Back in 1995, I worked on a movie filmed in Skid Row ("Flashfire", with Billy Zane and Louis Gossett Jr), and the area was a shithole even back then, with cardboard condos filling the sidewalks after dark. The homeless would grab a cup of water and a newspaper, and clean your windshield for a couple of dollars. When they earned enough, they'd score some crack cocaine and go smoke it, then repeat as necessary. Many of the faces showed no soul, and the haunted owners would break your heart as they endlessly walked through their meaningless lives, as if waiting for the gift of death. All these years later, I'm still haunted by the memories.
The saddest thing I ever saw was a woman about my mother's age laying in a building entranceway in Pasadena drinking a bottle of booze, it just got to me. I still have that image in my head 5 years later.
10 years ago, I worked in an L.A. County park in a sports office on weekends. Sometimes I would have to call 911 about disruptive homeless persons. The dispatch would ask me for the approximate age and race of the person...a couple times I genuinely could not figure out if the person was white, hispanic or black because their skin was so weathered.
Be careful Mike. Like the song says, "the freaks come out at night!". It's true in NYC where I live so it must be true in LA. Mental health issues are at a record high these days. Stay healthy and be safe.
The most shocking part of moving to san diego from new york was how the homeless people go to sleep here at night, for the most part...during the day it's 10x worse.
Because (as you probably already realise) the media are not there to inform people, they are there to spread political and corporate propaganda and keep people misinformed on important issues
40 years and it's a thousand times worse. My daughter and I would go twice a week to the flower district for her shop. It was crazy at 2 am then, I always went armed after she was followed to her van and hassled by a crazy homeless person telling her he would kill her if she didn't give him money. Glad everyone is safe. I took the last ride on the old bridge it was always mellow. Now with the new one it's crazy and distractive. Thanks for the brave sharing GIV the real uncut trusted reporter.
Thanks for showing this to us! As a single female it’s not usually safe for me to go to this area even though I live nearby so thanks for bringing me the action! I love downtown Los Angeles and all the history. So sad that we still have such a problem with homelessness and fires.
I spent half my childhood in LA going back and forth going from there to Georgia. it's horrible to see where I was born. I had my first 3 kids in Long Beach and Compton. I just wanna cry. Seeing the Flower district
It was most definitely not this bad in LA before. It’s terrible & sad 😔 I wonder why the major cities in the US all ran by liberals are the worst in crime & poverty, no amount of gun control will help, criminals don’t follow the law anyway!
No cars just flower shops selling who knows what and no open buzzlng shops full of life. Newsome is a disgrace along with fancy Nancy. They are the ones whom seem to be perpetrating this sad display of human degradation. Must be sad to look at that after growing up around there.
Not sure what is considered good in LA to be honest. Moved there in Jan 2020 and left to Benicia in Mar 2023. Best decision ever: LA is overpriced and overhyped. You either have to make 105K to live in a real good or live in a dump. For 1600 I lived in Van Nuys with roach infestation that was beyond disgusting (non livable conditions) and for 1800 I live in the same sq footage with a beautiful balcony and no roaches.
I dont know how anyone would want to live near anything like this ,you got to have a very loving and strong hearth and mind and making a living to be able to afford it ,but when we saw your mom ,she put a lot of love into you ,bless her and you ,you have a lot to give just with being you and your joy and smile ,i live in Canada a few hours north of Vancouver ,i can see it on the news how bad it has become too , i have not went there in years ,but it looks bad on the news and documentaries ..zombies everywhere ..very sad and unacceptable
I like what you show us. You continue to amaze me with visions of upper class living as well as the underbelly of the city. Quite a contrast. Thank you GIV.
Love this video GIV! The background music early on was very cool! It is almost mystical seeing parts of the city at night -- in a sense, "otherworldly"!!! MEGA KUDOS!! 👍❤🌆🌌
Yup me 2, I was 17 to 27 in 90s , zero traffic, good old days. Now it turned into a job of its self to commute and have fun , so I stay home 🏡 on weekends all day long and only go out Monday thru Thursday
And thanks for taking us to the art show in the Alley. Those artists need to be discovered and hired to paint murals all over in several counties. Their work is awesome.
I've been lurking around here as a sub for years. I enjoy your videos and your channel. Your content is often spontaneous and raw. No fancy editing, no drones, no music, just pictures and video documenting the second largest city in America. From the looks of it, DTLA is at once vibrant and depressing, art mixed with poverty and degradation. Filth and chaos next to glamor and that "new building," yet another example of the wealth of the city. Some of the other RU-vidrs I follow, many of whom you have collaborated with, come off as pretentious and wordy, or like braggarts. Not you. You have a gift, man, that keeps on giving. One day I might visit LA. The whole idea of LA intrigues me. I might look you up. Keep doing what you do, and stay safe. You ever been to Bad Tölz? I have.
