To Feed or Not to Feed . . .

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — LAPD Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph has been working Skid Row for a number of years. He uses the LAPD blog to bring up topics, and now adds something many might not have considered an issue. He wants the volunteer groups, mostly from churches, who come from outside Downtown to distribute clothing and food for Skid Row residents to know that they may be leaving long term problems behind. Joseph writes in To Feed or Not to Feed, An Important Question:

“Homeless feeders” still come down to skid row by the dozens and give out paper bags full of food, and throw plastic bags full of clothing onto the sidewalks. They do not recognize that one of the driving forces keeping many of the homeless on skid row is the flourishing narcotics trade. When they are finished doing their good work, the homeless individuals in question remove their halos and begin bartering their food items and clothing for narcotics.