Where Are They Going? A Call for Accountability in LA's Homeless Crisis

# Where Are They Going? A Call for Accountability in LA's Homeless Crisis

*From the streets of Venice Beach: A firsthand witness demands answers and action*

## The Question That Haunts Our Streets

**"Where are the homeless in LA disappearing to without a trace?"**

This isn't a conspiracy theory. It's a lived reality observed by someone experiencing homelessness on Venice Beach, watching their community vanish while tourists walk past with $9 coffee cups, avoiding eye contact with human suffering.

**We guarantee they are not being housed.**

So where are they going?

## The Invisible Crisis in Plain Sight

Walking through Santa Monica and Venice Beach reveals a devastating contradiction: **extreme wealth existing steps away from extreme suffering.** Tourists enjoying beach paradise while human beings haven't showered in months, haven't eaten in days, and are slowly disappearing from public view.

**This isn't accidental. It's systematic.**

## The Matthew 25 Challenge

*"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me."*

The person writing from Venice Beach poses a direct biblical challenge: **What happens to a society that walks past human suffering while holding expensive coffee?**

**Their observation is piercing:** "You say 'no change' and keep walking in annoyance that I've asked you to literally save my life from sunburn and starvation."

## The Economic Reality Behind the Crisis

**The mathematics are staggering:**

- **$2,500 per day** - Cost of emergency room visits when homeless individuals reach crisis point

- **$9 coffee** - What tourists spend casually while walking past people starving

- **3 months** - How long someone has gone without a shower while living in one of America's wealthiest areas

**The cruel irony:** It's cheaper to prevent the crisis than to treat its consequences, yet we consistently choose the expensive, inhumane option.

## The 5150 System: A Tool for Justice or Abuse?

The writer raises a crucial point about how **5150 psychiatric holds** can be misused. Originally designed to provide emergency mental health intervention, these holds can become:

- A way to remove "undesirable" people from public spaces

- A method for avoiding accountability in abuse cases

- A system that criminalizes poverty and mental health struggles

**The question:** Are we using mental health laws to help people or to hide societal failures?

## Five Basic God-Given Human Rights

The **Humanity Party** advocates for fundamental human rights that shouldn't be political issues:

1. **Right to life-sustaining food**

2. **Right to life-sustaining housing**

3. **Right to healthcare**

4. **Right to education**

5. **Right to security**

**From Venice Beach:** "Give someone a drink and a sandwich, a pillow and a hot shower. Activate yourself first, stand up."

This isn't asking for luxury. It's asking for basic human dignity.

## The Charlie Kirk Connection: Conservative Values and Human Dignity

The writer appeals directly to Charlie Kirk and "any True LDS Member" - recognizing that **conservative values and homeless advocacy aren't contradictory.**

**Traditional conservative principles support:**

- Personal responsibility AND community support

- Strong families AND care for the vulnerable

- Economic opportunity AND basic human dignity

- Law and order AND justice for all

**The challenge:** How do we embody these values when confronted with immediate human need?

## What You Can Do RIGHT NOW

### Immediate Action Steps:

1. **Carry emergency supplies:** Water bottles, granola bars, $5 fast-food gift cards

2. **Learn local resources:** Know where to direct people for immediate help

3. **Make eye contact:** Acknowledge the humanity of homeless individuals

4. **Call 211:** Report specific needs and locations for homeless services

### Systemic Advocacy:

1. **Contact local representatives** about transparent reporting on homeless population changes

2. **Support organizations** with proven track records: PATH, Safe Place for Youth, Venice Community Housing

3. **Vote for policies** that address root causes, not just symptoms

4. **Document and share** what you witness (respectfully and with permission)

### Spiritual Response:

1. **Read Matthew 25** in full - let it challenge your comfort level

2. **Practice radical hospitality** in whatever ways you can

3. **Pray for wisdom** in balancing compassion with practical help

4. **Support faith communities** doing direct service work

## The Digital Activism Challenge

**TikTok and social media can amplify this crisis in powerful ways:**

- Share firsthand accounts (with permission) of homeless experiences

- Document the contrast between wealth and poverty in LA

- Challenge followers to take specific, immediate action

- Create content that humanizes rather than exploits

**The "blackout" the writer mentions isn't about destroying systems - it's about demanding accountability from systems that are failing.**

## The North Carolina Connection

The writer's urgent need to reach North Carolina highlights how **homelessness often means separation from family and support systems.**

**Strategic question:** How do we help people reconnect with stable housing situations in locations where they have genuine support?

**Practical needs:**

- Transportation assistance

- Document recovery services

- Communication with distant family/friends

- Transition planning and support

## A Call for Immediate Response

**This isn't a future problem. It's a right-now crisis.**

Every day we delay action, people disappear. Every night we sleep comfortably, people suffer without blankets. Every meal we enjoy, people go hungry.

**From Venice Beach, the message is clear:** "You need to do exactly what will help, not stand in front of someone with no answers while you care more about political attitude than doing something of ACTUAL value."

## The Esperanto Heart Responds

**"Helpu nun"** (Help now) - The international language reminds us that compassion translates across all barriers.

**"Kune ni povas"** (Together we can) - solve what seems impossible when we combine resources and will.

**"Vivo estas sankta"** (Life is sacred) - Every person deserves dignity, safety, and hope.

## Your Response Today

**Immediate Action (within 24 hours):**

- Find one homeless service organization and make a donation

- Carry supplies to give directly to people you encounter

- Call 211 to learn about local resources

**This Week:**

- Visit wordpeace.org and the Humanity Party website

- Contact one local representative about homeless accountability

- Share this message with your network

**This Month:**

- Volunteer with a homeless service organization

- Advocate for policy changes that address root causes

- Support businesses and organizations that employ and serve homeless individuals

## The Question Remains

**Where are the homeless in LA disappearing to without a trace?**

Until we can answer this question with transparency and accountability, we are complicit in a system that values property over people, comfort over compassion, and political image over human dignity.

**The writer from Venice Beach is still there, still waiting, still asking for help.**

What will your response be?

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*If you are experiencing homelessness or know someone who is, please call 211 for immediate assistance or text HOME to 741741 for crisis support. Your life has value, and help is available.*

**"Espero neniam mortas"** (Hope never dies) - Even in the darkest circumstances, transformation remains possible when we choose to act with courage and compassion.