I love your videos so much whenever I feel down or want to see something new and interesting i go to your page thank you for being amazing and working so hard to get us these videos its truly appreciated and loved!
I have been feeding in Skid Row for 12 years and it's getting so bad. Thank God nothing has happened to us, most people appreciate the help. Thanks for the video. God bless be safe.
Have you ever met Andy Bales? He's the director of the Union Rescue Mission. It's the oldest running mission in America about 150 years... This is how long Skid Row has been there. But, it was just contained in that area. It started during the Gold Rush
I remember years ago, my buddy, his cousin, and I got stranded nearby skid row without realizing it. We only realized we were there when daylight broke. It was a sad sad sight to see.
Really appreciate your content. It’s great to see real video of what’s happening in the area, especially at different times of the day. People who live around the area have concerns that those don’t see it don’t understand and stuff like this helps.
I'm new to your channel and really enjoying your content, you are a genuine nice guy Mike and very real it's refreshing and I look forward to more of your videos ,cheers from Australia 👍
Hey mate I'm loving your coverage very sad to see the state of your beautiful beach area and hope things change for the better stay safe Giv love from Australia
First time on your channel. I love how you mentioned anything related to music. Michael Jackson, Madonna, the doors photo album. That’s so awesome. The art is really cool. Stay safe out there. We appreciate everything you do 🤝
A+ content Mike as usual. You are brave riding around in the dark city were the weirdos are. Thank god the homeless are bedded down that early Good video always appreciated for allowing me to tag along in your many adventures
You showed the scary, dangerous, mean streets of L.A. Being a big guy probably kept you from being jumped in the night and getting you scooter stolen! Be very careful out there!
When I was around 6 or 7 my father used to work downtown LA right where you are. Skid row was there then as well. You are very brave to go there at night. I used to go to work with my Dad in the summer once in a while and I used to want him to show me Skid Row. To me it was a sight to see. I couldn't comprehend these people were homeless. They were referred to as bums. Sad situation.
GIV on the scene, thank you for taking us with. And the comment you made about not having family, etc... WE are your family, friend, girl friend, boy friend, cousin, sister, brother, best friend! on and on and on, all love : ))
Came in the comments to say this, so I’ll second your post. He’s shown younger than we usually get to see him. A great man in the US saga, but surprised to see him in with much more contemporary heroes.
Thank you for taking us along! I couldn't imagine what it look like at night with the homeless people seems to not be as scary at night as it is in the day, thank u for stringing us along stay safe.
A excellent job on this video! A flower shop open till midnight that's cool. Amazing footage with the fire truck's. Sure is a sad situation with the homeless, I wish them Luv&Peace. Hope the powers that be help in finding a way of helping all! Appreciate your efforts and quality content thanks GIV Cheers to continued success friend!🙂🤝🏼✌🏼
Yeah, there are businesses that are open at all hours. I go to this Mexican bakery that is open very late on Friday and Saturday. They used to open 24/7 on weekends but Covid changed that. I loved to be able and by Mexican pastries at 3 am. Sometimes you would get freshly baked goods at that hour. The smell of freshly baked bread was wonderful and just made me hungrier.
@@mrxman581 Wow that's just so very cool! Appreciate you sharing that. I live 50klm from the nearest town now. But I know that awesome smell of fresh baked goods as a kid my Father was a Baker in Vancouver B.C lol he smelled awesome when he would come home. Lol always brought me things ...my favorite was just made glazed donuts & croissants. Ty luv&peace 🤝✌💫
I can’t get over how beautiful skid row is even with all the trash, the buildings are old and they don’t make them that way anymore, if only we could get individual care for the people who inhabit the area,
Son of a gun I used to work at San Pedro St, and 10th St. with a knitting factory before they moved every thing to China, for cheap labor. After that I got me a job with Southern Pacific in Glendale yard, now is Union Pacific Rail Road. I love Los Angeles with all my heart,
I’m a70’s baby. I grew up my first 13 yrs . We live in studio city on Ventura Blv. It was not like this back in the days. Bad yes. But today it’s sickening to see how bad it’s gotten. Watch your back hun. I’ve seen the “LA River” all the way to the top before. ✨✌️
@18:50 That’s Iron Eyes Cody. He was an actor famous for Make America Great Again commercial in 1970. You should look him up, a bit of a scandal he is remembered for unfortunately. As always Fantastic Vlog!💙
Wow that's amazing. I started watching you at the beginning of pandemic and it's amazing how much you have grown. I remember when you were just trying to get. 50000 subscribers. Then a 100000 man you're killing it. God-bless you always German I used to live in Long Beach I miss California. Happy Father's Day to you and God-bless all the fathers out there. Stay safe G-man.
Looks just like Seattle, Portland OR, San Francisco, Philadelphia, parts of Boston, NYC, DC, and so many other American cities. This country is circling the drain.
