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Understanding Skid Row's Tensions After A Fatal Police Shooting

Many of LA's Skid Row residents live in makeshift tents.
Kelly McEvers
Many of LA's Skid Row residents live in makeshift tents.

Skid Row, in downtown Los Angeles, has long been known for its high concentration of homeless, drug- or alcohol-addicted and mentally ill residents. They live on the streets, in boxes and tents or in subsidized one-room apartments.

After police fatally shot an unarmed man on Skid Row on March 1, activists and residents demanded an investigation. NPR's Kelly McEvers and producer Tom Dreisbach decided to delve into the divide between many Skid Row residents and the police who are responsible for patrolling the area.

"We wanted to understand the disconnect between the two," McEvers says, "the disconnect that happens after a shooting, and the disconnect that might lead to another shooting."

She and Dreisbach hit the streets, spending time with Skid Row residents and with police officers on patrol.

Listen to the full story at the audio link.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.