Homeless Man Shares the Harsh Reality of Skid Row

Показать описание

"Skid Row hurt me in ways I can't ever explain. It made me do things and made see things I wish I would have never seen." ~ Luke

Luke story of living homeless on Los Angeles's Skid Row is powerful and heartbreaking. No one should have to live like this. No one should have to fight just to survive for food and shelter and live in constant in fear!

Luke came to LA with his wife. Her family invited them to come to live with them, so they jumped on a Greyhound bus. They started calling, and their family never answered. When they arrived in Los Angeles the couple was forced to go to Skid Row where they are now stuck!

Skid Row was created by intentional urban design. The decision was made to place most all of the city's homeless services in that one area. The theory was that by having all of the resources in one location that it would contain Los Angeles's homeless crisis.

"Skid Row is by the bus station. It's where all the shelters are. It's where all the food is. It's where all the resources are located. But Skid Row is a very nasty place" Luke shares in this interview. He goes on to say "[Skid Row] will make it so you are just constantly worried about what you need to survive because everything is being taken from you."

Luke talks about how gangs tax homeless people in Skid Row for living on the sidewalk or in a certain area. If you don't pay, they beat you up or burn down your tent with all of your belongings in it.

For those of you that are going to judge Luke for being on drugs, you need to understand that people use drugs to escape pain. It's nearly impossible to stay sober while homeless and if you're stuck in a place like Skid Row, drugs become a way to cope with life. Luke's wife had to resort to prostitution and ended up pregnant. Near the end of her pregnancy, she started having seizures and was diagnosed with brain cancer. Luke was beaten 13 times since living homeless on Skid Row.

I pray Luke's story messes you up like it did me. We cannot continue to look the other way and ignore the growing homeless crisis in America. Please watch and share this video with everyone you know and then take real tangible action to fight homelessness in your community.

________________________________________________

Invisible People’s website:

Support Invisible People:

Invisible People’s Social Media:

Mark Horvath’s Twitter:

About Invisible People:

Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the way we think about people experiencing homelessness.

#homeless #losangeles #skidrow

Рекомендации по теме

Комментарии

The most insightful thing he said is, “most people are two missed paychecks and family away from being right here.” He is absolutely right.

staralley

u realise there's something wrong with the society when homeless people make more sense than politicians.

rahulmehta

Why are people calling him an addict? I just saw a tired, defeated, and overwhelmed man. I'm praying for you and your wife, Luke.🙏🏼

Harrrgh

This is a stark reminder why you shouldn't take even a single day of your life for granted and also a stark reminder that if it happened to him, it can happen to anyone.

g

His three wishes were health for his wife, a family, and he'd give the last one away. That shit hurt so bad. Such a kind heart

ProteinHammer

People don’t realize how hard it is to “get a job” when you’re homeless. No cell phone for a job to contact you, and nowhere to charge it, nowhere to shower or keep your things, no transportation, no sleep etc. I was homeless for a small stretch of time. During that time I spent every day filling out applications at coffee shops and fast food places, but I had no address or phone number to list on an application. I finally got myself a cell phone, and got arrested trying to charge it in an electrical outlet on the outside of a barber shop. The owner came out and demanded I give him my backpack or he was calling the cops. In that backpack was everything I owned. So he called the cops and I was arrested for stealing his electricity. I get it, I don’t want to be the kind of person who takes and takes and begs and asks. But it is so hard out there. It really is. And all it took for me to become homeless was a medical issue I couldn’t afford. I got laid off from my job shortly after, I had spent all my savings on medical bills. I got a job at McDonald’s and was sleeping in my car until it died on me one day. Now what? Couldn’t get to work consistently every day and had nowhere to sleep or shower. It’s so easy to lose absolutely everything. People need to realize that we’re all human beings.

shavedparmesanprosciuttoan

"I feel like I'm falling but never hitting bottom". Heavy.

indydude

He was asked if he had 3 wishes what would he wish for? He said 1. Wish for his wife to be better (health). 2. He wished he had family. 3. He’d give the 3rd wish away. Not once did he ask for money. I pray this guy has a spot reserved in Heaven. His level of compassion exceeds anything I’ve ever seen. I’m humbled by his outlook and attitude. God Bless him and other like him. They are people and deserve a good life.

alarm

"I wish I had family."

Man.. that one sentence hit me like a truck..

balalaika

"And don't judge because a lot of these people are two missed paychecks and their family away from being right here" That's real talk.

PalpitoMcCray

He didn’t wish for anything materialistic or selfish. And he gave away his 3rd wish. This man deserves a new start.

LaceyTripp

He has kind, humble eyes. It says a great deal about his true self. I pray blessings over him.

CD-vvwh

This man has an enormous amount of pain in his face!

enigmathegrayman

3 wishes... "I wish for my wife to be better, I wish I had family, I dont know what I'd do with the third one probably give it away" What an amazing man

wannabeslabber