Los Angeles Homeless Man talks Rats and Police Sweeps

Video Description

When I asked Norman how long he has been homeless, Norman responded he can't remember but thinks it's about six years. Norman lives on the sidewalk in Harbor City, a highly diverse neighborhood in the Harbor region of Los Angeles, California. Norman shares about how rats have driven out of his homemade shack. The noise from the cars and trucks driving by is constant. Norman says you get used to it. People adapt to living outside. He went on to say that homelessness has taken him to another layer to understanding a human being can survive no matter what the conditions are as long as there is oxygen and water. No one should have to live like this. In Harbor City, police and sanitation sweep the area every three weeks. Norman understands cleaning for health reasons, but when LAPD takes all of their belongings, it forces homeless people to start from scratch again. It's rare to the point of almost never happening that services are provided. Homeless sweeps just confiscate people's stuff. Norman says they take their tents, their blankets - everything they have - forcing them to start over. Norman adds "if you are going to clean us out, help us." The City of Los Angeles has increased street cleaning and sanitation services for homeless encampments over the past three to five years. The City has done so with an emphasis on criminalization, harassment, and removal of people and their belongings, instead of taking a health-based approach to ensuring safe and clean streets for all. In 2019, LA's budget allocated $30 million to homeless sweeps, which do nothing to end homelessness and are a waste of taxpayer money. Your voice can help end homelessness. If we do not fix the affordable housing crisis, homelessness will continue to get worse. Click here https://invisiblepeople.tv/getinvolved to tweet, email, call, or Facebook your federal and state legislators to tell them ending homelessness and creating more affordable housing is a priority to you. Special thanks to Street Watch LA https://streetwatchla.com More homeless criminalization videos: Denver Homeless Veteran on the Criminalization of Homelessness https://youtu.be/pOPRetKm-Lk Sacramento Homeless Man on Living in a Tent City and the Criminalization of Homelessness. https://youtu.be/ae3YIcs_Xb0 Austin Homeless Man Shares Powerful Prophecy and on Criminalizing Homelessness. https://youtu.be/O1E5b2jncCI #homeless #losangeles #criminalization ================================== Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/c/invisiblepeople?sub_confirmation=1 Invisible People’s website: http://invisiblepeople.tv Support Invisible People: https://invisiblepeople.tv/donate On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/invisiblepeople Invisible People’s Social Media: https://www.youtube.com/invisiblepeople https://twitter.com/invisiblepeople https://www.instagram.com/invisiblepeople https://www.facebook.com/invisiblepeopletv Mark Horvath’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardlynormal About Invisible People There is a direct correlation between what the general public perceives about homelessness and how it affects policy change. Most people blame homelessness on the person experiencing it instead of the increasing shortage of affordable housing, lack of employment, childhood trauma, lack of a living wage, or the countless reasons that put a person at risk. This lack of understanding creates a dangerous cycle of misperception that leads to the inability to effectively address the root causes of homelessness. We imagine a world where everyone has a place to call home. Each day, we work to fight homelessness by giving it a face while educating individuals about the systemic issues that contribute to its existence. Through storytelling, education, news, and activism, we are changing the narrative on homelessness. This isn’t just talk. Each year, our groundbreaking educational content reaches more than a billion people across the globe. Our real and unfiltered stories of homelessness shatter stereotypes, demand attention and deliver a call-to-action that is being answered by governments, major brands, nonprofit organizations, and everyday citizens just like you. However, there is more work to be done on the road ahead. Homelessness is undoubtedly one of our biggest societal issues today and will only continue to grow if we don’t take action now. Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about homelessness through innovative storytelling, news, and advocacy. Since our launch in 2008, Invisible People has become a pioneer and trusted resource for inspiring action and raising awareness in support of advocacy, policy change and thoughtful dialogue around poverty in North America and the United Kingdom.