Are We Taking a Step Back?
A Skid Row Cop's Opinion

Hello everyone, I am Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph, Serial No. 32511.  Recently, our City Council made an agreement with the American Civil Liberties Union to allow homeless people to sleep on the sidewalk at night Citywide.  It is unknown what the impact of this decision will be.  In my opinion, it will be a negative one, but not for the reasons people would stereotypically believe would come from a police officer.

Yes, increased crime and poor quality of life issues are a "realistic" concern.  This is counter to our "idealistic" detractors, however, my worries and fears are not only for the homeless individuals that will begin to take refuge on the streets Skid Row, but the rest of the City as well.

My concern is mainly for their individual safety.  Before the Safer Cities Initiative (SCI), people were allowed to sleep and camp on the sidewalks, which created a form of chaos.  The chaos led to the victimization and self-destructive behavior amongst the homeless.  This congestion of criminality made it very difficult to serve the homeless members we protect from crime.

It also created an atmosphere, amongst many homeless individuals, which allowed them to cater to their addictions and illegal trades.  Furthermore, they did not have to change their lives.  This attitude not only led them to become victims of their own vices, but also was compounded as they became victimized at the hand of others on a frequent basis. 

On many occasions during my tour of duty as a night patrol officer, I would respond to incidents of violence that had occurred against people who sought the streets of Skid Row as a place to rest.  In the morning, they would awake battered and or raped, as they would lie next to a pool of theirs' or someone else's human waste.

One of the saddest examples of this, that has effected me personally for years, was when a homeless friend of mine affectionately named "MiMi" was brutally strangled to death as she slept in the street.  MiMi was a special lady to me.  Yes, she was a drug addict, but she had a light inside of her.  We became fast-friends after she flagged me down one day just to chat.  We would speak honestly with each other about my job and her addiction.  When she was bingeing on crack, she would let me know by stating, "Joe, it's not a good time to talk right now.  Can't let you see me like this."  Then she would sadly walk away from me.  However, in rare moments of sobriety, she expressed a strong desire to put her life together so that she could one day reunite with her two children.  She would tear up and come to the realization that the temptations around her and the environment she was "allowed' to live in would never make that change a reality for her.  I would pray with her and counsel her, as she did for me on the nights the tragedies I witnessed on this job would shake my faith in humanity.

At the time, I did not have an answer for her.  I was a young cop who thought my sole responsibility was to crush crime and fill my patrol car with as many criminals as possible.  I did not really take the time to familiarize myself with the programs in the area.  I was just too busy.  MiMi, along with many other wonderful people I've met over the years, changed my perception of the people of Skid Row.  I began to realize that they deserved better, and needed a push to help get them together.

My "super cop" mentality began to morph into a tough love approach for the people of Skid Row.  My efforts were fueled by the thought that MiMi did not have to die the way she did.  Years after, we fought crime diligently in Skid Row without support or resources, the mediocrity surrounding our efforts kept us from making any lasting change.

For years I did my job, placing violent criminals and drug dealers who exploit the homeless in jail, and counseling drug addicts.  Unfortunately, the lack of support from other agencies, lack of officers, and constant battles with agenda-based groups, who exploit the homeless for funding masked under the banner of "civil liberties," ultimately led to these criminals being released into an environment that allowed them to continue to plague the community.  I compared my first seven years at Central to a loyal guard dog forced to eat a generic brand of dry dog food, and then someone comes along and allows me to take a small bite into a T-bone steak, leaving me craving for more.

In October 2006, the resources we needed to curb this historic trend arrived in the form of the Safer Cities Initiative (SCI).  With dedicated leadership, officers from Central Division with additional fifty energized officers took a 33 percent bite out of crime.  As I watched, the streets transformed from a place of squalor and hopelessness, to a place of sanity and community.  I was not satisfied, I craved more.

I watched as people began choosing the shelters over the streets, as a result of the efforts of officers that gave them that push.  There was less human waste, and waste of lives due to overdosing.  There were less syringes and other forms of paraphernalia on the sidewalk for addicts to reuse and spread infection.  More people benefited from drug programs and dedicated service workers in the area.  The people that still chose to remain on the streets or could not find shelter at night were behaving themselves.  Social groups who were skeptical of our motives at first were now coming to the table to discuss how they could be of assistance. 

How this ruling will affect all of our efforts has yet to be seen.  I do not struggle with this as much as I struggle with the thought that there are groups who have never been to Skid Row on a consistent basis to see what I have seen.  Or maybe they have a couple of times, but really could care less; for their overall agenda far outweighs the individual lives affected by this ruling.

My overall fear for the homeless is they will be an easier target for the increase in crimes against them not just in Skid Row, but City-wide.  However, this decision will not deter our Division and Department from doing our best to combat this ugly trend.

The positive I see in the ruling is that maybe those outside of the Skid Row realm might get an understanding of what it was like down here, and finally step-up to the plate and speak out for more services outside of the Skid Row area.

Sincerely,

Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph

32511@lapd.lacity.org