Midday Sunday: Skid Row

A week after the man called "Africa" died in a confrontation with LAPD officers on Skid Row, the Reverend Andy Bales from the Union Rescue Mission visits Midday Sunday to tell us about the positive changes that have happened since the shooting. Joining him is LAPD Central Division Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph who has worked on Skid Row for 17 years, trying to find ways to end the cycle of violence and failure that frustrate so many of the area's residents.

Watch the three Midday Sunday segments on our YouTube channel here: Segment 1 | Segment 2 | Segment 3

Today's program covers the underlying causes of homelessness in Los Angeles which usually involves people with emotional and drug problems being shipped here aboard buses, from other cities across the United States.

We also look at the double standard in the U.S. which encourages celebrities to avail themselves of expensive private care for emotional difficulties and substance abuse, while oridinary people living on Skid Row have very few opportunities to rehabilitate themselves.

Information concerning the Union Rescue Mission, the oldest and largest facility of its kind in Los Angeles, is at http://urm.org. The Los Angeles Police Department is at http://lapdonline.com.