- A decision to not cap property that homeless people can keep on Skid Row was announced last Wednesday
- It sparked fury among some who say it will 'only perpetuate the public health crisis that already exists' there
- Images from the downtown area show trash piling up as workers struggle to keep the area sanitized
- Rows and rows of tents line the sidewalks of Skid Row in the sprawling 50-block area, home to around 4,200
- On Thursday it was revealed a Los Angeles police detective has been diagnosed with typhoid fever
- At least five other officers are also showing symptoms and their division polices downtown LA
- Dustin DeRollo, a union spokesman, said cops who patrol Skid Row 'walk through the feces, urine and trash'
- In an op ed for The LA Times reporter Steve Lopez called it 'the collapse of a city that's lost control'
By Lauren Fruen: These shocking pictures from downtown Los Angeles capture the growing problem it faces with trash and rodents in a desperate city also trying to contain a typhoid fever outbreak linked to worsening sanitary conditions.
A decision to not cap the total amount of property that homeless people can keep on Skid Row was announced last Wednesday and it sparked fury among some officials who say it will 'only perpetuate the public health crisis that already exists' there.
That, coupled with the news a Los Angeles police detective has been diagnosed with typhoid fever, has sparked concern among LA's residents.
The city has now said it will dispose of sofas, refrigerators and other large items in the 50-block area of downtown.
But councilmen Joe Buscaino slammed the decision, saying: 'The settlement will only perpetuate the public health crisis that already exists in Skid Row and will set a precedent for the rest of the city that will normalize encampments.
'The city is sending a clear signal that we are turning the sidewalks in Skid Row into free, unlimited public storage, doing a disservice to the residents of Los Angeles, especially to those living on the streets.'
Images from the downtown area show trash piling up as workers struggle to keep the area sanitized. They are pictured wearing face masks among the dirt and grime.
Rows and rows of tents line the sidewalks of Skid Row in the sprawling 50-block area, home to around 4,200 homeless people, many in tents and shantytowns.
Some lay passed out in the street, seemingly from the effects of drugs as others are pictured lugging their property around, in search of the next spot to set up.
Belongings of the homeless crowd a downtown Los Angeles sidewalk in Skid Row. The city of Los Angeles on May 29 agreed to allow homeless people there to keep their property and not have it seized, providing the items are not bulky or hazardous
Piles of trash remain near the intersection of 25th St. and Long Beach Ave. Images from the downtown area show trash piling up as workers struggle to keep the area sanitized. They are pictured wearing face masks among the dirt and grime
A law had been passed in 2016 which limited the amount of belongings a homeless person can store on the sidewalk to 60 gallons. Piles of trash remain near the intersection of 25th St. and Long Beach Ave
The city has said it will dispose of sofas, refrigerators and other large items in the 50-block area of downtown known as Skid Row. Piles of trash remain near the intersection of 25th St. and Long Beach Ave
But the decision to not cap the total amount of property that homeless people can keep sparked fury among some officials who say it will 'only perpetuate the public health crisis that already exists in Skid Row'
Images from the area show trash piling up as workers struggle to keep the area sanitized. They are pictured wearing face masks among the dirt and grime. Some lay passed out in the street, seemingly from the effects of drugs
A cleaning crew sweeps up in front of LAPD Central Community Police Station in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday
The union that represents the LAPD is demanding a cleanup of homeless encampments in the city after one detective who works downtown was diagnosed with typhoid fever and two others are showing similar symptoms. Pedestrians cross a street lined with trash near LAPD Central Community Police Station in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday
The division where a Los Angeles police detective has been diagnosed with typhoid fever polices downtown Los Angeles, including the notorious Skid Row area where hundreds of homeless people camp on the streets
A law had been passed in 2016 which limited the amount of belongings a homeless person can store on the sidewalk to 60 gallons.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles Community Action Network, who had been campaigning for the new rules regarding property, said: 'I hope this is the signal this is the sign, the proverbial crossroads, that insists we spend our money and our time on things that actually get people off the street.
'In the interim, it is our hope that at least this provides some legal guardrails both for houseless people on the street as well as those public servants who are paid to treat the public humanely and responsibly.'
On Thursday it was revealed a Los Angeles police detective has been diagnosed with typhoid fever, a rare illness typically spread through contaminated food or water, and at least five other officers who work in the same station are showing symptoms.
