- Another day in Los Angeles, another homeless sweep.
70 million dollars
spent every year to clean the streets,
yet it just makes homelessness worse.
(soft music)
Hey, man, you doing all right?
- Oh, yeah. Yeah.
- They're making you move?
- Oh, yeah.
- How long have you been out here?
- Oh, about three years.
- Yeah. What happened?
- Oh, well, I had a work accident,
and I couldn't work anymore.
- Yeah? - I kinda lost my glasses,
I can't see very well.
- Sorry, would you mind if we just commence,
continue on with our job?
(slow beat music)
- Hey, Kevin, do you know where you're gonna go?
- No, not yet.
- You have no place to go?
- No. No, I'll figure it out.
- Yeah, but it shouldn't be like this.
- Yeah, I know.
- How much time do you give them, or whatever it takes?
- Well, we've been here for about 40 minutes,
but usually our sanitation time constraint is 15 minutes.
- So you give 'em 15 minutes to pack up.
Sanitation came up and asked me to stop speaking to Kevin.
They want to expedite
the cleaning.
Kevin has no place to go.
I can't imagine staying in a good mood,
Kevin's in a good mood,
if I had to pack up all my stuff with no place to go.
Can you imagine packing up all your stuff in 15 minutes?
You try to find places that they're not gonna come
and bother you?
- Yeah. But sometimes it doesn't matter.
- Yeah? - Oh, yeah.
- It doesn't matter where you go, they're-
- Yeah. They're always gonna bother you.
- They're always gonna bother you.
- Yeah, yep, yeah.
- Well, that's what they're trying to do,
is push homeless people out of sight.
- Uh-huh. Yeah.
- Instead of helping you. - That's where we're going.
Yeah. Yep.
- I mean, they should help you get off the streets.
- Of course. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- I mean, that's the way they keep the streets clean.
- But I can't see very well.
- Right. So you can't work?
- Right, well, sometimes I have to figure out
where I'm gonna go,
and get there safely 'cause sometimes I can't see.
So it's better to stay right here until it's not so bright.
And then when it gets darker, I can see better.
- Okay, so - Yeah.
- when they do this, because you have bad eyesight,
- Yeah.
- you have to wait until it's dark
- to move your stuff. - Yeah, so that I can see,
until there's not too many people around.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Yeah, yeah, yep.
- That must be horrible.
- Oh, I don't know.
- Got used to it?
- Yeah.
- You shouldn't have to get used to this.
- Yeah, I know.
- Are they, I see...
- Well, when they go away, it'll be better 'cause then...
- You wait until they go away and then you move.
- Well, yeah.
- Now, are they offering you services?
- No.
- They just come and move your stuff?
- Yeah. They just say they're gonna clean up.
- Yeah. - And I have to go.
- They gotta clean up,
and you have to go. - I don't know.
Yeah, that's what they say.
- Yeah, but they don't offer you shelter
- No, no. - or housing?
- No. - Nothing?
- No.
They usually want me to move myself
or they take my stuff or they put it...
I assumed.
- Have you lost, have they taken your stuff before?
- Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
- Oh, my gosh. So you've lost everything?
- Everything I've ever had.
Yeah. They always end up taking it.
Maybe it's better that I just stay right here
until it's all gone and I have nothing.
- My heart's breaking for you. - Yeah, I know. Yep.
- My goodness. - But hopefully,
maybe I'll get some money in the mail
and then I can buy some food and get on the way.
Yeah, yep.
- Are you getting any support?
Are you on GR? Do you have SSI?
- I have some food stamps,
but I'm still waiting for the mail.
My mail hasn't come for a while and maybe it'll come today.
- Even disability, even though you can't-
- I don't even get that anymore.
- You don't get disability-
- I don't have any money at all.
- So you're only getting food stamps?
- Yeah. At the best, yeah.
- Oh, my gosh, Kevin. - I have $40 of food stamp,
but yeah, some change in my pocket, but, you know?
