Sam Slovick: Drugs on Skid Row

GOOD Magazine: On Skid Row, Part 3 - Drugs

Andrew Smith was my first contact in terms of police command staff on Skid Row. He was a captain who had revamped the 911 system in L.A. He did a stellar job and was hand-picked to work at Central Division. He's the face of a new kind of law enforcement. A new policing paradigm. He was open and forthcoming. He shot from the hip, no one was scrutinizing his communication with me. He gave me access and showed me the inner workings of the department. He showed me when and where the drugs were happening on Skid Row. What they were doing about it and the immense progress they were making.

Choc Nitty and Six Reasons were crack dealers. They'd commute from Watts, then return after they'd made their money. Both had been arrested and had Christian conversion experiences. When I first met them, they thought I was a cop setting them up. That was about five years ago. I see them both and talk to them all the time. I know their families and friends. They are in a continuing struggle with one foot in the gutter and one on higher ground. What's going on with them and Watts and South L.A., the fact that there's no financial infrastructure there, is directly related to some of the problems on Skid Row.

These communities are isolated and shut out. They are not invited to have a seat at the middle class table. There's little or no opportunity and few role models for them. The message is clear. You're nobody and you're not going to be anybody so you might as well get paid. Drugs are the obvious solution.

The fact that the LAPD is outgunned, outmanned and operates in a fear-fueled survival bravado perpetuates discontent and creates even more problems.

The mass incarceration, containment, para-military policing and continued abuse of people of color in poor neighborhoods is another example of how we treat people on the bottom rung of society in America. It's the kind of lack of leadership that has created and continues to enable the 24/7 drug supermarket of Skid Row.

I see that changing the day a half a million people storm City Hall and demand that our leaders create opportunities for these communities and not any sooner.

Smith got promoted to Assistant Commander for his good work. I did a cover story on him for the LA Weekly. I hope it had some effect on his ascension through the ranks. He's a good man. A good cop. Most of the cops on Skid Row are there because they want to be. It's a great place to work for a lot of reasons.

Six and Choc are part of a hip hop collective called Snowman Cliq. They play to sold out venues in and around L.A. In the last few weeks, they've been in every record company president's office in L.A. They go to the Power of Love Church in South L.A. three days a week. Their lives are a constant challenge and struggle. Poverty, violence, parenthood in the hood. They're amazing people. They have transcended Skid Row.

Among the outpouring of supportive emails, phone calls and MySpace comments I've received from the "On Skid Row" series, I have received about 20% virulent racial hate. It was mostly from teenagers in Orange County, CA. It was almost exclusively in response to Part 3 ("Drugs on Skid Row").

For more information about Sam and his "Skid Row" video series, be sure to check out his MySpace profile. Also, read his recent interview with the AWEARNESS Blog, in which he describes the true scope of the homelessness problem on Skid Row.

Comments (1)

how is this even possible in our country? i cringe watching these clips.

By jumpingjack | March 20, 2008 11:33 PM | Reply

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