Skip to Content
People

The People Down on Skid Row ~ Photo Essay by Tom Andrews

“I made practice runs down to skid row to get ready for my future.”
― Charles Bukowski, Ham on Rye

There is no one reason that brings people down to Skid Row. Everyone has their own story, but when you strip away poverty, addiction, abuse, mental illness and other details of people's lives, what you're left with is another neighborhood in Los Angeles. If you live in this city, these are your neighbors and fellow travelers. You may not recognize yourself when you hurry by, or peer out your car window, but you will when you look through the lens of Tom Andrews' photo essay "The People Down on Skid Row". -Blz

The History of Skid Row

In Los Angeles, this 54-block area in downtown developed into a Skid Row in the late 1800's because this location was the last stop on the train for the whole country. Hobos, aimless rail riders, transient workers, and people running away from past lives ended up here short-term and long-term. Daily rate hotels and various entertainments (mostly bars and brothels) catered to the culture of rail riders who were transient by nature.

As Los Angeles further developed and with growing industrial markets, particularly the flower and fashion districts adjacent to Skid Row, the need to improve the area arose; various groups consistently initiated efforts to improve the community. In 1975, a Redevelopment Plan was adopted, which included a “Policy of Containment,” concentrating social service agencies and people experiencing homelessness in this section of the city, where many of them naturally congregated. - Union Rescue Mission

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

DAILY MEMO: A Federal Police Officer Gets Kicked in the Nuts and More

ICE attempted to enter a home in Huntington Park met resistance from the community. The national guard is feeling pretty shitty (literally) about the whole situation and a federal officer got kicked in the nuts.

July 18, 2025

Pets Left Behind Due to L.A.’s ICE Raids Are Urgently In Need of New Homes

Joseph Navarrete, the manager for the Downey Animal Care Center, urges people who are in a position to adopt to stop by to visit dogs like Canela, a five-year-old Belgian Malinois. A total of 18 animals have been turned in due to the deportations.

July 18, 2025

Weekend Eats: Where To Try The Italian Beef Sandwich That Inspired ‘The Bear’

Ramen from a noodle champ, bike-cart Chinese crepes in the SGV, and a masa-charged bike adventure.

July 18, 2025

DAILY MEMO: Border Patrol Raids Sacramento to Send a Message and More

U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief raided Sacramento today taking the opportunity to make a propaganda video aimed at sending California a message. Meanwhile in L.A., federal agents are chasing people with their unmarked vehicles causing accidents while the DHS tests California and L.A.'s Sanctuary City policies.

July 17, 2025

ACLU Threatens Legal Action Against LAPD For Denying DTLA Protest Permit

In a demand letter sent to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell, Jonathan Markovitz, a staff attorney for the ACLU SoCal, said that the reasoning given for denying Refuse Facism’s permit “appears to be unconstitutional."

July 17, 2025

Opinion: Latino Politicians at NALEO Need to Do Better As Trump Targets Brown Communities

The time for polite moderation is over. We need boldness. We need mass political education. We need legal defense funds, organizing infrastructure, and a renewed belief that Latinos are not guests in this country—we are foundational to it.

See all posts