Los Angeles is a city built on dreams, fame, and unimaginable luxury. Growing up in Africa, I was raised on the idea that California was the land where everyone “makes it.” We saw the palm trees, the mansions in Bel Air, and the glitz of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But there is a side to this city that the movies never show you, a side where the “American Dream” looks more like a nightmare.
Los Angeles currently faces one of the most severe housing crises in the developed world. While the city boasts a GDP of over $1.4 trillion, it is also home to over 75,000 unhoused people. At the heart of this crisis is Skid Row, a 50-block area in Downtown LA that has become one of the largest stable populations of homeless people in the United States. This wasn’t an accident; in the 1970s, city officials designated it a “containment zone,” intentionally concentrating services and poverty into one neighborhood to keep it away from the rest of the city.
I spent time on these streets to understand how a country that can put a man on the moon allows its citizens to live like this. If you’ve ever wondered what lies behind the Hollywood curtain, you need to watch the full journey in my latest video above.
My “First Class” View of a Crisis
When I arrived in LA, I did what I usually do in any major city: I booked a room in the downtown area to be close to the action. I paid $250 a night for a small room, expecting a decent view of the skyline.
Instead, I looked out my window and saw people walking like “zombies.” I didn’t understand what I was seeing at first, dozens of unhoused people wandering the streets in a daze. It was a jarring contrast to the status and prestige LA is known for. I realized then that I couldn’t just stay in my hotel; I had to go outside and see the reality for myself.
Skid Row: The “Tent City” of the World
Entering Skid Row is like stepping into a different country. They call it “Tent City” because every sidewalk is lined with litter and makeshift shelters. I met a friend who has lived in California for 16 years, and even she warned me that it isn’t safe for a lady, or anyone, to be there without protection.
The stories I heard from the people living there broke my heart:
- The Professional Athlete: I met a man who played professional soccer for the US team and had seen the inside of Wembley Stadium. Now, his entire life is contained in a few bags on a street corner.
- The Retired Resident: Another man, a retiree with a steady social security income, was simply waiting in a queue of over 300 people just to get into a shelter.
- The Single Mom: I spoke with a mother who chose to live in a shelter with her son because her “baby father” was a liability, and she wanted a long-term start for her child.
The Fentanyl “Nod”
One of the most disturbing sights was the physical posture of people on the street. I saw people folded forward, limbs hanging, as if they were falling in slow motion. This is the silent signature of Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin.
For many on Skid Row, these drugs aren’t just an addiction; they are a coping mechanism to escape the harsh reality of their environment. It’s a vicious cycle where the lack of mental health care and the availability of cheap, potent drugs create a “zombie” effect that the city seems unable to stop.
20 Minutes to Another World: Beverly Hills
The most shocking part of Los Angeles is how quickly the scenery changes. Just a 20-minute drive west of the poverty of Skid Row, you arrive in Beverly Hills.
The transition is surreal. One moment you are avoiding tents, and the next you are surrounded by $5 million mansions, palm-lined streets, and the “most expensive street in the world” Rodeo Drive. Here, people shop at Gucci and Hermes without ever looking at a price tag. Seeing the G-Wagons and Lamborghinis parked without a single security guard felt like a different planet compared to the “containment zone” I had just left.
The Future is Driverless
Before I left, I had to try something that felt truly futuristic: a Waymo driverless car. Watching the steering wheel turn by itself as I navigated the LA streets was incredible, but it also left me with questions.
As an African, I couldn’t help but wonder what happens to the livelihoods of drivers back home if this technology ever arrives in Nigeria or Kenya. We don’t even have proper road markings in many places yet, but the “ripple effect” of this tech is something we aren’t ready for.
Final Reflections
My trip to Los Angeles was a masterclass in the “have and have-nots”. It is a city that can inspire you to work harder than you ever have, but it can also show you how easy it is to fall through the cracks.
The biggest lesson I learned is that wealth without a soul is empty. While the luxury of Rodeo Drive is something to admire, the neglect of 10,000 people just a few miles away is something we must never ignore. The American Dream is real, but it requires more than just money, it requires a system that cares for its most vulnerable.
What do you think? Is the extreme gap between the rich and the poor a sign of a failing system, or just the price of a free market?
Watch the full LA investigation on YouTube above. Comment your thoughts below, I read every single one. Subscribe to see where I’m heading next.
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