- Wow. - We'll make it work. Yep.
- You have such a good attitude.
- What else will I do?
- My gosh.
(slow beat music)
I'm so sorry.
- No, it's okay.
- Today, right now, - Uh-huh.
- there's no openings.
You're just getting people on a list.
- There's just a couple openings for Schrader,
but none for the tiny homes.
- None, but there is a couple, but...
So there's two openings
for all the sweeps that are going on
and all the people, that's...
So, most of the time, what I'm trying to get at is,
most of the time, there's really not services
or housing being offered, and they're really-
- Being offered, it's just not available.
- Right, it's being offered, (chuckles)
but it's not available. - Exactly.
- So, do you understand what you just said?
- Yeah, I understand exactly what I just said,
but I mean, it's the truth.
- Well, I get it. I get it.
And it's the politicians' fault.
I'm not trying to get on you.
They're saying they're offering services,
but they're not because there's not enough services.
- I'm not asking you to move it, whatever, super far away,
- I'm asking you to move it- - I can't.
- just gonna be a few drive. - I can't.
- So, I don't know if you guys are aware, he's like,
has eyesight problems. - Okay.
- So he has to wait until nighttime
to move.
I just didn't know if you were aware that he can't see.
And that's why he's having problems in the bright sun.
- Okay.
If that's what you say. All right.
(faintly speaking)
- What are you doing?!
- Sir, sir. - No.
No, you leave it right there.
- Sir, it either needs to be-
- I can't do it right now.
You give me a few hours to do it, I'll move it for you.
- They've given you- - No, no, no, no, no.
- Hold up, sir. Hold up. - No, no, no, no, no.
- Hold up. - Go away, dude.
- Hold up, okay? - Give me some time
to do that.
- We're gonna come up with another way
to do this, okay? - Yeah.
- But in the meantime, shut this place.
- You're not gonna touch my stuff.
- Not right now.
- Taking everything I ever had.
I don't want you to touch it. - Okay.
- I'll move it just the way you want it.
- Okay.
- So upsetting.
Kevin, can't see, the bright sunlight.
I tried to explain to sanitation that's the issue here.
He's disabled.
You have Urban Alchemy over there in the shade.
Just hanging out, four of them.
Kevin now is
getting upset 'cause they're taking his stuff
or moving his stuff.
He can't see.
And there's literally no compassion whatsoever.
(slow beat music)
If we weren't there with cameras,
Kevin would've only been given 15 minutes
to move all his stuff.
This is why it's important to film sweeps.
Cameras change everything.
(slow beat music)
This is heartbreaking.
We're just pushing people like Kevin
to other areas of Los Angeles,
when we need to be getting Kevin the help and the support
and housing he needs.
(slow beat music)
You okay? - I'm okay. Yeah.
I thought I had a few dollars, but I can't find it now.
- Okay.
- Maybe it's here somewhere. Yeah, yep.
- What happened here?
Oh, I don't know, dude.
- Yeah? - Yep.
- I got so upset.
- Don't get upset, dude.
- Well, seeing you upset...
- Well, I'm not upset anymore. - I know,
but seeing how they had no compassion for you.
- But they're gonna have compassion for you.
- Oh, I don't matter in this.
You matter. - You do.
You do matter. - Oh, my God.
You broke my heart and now you're making my day.
- I wanna make your day, too.
You already did.
God bless you, Kevin.
- Thank you, dude.
(slow beat music)
- The streets are clean.
We all want clean streets.
Kevin's still here.
There's a link in the description for you to contact
your LA City councilman,
and tell them we must get homeless people
the support they need.
And these sweeps are just a waste of taxpayer money.
Criminalization of homelessness is increasing
across the country.
There's a link for you to support a national organization
that's working to fight sweeps.
We need to solve homelessness.
The only solution to this madness is solving homelessness.
(slow beat music)