A former homeless drug addict said that California’s current political class is unable to help the large and growing population of homeless drug addicts who roam the streets of Los Angeles in record numbers.
Jared Klickstein, a recovering drug addict who has lived on Skid Row and in prison for some time, told Fox host Jesse Waters that California politicians get the issue wrong.
“People need to be incentivized to get sober. And right now, they’re being incited to do whatever they want — use fentanyl on the street, commit crimes to support their habits — and it just won’t fix anything,” he said.
Jesse Watters (left) talks to Jared Klickstein (right: old photo of Klickstein) about his days as a homeless drug addict living on LA’s Skid Row
One of the reasons homelessness in Los Angeles has increased by 20%, according to Watters, is because the politicians who create legislative and policy solutions misunderstand the root cause of the addiction that afflicts many in the population.
“I think those in charge come with compassion, but what they’re doing isn’t working,” said Klickstein.
According to the City of West Hollywood, there are currently at least 69,144 homeless people in Los Angeles County. That number is nearly double the number — 36,165 — recorded less than five years ago in 2019.
He said he left Skid Row when he was arrested and served six months in county jail, which allowed him to overcome the “physical” side of addiction.
“But you see, a big component of addiction is mental addiction. So prison didn’t really do that for me. So what I’m proposing is maybe mandatory long-term treatment — 1 to 2 years of treatment where we deal with psychiatric issues, professional training, you know, preparing people for a life worth living when they get out,” he said he.
He acknowledged the fact that some addicts have to hit rock bottom before they can get and stay clean, although he said he doesn’t advocate jailing all drug-addicted residents of Skid Row.
He told Watters that the government programs that use taxpayers’ money to distribute housing vouchers are ineffective because they don’t respond to the addiction aspect of the problem.
“If you’re homeless because you’re impoverished, maybe that will help. But we see the vast majority of these homeless people on the streets of urban centers like Los Angeles and San Francisco, these people addicted to fentanyl and meth,” he said.
Homeless people are seen on December 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California
Nicole Ginsberg, 51, and her dog Lilly Day wait to be offered accommodation while living on 3rd Street in Venice on January 13, 2023
Eric Freeman, 59, cleans the sidewalk outside his tent during a break from a rainstorm in Skid Row, where he has been homeless on and off for the past 30 years in downtown Los Angeles
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced another multi-billion dollar investment to solve the state’s radical homelessness problem
Karen Bass, who recently won a controversial mayoral election, has also pledged to fight tooth and nail to end the city’s homelessness problem
Homelessness, and particularly homelessness with the added facet of severe drug addiction, is currently a significant problem in many major metropolitan areas in the United States.
Especially in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where drug-addicted homeless populations have engulfed entire neighborhoods, people find it difficult to conduct business and parents feel comfortable when their children walk to school.
Late last year, members of the Los Angeles City Council voted to prevent homeless people from pitching their tents within 500 feet of schools in the city.
City Council Member Joe Buscaino walked into the Dr. Phil Show to defend the measure.
He said: “No kid in America should be afraid to go to school and what we found in Los Angeles [is] Children are afraid to go to school.’
“They tell their parents they have to step over needles and human excrement and deal with individuals who unfortunately suffer from psychotic behavior – right next to their playground.”
The politician said Dr. Phil that his legislative agenda is not driven by hatred or bigotry toward the homeless, but by a need to protect the vulnerable in his community.
Homeless men in Skid Row are seen in Los Angeles in December 2022
A man sweeps in front of makeshift tents while workers clean up a homeless camp across the street under the 101 overpass and Cahuenga Boulevard
“It’s not a crime to be homeless, but these are sensitive spaces that we must protect, the most sensitive spaces among us. Playgrounds, beaches, libraries, parks — and have a certain responsibility to those who are in those spaces,” he said.
On his office’s website, Buscaino advertises to his constituents the possibility of reporting a homeless camp directly to the city. Most camps are illegal, although Democratic politicians are often reluctant to dissolve anyone.
Over the past year, camp residents have become increasingly courageous, erecting huge tents and blocking entire streets, much to the chagrin of outraged locals
Some evidence even suggests residents of the pop-up camps are draining water and electricity from the city.
Aggression from the city’s homeless population increased during the pandemic, as in virtually every other major metropolitan area. Like many other Liberally-run cities across the country, LA has become a den of debauchery and crime, and the way forward is unclear at best.