Piles of trash remain at the corner of Compton Ave and E 16th St., downtown. A spokesman for the Los Angeles Community Action Network, who had been campaigning for the new rules regarding property, said: 'I hope this is the signal this is the sign, the proverbial crossroads, that insists we spend our money and our time on things that actually get people off the street'
'In the interim, it is our hope that at least this provides some legal guardrails both for houseless people on the street as well as those public servants who are paid to treat the public humanely and responsibly' the spokesman added. Piles of trash remain at the corner of Compton Ave and E 16th St., downtown
Dustin DeRollo, a union spokesman, said officers who patrol Skid Row 'walk through the feces, urine and trash'. Piles of trash remain at the corner of 10th and Naomi downtown
The six officers work in the Central Division station, where a state investigation into unsafe and unsanitary working conditions led to penalties and more than $5,000 in fines earlier this month, documents show.
The division polices downtown Los Angeles, including the notorious Skid Row area where hundreds of homeless people camp on the streets. The police union says homeless encampments must be cleaned up following the recent diagnosis and other cases where officers contracted hepatitis A and staph infections.
'The last thing I need is my members coming to work worried about contracting an infectious disease and bringing it home to their families,' Los Angeles Police Protective League treasurer Robert Harris said.
Dustin DeRollo, a union spokesman, said officers who patrol Skid Row 'walk through the feces, urine and trash' - conditions that 'should alarm everyone and must be addressed.'
The police union says homeless encampments must be cleaned up following the recent diagnosis and other cases where officers contracted hepatitis A and staph infections. A homeless man is pictured walking along a street lined with trash across the street from LAPD Central Community Police Station in downtown Los Angeles
In this May 29 photo homeless people move their belongings so city crews can disinfect and clean the area they were living in
'The last thing I need is my members coming to work worried about contracting an infectious disease and bringing it home to their families,' Los Angeles Police Protective League treasurer Robert Harris said
A homeless man sleeps on the front walkway of LAPD Central Community Police Station. In an op ed for The LA Times Steve Lopez called it 'the collapse of a city that's lost control'. He called the city 'a giant trash receptacle'
An estimated 4,200 people live in the 50-block district known as Skid Row, many in tents and shantytowns. The city adopted a law in 2016 permitting authorities to clean up homeless sidewalk encampments and store items to be reclaimed later
A lawsuit claimed that tents, clothes, medication and other essentials were improperly being seized. A judge barred seizures unless the property is illegal, abandoned or threatens public safety
In an op ed for The LA Times reporter Steve Lopez called it 'the collapse of a city that's lost control', writing: 'We've got thousands of people huddled on the streets, many of them withering away with physical and mental disease.
'Sidewalks have disappeared, hidden by tents and the kinds of makeshift shanties you see in Third World places.'
He called the city 'a giant trash receptacle'.
The police union has demanded better protective equipment for officers and called for the station to be regularly sanitized.
The Police Department said exposed areas of the Central Division were being disinfected and officials were reviewing the state's 'concerning' report that found health violations at the station.
The building lacked an effective extermination program and had 'rats/rodents, fleas, roaches, flies, gnats, mosquitoes and grasshoppers,' according to the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health's May 14 report.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says typhoid fever isn't common in the U.S. but affects 22 million people annually in other countries.
It is different from typhus, which can spread from infected fleas and caused an outbreak earlier this year that sickened homeless people who live near City Hall and a deputy city attorney.
There have been other cases where officers contracted hepatitis A and staph infections the police union say
'Sidewalks have disappeared, hidden by tents and the kinds of makeshift shanties you see in Third World places', one local reporter said. Pedestrians walk past a tent for the homeless on a sidewalk in Skid Row, downtown Los Angeles
Dr. Abinash Virk said homeless people could have a slightly higher risk of typhoid fever than others because of limited access to clean bathrooms or being immigrants from countries where the illness is more prevalent
An abandoned sleeping bag and blanket is left in on the grounds of Los Angeles City Hall across the street from Los Angeles Police Department headquarters
A man gestures while seated beside a Skid Row painting on a sidewalk in downtown Los Angeles
Dr. Abinash Virk, an infectious disease specialist with the Mayo Clinic, said it's likely the officers were infected through contaminated food or drinks from the same cafeteria or restaurant.
She said homeless people could have a slightly higher risk of typhoid fever than others because of limited access to clean bathrooms or being immigrants from countries where the illness is more prevalent, but she doubted that the officers got sick from their work on Skid Row.
'You're not just going to get it from shaking hands,' she said.
The LAPD said it only had reports of the confirmed case of typhoid fever and two other officers showing typhoid-like symptoms. The union says five officers are showing symptoms.
'Whether the issue is bad plumbing or something else, the mayor is working with the department to get to the bottom of this situation and will take every possible step to protect the health and safety of all our employees,' Alex Comisar, a spokesman for Mayor Eric Garcetti, said in a statement.
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