day meeting other locals in the area and hearing their stories. Among them was a wheelchair-bound man called William, who has been living in his tent in the neighborhood for two years, claiming the area has only got more dangerous in recent months. William (left) who is wheelchair bound has been living in his tent for over two years Drew spent the day meeting other locals in the area and hearing their stories along with Dante (left) who works for Midnight Mission Currently there are over 5,000 people living in encampments with many experiencing horrific violence from those around them 'They get all this money to do things for us but we don't see none of it, it's going in their pockets,' he said, as he sat in his tent.
Heartbreakingly, William added he had originally come to the area with his wife but that he has not seen her in some time as she is now in a nursing home. 'I don't know where she is now,' he said somberly. Dante and Heidi, who is an ex-addict herself, explained that Skid Row has been around for over 100 years, but used to be known for a place to buy, sell or do drugs.
However, now, it's a place people live. Drew added that although they had walked around a lot of the streets, he did not feel like he was in danger. 'I'm seeing things of course but I'm not being threatened, I'm not being attacked,' he explained.
LA is currently home to more than 46,000 unhoused people - a 10 per cent increase on the previous year, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Homelessness in downtown LA in particular has exploded since the pandemic, with more than 10,000 more unhoused people on the streets since 2019. Homelessness in the city has increased 70 percent since 2015.
YouTube New York Los Angeles Share or comment on this article: I spent the day in Los Angeles' most dangerous neighborhood that is riddled with crime - here is what it is REALLY like e-mail Add comment.
