Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt said last week his plan to crack down on homelessness and open-air drug use would push many people living on the streets in LA to cities like Seattle once his administration stopped allowing the behavior.
“These people have been bussed in by scam rehabs, scam NGOs, scam homeless nonprofits,” Pratt told local ABC reporter Josh Haskell while outlining his vision for tackling the city’s homelessness crisis.
“These people, when I unplug them and say we’re not taking our tax money anymore, they’re all going to Seattle where the mayor will welcome them,” he added.
Pratt made the remarks while discussing how he would address the roughly 40,000 homeless people currently living in Los Angeles.
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The independent candidate vying to upend the city’s decades-long Democratic political stronghold has made Angelenos’ growing frustration with crime, homelessness and the city’s status quo the focus of his campaign message.
During his interview with Haskell, Pratt took a tough stance on homelessness, arguing that shelter space already exists for those living on the streets and claiming many remain homeless because they refuse to stop using drugs or comply with shelter rules.
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“They’re not homeless, they’re drug addicts,” Pratt said, insisting that many who live on the streets are addicted to fentanyl and meth.
“Are you saying they don’t have homes?” Haskell asked.
Pratt said that, though spaces exist for all homeless Angelenos, they remain homeless because they refuse to abide by the shelters’ rules.
“They’re choosing to be on the streets because they wanna do drugs, they don’t want rules, they don’t wanna listen, they wanna have animals to abuse,” he replied.
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“This idea that they’re forced on the street right now is a lie that our city is perpetuating,” he added. “We’ve paid $24 billion to house these 40,000 people. There are spots for all these people. They are choosing [to remain on the street] because they’re an addict, and you can do fentanyl and super meth on the sidewalk with no repercussions.”
Pratt’s comments come as homelessness remains one of the most politically charged issues facing Los Angeles, where city leaders have spent billions of dollars in recent years attempting to reduce encampments and expand housing and treatment services.
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The former reality TV star of “The Hills” will square off against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and other declared candidates in the high-stakes June 2 primary.
