Letters to the Editor: Problems at Skid Row can’t ‘be magically fixed by treating people as unwanted criminals’

To the editor: I think this is one of the most important opinion pieces that the L.A. Times has published since I’ve been reading it (“My neighborhood, Skid Row, is not exactly what you think it is,” May 13). At a time when Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing Californians to think of the unhoused or severely impoverished as people unworthy to sleep and live in public spaces, we need voices like guest contributor Amelia Rayno’s reminding us that these are real people and communities being affected by vindictive policies.

The suffering and dangers of living in Skid Row are not to be ignored. However, neither can they be magically fixed by treating people as unwanted criminals. I think David Graeber and David Wengrow stated it best in their book, “The Dawn of Everything.” To paraphrase, “security” does not have a singular definition. There’s the security of knowing one has a statistically small chance of being shot. And then there’s the security of knowing that there are people who will care deeply if you are.

Matthew Neel, Sherman Oaks