To the editor: I believe this is likely one of the most vital opinion items that the L.A. Instances has revealed since I’ve been studying it (“My neighborhood, Skid Row, is not exactly what you think it is,” Might 13). At a time when Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing Californians to consider the unhoused or severely impoverished as individuals unworthy to sleep and stay in public areas, we’d like voices like visitor contributor Amelia Rayno’s reminding us that these are actual individuals and communities being affected by vindictive insurance policies.
The struggling and risks of dwelling in Skid Row are to not be ignored. Nevertheless, neither can they be magically mounted by treating individuals as undesirable criminals. I believe David Graeber and David Wengrow said it greatest of their guide, “The Daybreak of Every little thing.” To paraphrase, “safety” doesn’t have a singular definition. There’s the safety of understanding one has a statistically small probability of being shot. After which there’s the safety of understanding that there are individuals who will care deeply if you’re.
Matthew Neel, Sherman Oaks
