Currently, areas such as Skid Row are being proclaimed as the “homeless capital of America,” and Human Rights Watch is issuing reports attacking Gov. Gavin Newsom as well as other local officials for their treatment of unhoused people. One would hope that Los Angeles is taking the right steps to move away from its history of criminalization and toward policy change that fights back against the alienation of communities enduring homelessness. Yet, even in the wake of advocacy groups demanding the repeal of laws that continue this cycle of violence, L.A. has created a city that doesn’t embrace them. 

After Human Rights Watch issued the report, Mayor Karen Bass’s office responded by saying that it was a “cynical and disingenuous report” and criticized it for “pontificating about policy changes” rather than focusing on the communities of color who face ongoing violence as a result of the housing crisis.

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But despite these words, L.A. has pursued policy that continues the legacy of criminalization. Inside Safe, one of the city’s newest programs aimed at decreasing homelessness, has failed in a multitude of ways to respond to the issue, with its largest problem being the reinforcement of strict punishment and dehumanizing behavior. A report from mutual aid groups highlighted a lack of individual autonomy, expired food that caused many to fall ill and disregard for religious accommodations. 

These policies have been combined with actions from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, including sanitation sweeps that have resulted in the bulldozing of encampments and living spaces with no regard for the safety or health of these communities.  Even with its progressive promises to solve the housing crisis, the city has created programs that only reinforce the outrageous treatment of unhoused people, continuing the doctrine of criminalization that has plagued the city for so long. 

When considering the problem of historical mistreatment, it’s important to recognize the prevailing attitude that those unhoused are less deserving of respect and safe conditions than others. It is the reason why the city creates new programs that focus on building temporary shelters that still end up dehumanizing individuals, yet implement laws that essentially criminalize being unhoused. 

L.A. Municipal Code Section 41.18 is a law that makes the presence of encampments and living spaces illegal by prohibiting the obstruction of any “street, sidewalk, or other public right-of-way.” Although the city claims the law is necessary to “keep its public rights of way clean and available for public use,” it is actually a prime example of how L.A. has criminalized the very existence of unhoused communities. 

In reality, the city has enough funding available to permanently house many individuals living in inhumane conditions. Instead, it chooses to continue funding a police force that results in unhoused individuals making up 38% of all citations and arrests — despite being only around 1% of the city’s population. 

A recent study from researchers at UCLA surveyed unhoused individuals and revealed that 31.8% experience daily discrimination and 53.9% experience it weekly. This is compounded by racism and sexual harassment, which is not only a human rights issue but results in negative long-term health effects. By continuing to alienate unhoused communities, both the public and our government justify the lack of adequate attention paid to them.

When we inherently assume that those without permanent housing are undeserving of basic human rights, it informs the way that we pursue policy change. The city’s efforts to resolve the housing crisis have been focused on trying to push these individuals and communities out of public view, rather than implementing solutions like healthcare funding, vacant property conversion and ending the Los Angeles Police Department’s involvement — something that advocacy groups such as the Los Angeles Community Action Network have emphatically called for. 

Fighting the housing crisis in a way that respects the human rights of unhoused communities is possible, and we must amplify demands to repeal laws such as 41.18 and pursue change that refuses to criminalize and mistreat unhoused communities. No longer can we allow L.A. to hide behind a progressive facade that attempts to resolve these problems with policies that use the resources of the city to police rather than genuinely help communities. 

It is time to stop the alienation of homelessness and support policies that ensure equitable access to housing and social services and that actively engage unhoused individuals in developing solutions.