This morning, we have talked about, talked around, and represented the voice of Black women. Any conversation about Black women must be centered by the actual voice of Black women.
Welcome to Skid Row. A place born from the outgrowth of red lining, segregation, deindustrialization, the War on Drugs, more aptly put, the war on the Black community, the rise of the prison industrial complex, NAFTA, and a host of political decisions that have informed the current deadly plight of Black people in Skid Row and abroad. Black people have been abandoned, and now the process of banishment is in full effect. We don’t live in pipelines, nor are we comforted by shining PowerPoint presentations. But, the community is vibrant, resilient, and we continue to care for ourselves.
The only answer is HOUSING!
- All vacant City-owned property, through adaptive reuse, must be converted to housing. And those assets must be turned over to the community.
- Innovative housing strategies must be deployed immediately. Pre-fab, modular, 3-d printing, LA CANs EcoHoods project must be supported vigorously.
- Hotels that received public subsidies must open their doors and house the most vulnerable amongst us.
- Housing insecure people must not be allowed to become homeless.
- Policy that allows for corruption to flourish must be ended, and true participatory budgeting and democracy must prevail.
- We must Defund the Police and place those resources into housing now.
- We must take control out of the hands of those that continue to fail us and turn it over to the experiences of those living this nightmare, daily.
For more information, follow LA CAN on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or get in touch at contact@cangress.org
