Page 216 - Flaunt 171 - Summer of Our Discontent - St-John

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SINGLE ROOM OCCUPANCY
DTLA Just Before the Shutdown—March 2020
Written by Larry Fondation
Nearly the whole of Los Angeles appears within a half mile radius of the corner of 6th and San Pedro just south and east of the heart of downtown.
Elbow to elbow there are the major shelters—Midnight Mis- sion, Union Rescue, the Weingart Center. Despite the proximity of these places, tents line all the streets for blocks. Tents have replaced cardboard boxes recently. Camping companies have made donations. An awful twist on social mobility. There simply aren’t enough beds. But at least they have tents. It is not Yosemi-
te. These tents are still cruel.
It’s a hot night in February. Many of the homeless are
shirtless. Some are well-muscled. Perhaps they have not been homeless for long. Others have copious tattoos. Maybe they have not been poor very long. Some of the tattoos have military references. They may be veterans of our longest war. Others are emaciated. They are hungry. Everyone is hungry—for something that is not this, for something else.
Many are women and children. They have been evicted.
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