Christopher Rufo joins Brian Anderson to discuss drug addiction and homelessness in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Skid Row, the subject of Rufo’s story from the Winter 2020 Issue of City Journal, “The Moral Crisis of Skid Row.”

“They call Los Angeles the City of Angels,” writes Rufo, “but it seems that even here, within the five-by-ten-block area of Skid Row, the city contains an entire cosmology—angels and demons, sinners and saints, plagues and treatments.” To address the growing public-health crisis, progressive activists and political leaders have relied on two major policies: “harm reduction” and “housing first.” But despite nearly $1 billion in new spending, more people are on the streets than ever—and the crime and addiction are getting worse.

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  1. colleenb Member
    colleenb
    @colleenb

    Thanks for this interview. I did watch the video first which was very helpful. I gather that there are only certain areas of LA which have these homeless encampments. It would be interesting to know what percentage of LA is basically uninhabitable for the non-homeless. Is that percentage growing? 

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