Leading economic indicators in Hollywood
A few days ago I visited a client in Hollywood at 5 pm. I noticed dozens of homeless people, mostly in their teens and twenties, nearby on the sidewalks. I asked the owner about this.
She said “There’s a food kitchen down the block that feeds them at 6 pm, so they start lining up early. There’s twice as many as there were just a few months ago. Which shows that the economy is getting worse”.
Rescue missions are reporting they now sometimes feed and shelter people who used to volunteer for them.
Last night I drove through Bel Air, the wealthiest section of L.A., through the narrow twisty streets designed to confuse those who don’t live there, on the streets with No Parking signs everywhere. That’s right, you can’t park on the streets in this residential area. Nor, in the truly expensive areas, can you see anything but high walls surrounding the estates, for block after block.
Not a person in sight. Just masses of walled estates, delivering a clear subliminal message of, If you don’t live here, go away.
Prices of these estates start at 8 figures, and people are buying them. Who are they? Why must they protect themselves behind fortresses?
Hungry Hollywood street kids and people who buy 20 million dollar mansions so they can tear them down and build a bigger one – within a few miles of each other.
Feels like a third world country, doesn’t it?