City leaders in Los Angeles have condemned a charity worker who was filmed hosing down a homeless person on Skid Row.
A contractor for Urban Alchemy, which works to help with homelessness, mental illness and drug addiction, was seen spraying water close to the rough sleeper who was forced to scramble and collect their belongings.
Footage of the incident was shared on to social media platform X on Thursday and has been viewed more than 60,000 times.
Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia described the incident as ‘disturbing’ and pointed to how the non-profit organization has received more than $14million in city funding.
Urban Alchemy has confirmed the worker in the video was a contractor and has since been fired.
A worker for homeless charity Urban Alchemy was seen spraying water close to a rough sleeper who was forced to scramble and collect their belongings
Urban Alchemy has confirmed the worker in the video was a contractor and has since been fired
In the clip, a man in a high-visibility vest can be seen towering over a homeless person sat on the floor.
He then begins to hose the rough sleeper who is forced to collect their belongings and scramble.
Sergio Perez, chief of accountability and oversight for the LA City Controller’s Office, was left disturbed by the incident.
‘It’s a disturbing act that shows a disregard for the dignity of the individual at the other end of the water hose,’ he told NBC Los Angeles.
‘There’s no legitimate reason to do that to any individual, including our unhoused neighbors here in Los Angeles.’
In the clip, a man in a high-visibility vest can be seen towering over a homeless person sat on the floor
Urban Alchemy claims its staff members are ‘a compassionate and peaceful presence that restore safety and cleanliness in the streets’
He added that the City Controller would be scrutinizing the money given to Urban Alchemy to find out what services are funded in return.
The San Francisco charity insisted the man in the video was a contractor and has been fired following the incident.
‘Urban Alchemy exists to lift up our communities, v=onepage&q=red%20boost&f=false and to serve them with humanity and dignity,’ it said in a statement.
‘The action being taken here is unacceptable, and completely antithetical to our training and values. The practitioner involved in this incident no longer works at Urban Alchemy.’
The organization claims its staff members are ‘a compassionate and peaceful presence that restore safety and cleanliness in the streets’.
There are around 91,000 homeless people in LA County, according to the LA Chamber of Commerce, which is the highest number in any US city.
There are around 91,000 homeless people in LA County, according to the LA Chamber of Commerce, which is the highest number in any US city
It is not the first time a homeless person has been hosed down in California as an art gallery owner in San Francisco was caught spraying a rough sleeper
An estimated 2,500 of the rough sleepers in the area live on Skid Row.
It is not the first time a homeless person has been hosed down in California as an art gallery owner in San Francisco was caught spraying a rough sleeper.
Collier Gwin, who runs Foster Gwin Gallery in the Financial District, was seen leaning casually against the gate of a restaurant while using a garden hose to blast water at a woman as she screamed in fright.
Local businesses were quick to condemn his actions, while scores of enraged social media users sought revenge by leaving a string of dreadful reviews online – causing the gallery’s rating on Google to plunge to just one star.
After admitting to being the man in the video, Gwin, whose clients once included David Rockefeller and Arnold Schwarzenegger, tried to defend his actions, claiming she had become psychotic and was turning over garbage cans.
DailyMail.com has contacted Urban Alchemy for comment.
HomelessnessLos AngelesSergio Perez