LA is what you make of it. As a native Angeleno I appreciate this video. Growing up in LA i would drive around the city in the early morning hours when i couldn't sleep. There was something magical and eerie at the same time. It's no wonder that film noir is so identified with Los Angeles.
Absolutely 💯🤗 love ❤ ALL of your videos, but would you please show the street signs more often, so that I can get a better idea of what's where? Thank You. Keep up the good work and God bless.
Im european, and i went to California for the first time last year. And i dont know much about the crime rates and such for every city i visited, but the city i felt most unsafe in, was definitely San Francisco. Which was surprising. After 9-10 PM, the city transformed into something that reminded me of a zombie movie. Homeless and addicts on every inch of the sidewalk for miles.
Thanks Mike for all you bring us but be careful and think of your safety first!!!!!!! Whewwwwwwwwwwww, I bet the sound of all of those fire engines, were loud!!! Mike, I swear, you always are right in the middle of some type of something, mostly good and sometimes, dangerous!!!! U really should get paid for the pictures that you take!!! Looks like the news channels would welcome pics like this and pay u to get out there, take them and send them to the news station! Hard to believe that the city of Los Angeles wouldn't want to build housing for these homeless people, if nothing else, just to clean up their streets. It's hard to picture Los Angeles without the homeless being on the streets, literallly! It's very very sad and it make you ashamed of our country who sends all kind of money to foreign countries but they don't give a shite about their people who are in need, it's pathetic and very very sad!!!!
Breaks my heart seeing the amount of accidental fires that are started on skid Row because they are trying to keep warm and the amount of RV's that go up on and around skid row too. Seen too many watching Zac.
Hey, I had the fence built at the 13 second mark. We put it up a few months ago and it’s already covered with graffiti. We are supposed to remove all that in the next months to come.
I love the music and haven't seen you in awhile. Very skillful camera work as well. I do not miss Los Angeles but this is not a Los Angeles problem. This is a United States of America problem .. really nobody has the answer. It's very scary and it's not going away. Not until somebody really passionately wants to address all the factors not just select which ones they feel are the most important People talk about the administration sending millions billions to ....but there's millions , billions being wasted right here in this country , in this very state where I am. Right now people cannot afford their rent or get health insurance. the governor has spent millions upon millions of dollars ......... for a project ..his so called belief that he won't back down from. this country's in trouble Keep doing what you're doing
I gotta tell you the last time I was in LA I was sickened to see the masses of homeless people and it was a spitting image of back home in Boston. Hard to put on blinders when it is everywhere. Great service you do Mike bringing us the boots on the ground top stories 👍🏻💪🏻✌🏻🙏🏻❤️Hello Mom in Germany 🇩🇪👋🏻
Remember, all the people moving out STILL want to impose these problems on your neighborhood too. And they're going to start by voting for politicians who push this crap, the same crap that has wrecked so many cities like Minneapolis, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle. Notice that these have all been uber-leftwing for decades and are now in flames. Some of them look like Iraq at the height of war...
I was in DTLA last week as we went to Coles for a roast beef sandwich and a couple of beers. I gotta tell you. I parked across the street and counted 15 large piles of human poop right on the sidewalk walking back to the parking lot. The smell of urine was disgusting as well. They need to install a giant drain in the middle of LA and flush it all away. It’s one giant toilet
Great video, really enjoyed that! I'm going to check out your other videos, I just found you here. Anyway, I've only driven around in skid row once, back in '15 when I visited L.A. I'm from Dallas and had never been there. Skid Row was bad, but I've seen similar areas here so it wasn't a shock. The rest of L.A. was really nice and I enjoyed the visit and we did a lot of fun things.
LAFD has some nice Trucks. Loved this video. I like how you get ALL UP IN IT... up close and personal in the action. I spent many years in the 1980s in LA. So Sad to see what has happened to it. You still find the beauty in it however.. Keep up the Great Work. Peace 💖
Thank You Mike for risking your health to bring us the current events in the downtown skid row area 🙏🏼❣️🙏🏼 So heartbreaking all the way around! Hopefully California shitsystem will get it together to figure this tragedy out!!! Thanks G.IV. ....Take Care Brother 🙏🏽 God Bless.... I'm thinking of your MOM and, I praying she is WELL 💓🙏🏼💖
Your a gutsy man GIV. And to think your governor want's to be president. Hell why not spread the tragedy of failed policy from Covid to criminal reforms. A true dystopia Cali has become, which is terribly sad for homeless victims and natives alike.
You had a movie opportunity to talk about. The white truck the building had War of the Worlds at the top. It always scares me when you go to skid row especially at night.
At 18:51 that was Sitting Bull an American Indian a historic person ! Hunkpapa and Holy Man and leader and was of the Lakota T 18:51 ribe. He had a vision of the Battle of Little Big Horn who later was in the Buffalo Bills Wild West show !
