When Los Angeles police officer Deon Joseph wakes up at 6 a.m. and puts on his uniform, he prepares to patrol one of the most historically impoverished, crime-ridden neighborhoods in the country: Skid Row.
The area is home to more than 4,000 people living on the streets. Needles, trash, and encampments line the sidewalks; rapes, robberies, and drugs are rampant. Gangs control much of the 50-block radius, charging transients for “rent.” And the lack of a comprehensive mental health care system has left desperate people suffering in full view of the public.
