Former Skid Row drug addict criticizes California politicians for not ‘incentivizing people to get sober’

A former homeless drug addict said that California’s current political class is not helping the large and growing population of homeless drug addicts who are living on the streets of Los Angeles in record numbers.

Jared Klickstein, a recovering drug addict who spent time living on Skid Row and in prison, said fox host Jesse Waters that California politicians are misunderstanding the issue.

‘People need to be encouraged to be sober. And right now they’re being incentivized to do whatever they want — do fentanyl on the streets, commit crimes to keep up their habits, and that’s not going to fix anything,” he said.

One of the reasons why homelessness in Los Angeles, according to Watters, has increased by 20%, is that politicians who propose legislative and policy solutions misunderstand the root cause of the addiction that many members of the population are experiencing. .

“I think the people in charge are coming in with compassion, but what they’re doing isn’t working,” Klickstein said.

There are currently at least 69,144 homeless people in Los Angeles County, according to data from the city of West Hollywood. That figure is almost double the number – 36,165 – recorded less than five years ago in 2019.

He said he got off Skid Row when he was arrested and served six months in county jail, allowing him to kick the ‘physical’ side of addiction.

But look, a big component of addiction is mental addiction. So jail didn’t really do that for me. So what I’m proposing is maybe long-term mandatory treatment: 1 or 2 years of treatment where we treat psychiatric issues, job training, you know, preparing people for a life worth living when they get out,” he said. .

He attested to the fact that some addicts need to hit rock bottom before they can recover and stay clean, though he said he does not advocate sending all drug-addicted residents of Skid Row to prison.

He told Watters that government programs that use taxpayer money to provide housing vouchers are ineffective because they don’t address the addiction aspect of the problem.

‘If you are homeless because you are impoverished, maybe that will help. But we are seeing the vast majority of these homeless people on the streets in urban centers like Los Angeles and San Francisco, these people are addicted to fentanyl and methamphetamine,” he said.

Homeless people are seen in Los Angeles, California on December 20, 2022

Nicole Ginsberg, 51, and her dog Lilly Day wait to see if they will be offered housing while living on 3rd Street in Venice on January 13, 2023.

Eric Freeman, 59, cleans the sidewalk in front of his tent during a storm break on Skid Row, where he has been homeless, on and off, for the past 30 years in downtown Los Angeles.

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced another multi-million dollar investment to solve the radical problem of homelessness in the state.

Karen Bass, who recently won a contentious mayoral election, also vowed to fight tooth and nail to end homelessness in the city.

Homelessness, and especially homelessness with the added facet of severe drug addiction, presents a significant problem for many major US metropolitan areas at this time.

Especially in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where drug-addicted homeless populations have nearly overwhelmed entire areas of cities, making it difficult for people to run businesses and for parents to feel comfortable with their children walking to school. .

Late last year, Los Angeles City Council members voted to prevent homeless people from pitching their tents within 500 feet of city schools.

Councilman Joe Buscaino attended the Dr. Phil show at the time of the announcement to defend the measure.

He said: ‘No child in America should be afraid to walk to school, and what we have found in Los Angeles [is] it’s that the children are afraid to walk to school.’

“They tell their parents that they have to step over needles, human waste and deal with people who unfortunately suffer from psychotic behavior, right next to their playground.”

The politician told Dr. Phil that his legislative agenda is not driven by hate or bigotry towards the homeless, but rather by the need to protect the vulnerable in his community.

Homeless men on Skid Row are seen in Los Angeles in December 2022

A man sweeps outside makeshift tents as workers clean up a homeless encampment across the street below the 101 overpass and Cahuenga Blvd.

‘It’s not a crime to be homeless, but these are sensitive spaces that we have to protect, the most sensitive spaces between us. Playgrounds, beaches, libraries, parks, and having some responsibility for those who are in these spaces,” he said.

On his office website, Buscaino advertises to his constituents the ability to report a homeless encampment directly to the city. Most encampments are illegal, though Democratic politicians are often hesitant to evict someone.

Over the past year, the camp’s residents have grown increasingly adventurous, setting up full-size tents and cordoning off entire streets, much to the chagrin of outraged locals.

Some evidence even suggests that the residents of the temporary camps are diverting water and power from the city.

Aggression from the city’s homeless population increased during the pandemic, as it has in virtually every other major metropolitan area. Like many other liberal-run cities across the country, Los Angeles has become a den of debauchery and crime and its path forward is unclear at best.