Part of Los Angeles’ preparation for the inauguration of newly elected Mayor Karen Bass was a massive effort to clean out sprawling homeless encampments in the downtown area. Her first act at the top of the heap that is the nation’s second-largest city?
Bass declared a homeless state of emergency. Irony has found a new home in LA.
As for the fate of those who made their unofficial homes downtown, the forecast for several inches of rain moved the swearing-in ceremony indoors. Thus the clean-up effort was abandoned before it was finished, and those swept away quickly moved back in.
A similar situation was found when the Super Bowl was held at LA’s SoFi Stadium in February. Massive tent encampments and open-air drug markets were efficiently removed as the sporting world’s spotlight turned to the city.
Of course, after the game was over and the cameras left, they were quickly erected again. No thought was given to the plight of those unfortunate enough to actually live and work downtown before or after the big game.
Los Angeles mayor to declare homeless state of emergency https://t.co/UmFVDQ2j3C
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 12, 2022
Now residents, both full-time and daytime, were left with the same situation they faced before — navigating a third-world setting where drugs and violence are unchecked.
But the 43rd Mayor of Los Angeles is on the job, sworn into office by none other than Vice President Kamala Harris. This is the same vice president whose job includes securing the nation’s southern border.
Bass pledged that her first day as mayor would be partially spent at the city’s emergency operations centers declaring a state of emergency due to the homeless crisis. The Democrat promised to “recognize the severity” of the situation and planned to house “17,000 people” in her first year.
With Gov. Gavin Newsom in attendance, Bass added that “we must build housing in every neighborhood.
Newsom, of course, is no stranger to pledges to tackle the homeless crisis.
Many residents of Los Angeles and other major U.S. cities prefer that officials concentrate their efforts on cleaning up violent crime and rampant drug use. With those effectively dealt with, it is reasonable to expect that the homeless issue would be a far less daunting task.
