Los Angeles County is on track for 1,000 homeless deaths this year. That means roughly one in 60 homeless people will die.
L.A. County coroner investigator Adrian Munoz had one last duty to perform in the case of Alvin Robinson, a homeless man whose body was retrieved from a West L.A. sidewalk: making the call no one wants to receive.“I asked if she knew anyone by the name of Alvin Robinson and she said yes, that was her husband,” said Munoz. “I told her that unfortunately he was discovered deceased by the Los Angeles Police Department.
There’s a lot I could say about that, but the numbers don’t need my amplification. You only have to do the math. There are an estimated 60,000 homeless people in the county. If the current pace continues, more than 1,000 of them will die, topping last year’s total of 921. That’s one in 60.We’ll never know all their back stories, but having watched Munoz load Robinson’s body into a coroner’s van, I wanted to know this one.
But Alvin grew increasingly erratic and unreliable over time, Lola said. He drank, he dipped into drugs and was sometimes guided by irrational thoughts no one could fathom. He was a loner who disappeared for long stretches, came home, then vanished again. Lola Robinson had a rough start in her own life, which began in Modesto. She said mental illness ran in her family, and that she was regularly beaten with a hose while in foster care.
Sometimes the bodies are decomposed, or there’s no ID on the person and no one in the vicinity knows the decedent’s full name. With Robinson, they were lucky: He had an ID in his wallet, and once they knew who he was, they were quickly able to locate his wife. It often takes a long time to find next of kin, and sometimes they’re never found. At the moment, Kim said, 97 next of kin notification cases are still open, and a lot of those involve homeless deaths.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Five Music Tech Investment Areas You Need to Know (Guest Column)Here are several key indicators as to why music tech is a high growth area worth exploring (guest column)
Read more »
Column: Kaiser's bitter contract talks could jeopardize its 20-year partnership with laborKaiser's labor management partnership was revolutionary when it was launched in 1997. But can it survive today's union negotiations?
Read more »
Column: Hi, I'm David. I'm a drug addict“A doctor put me on antidepressants about a decade ago. I've spent the last year and a half trying to get off of them. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done,” writes columnist davidlaz.
Read more »
Column: A Republican senator hints at gutting Social Security 'behind closed doors'GOP Sen. Joni Ernst wants to 'reform' Social Security in secret, an indication that the public won't like the result
Read more »
How Hollywood Can (and Can’t) Fight Back Against Deepfake Videos (Guest Column)Legislative fixes and contractual protections are meant to police the dissemination of misinformation from hyperrealistic (but fake) videos. A look at the proposals and consequences of a crackdown.
Read more »
Los Angeles County resident dies of lung illness, fifth U.S. death possibly tied to vapingA Los Angeles County resident has died from a lung illness possibly tied to vapi...
Read more »