Skid Row advocates, residents condemn mass police raid as 'publicity stunt'

Community organizers and Skid Row residents held a press conference outside LAPD headquarters on Friday to address the recent multi-agency drug sweep in downtown Los Angeles. Speakers from the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN) criticized the operation as a "publicity stunt," alleging that street closures, heavy police presence, and tactical raids traumatized local residents without addressing root causes like affordable housing, sanitation, and job access. Law enforcement officials previously defended the operation, stating it was necessary to dismantle gang-run drug networks operating in the area.