Sicko' screened on L.A.'s skid row

Whether you agree with Michael Moore or not, I found it real interesting that he picked Skid Row as the place for his LA movie premiere.
The movie screening was right in front of the Union Rescue Mission.
Also check out the video clip, with some comments from Rev. Andy Bales.


Interesting place for a movie screening, especially in light of the recent news about hospital dumping.

By John Horn, Times Staff Writer
June 27, 2007
Hollywood loves to hold movie premieres in unusual places — on aircraft carriers, in Disneyland, inside Alcatraz. Michael Moore decided to unveil his new healthcare documentary, "Sicko," in a locale few studio executives have ever visited: skid row.

On Monday night, Moore and the distributor, the Weinstein Co., screened "Sicko" on the street in front of the Union Rescue Mission. About 200 clients of the mission and other homeless people attended the screening, which included free popcorn and sodas. The film opens in theaters in Los Angeles on Friday.

"We wanted to invite the whole community," said the Rev. Andy Bales, the mission's chief executive.

In an impassioned introduction, Moore noted that one of the film's scenes, in which a hospital dumps an indigent patient on skid row, unfolded right where the movie was showing.

Said Moore: "I am so glad to do a real Hollywood premiere right here on the streets of downtown Los Angeles."

A glitzier unveiling of the film is set for tonight in Beverly Hills.

Video and full article over here.

A Letter from Andy Bale, CEO of URM, re Hope Gardens Family Center

Special Report to Hope Gardens Family Center Supporters

Thank you! You made the difference for families on Skid Row!

You may have heard that on Wednesday May 23, 2007 the Los Angeles Regional Planning Commission voted unanimously (4-0) to approve a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for Hope Gardens Family Center. In addition, the appeal deadline (June 15) passed with no appeal filed in opposition to this decision. This is a true victory for Los Angeles' most distressed residents and you helped make it happen!

The CUP allows for a maximum of 225 residents, including women and children, to be phased on to the property. Beginning next week, on June 27, our first group of families will move to Hope Gardens, safe from the streets of Skid Row! Right now, one of our greatest needs is funding for Hope Gardens as we prepare for full staffing and programs. Would you consider a one time or monthly recurring gift of $30, $100, or $300 to help sponsor a family at Hope Gardens?
Check back here for more updates on this historic victory for the abandoned families of Skid Row. More news headlines will be added to this page along with those already published:

"Sylmar shelter to open" (LA Times )
"After an ambush, a neighborly future?" (LA Times )
"Officials OK request for homeless facility" (LA Times )

Because of your advocacy and support, formerly homeless families now have greater hope for a better life--their story will have a joyful ending.

Sincerely,
Rev. Andy Bales, CEO

Play Ball...

For more info, let me know.

Skid row deaths decline, Bratton says

Chief praises LAPD crackdown on homeless encampments. Arrests for drug offenses are thought to be helping cut the overdose rate.
By Patrick McGreevy, Times Staff Writer
June 8, 2007


The number of people dying of natural causes and drug overdoses on Los Angeles' skid row has been cut by more than half since the Los Angeles Police Department began a crackdown on homeless encampments in the downtown area, Police Chief William J. Bratton said Thursday.

In a routine briefing of the 50 extra police officers deployed to the Central Division station on skid row, Bratton said 15 people have died on the streets of natural causes, including exposure, in the first four months of this year, compared with 34 during the same period in 2006.

Bratton said seven people have died of drug overdoses in 2007 compared with 15 during the same period in 2006.

More than 2,000 arrests made during a crackdown against drug offenses on skid row are thought to be helping reduce the overdose rate.

"You produced those numbers, those lives saved," Bratton told the officers.

Capt. Andy Smith said officers require homeless campers to move at daybreak, so it is no longer common for police to find dead bodies in tents that would have sat untouched on sidewalks for days or weeks.

The LAPD's Safer Cities Initiative was launched in September 2006 with the deployment of 50 additional officers who have enforced drug laws as well as a ban on sleeping on sidewalks during the daytime. The initiative targets the downtown area bounded by 3rd and 7th streets, and Main and Alameda streets.

As a result of the expanded enforcement effort, the number of people sleeping most nights on skid row dropped from 1,876 to 700, with many entering shelters or moving to other neighborhoods, Smith said.

Read the full article over here.