L.A. riders bail on Metro trains amid ‘horror’ of deadly drug overdoses, crime

Here's what I can't figure out. My wife moved us from Portland to Florida because she hated to see all that stuff. Same issues, massive homelessness problem and very, very sad state of people. It is very different than the homelessness situation from ten years ago.

Why isn't it in Florida?

Housing costs are lower, but look at the price of housing even in smaller cities, they have doubled in just the last two years. If homelessness is really mainly a function of housing costs, is this problem coming quickly to Florida?

For example, gas prices are indeed cheaper. But add on those toll roads and suddenly the cost of a trip isn't so cheap. COL is not as straightforward as you would think in Florida.

Florida and other southern states have a much larger prison population per capita. Is that it, does everyone unwilling or unable to find housing just go to prison?

Is it heavy handed police that keep the problem away from the urban areas because tourism?

Are the drug cartels only interested in blue states?

Are the drugs here in Florida but just hidden differently?

If you read about drug use, just a few years ago the statistics would have shown higher use in Midwestern and Southern states, but the rampant degeneration of humanity is clearly more evident in blue liberal cities, and it's giving me an existential identity crisis.

I always felt like looking at the problems homelessness are facing holistically was a compassionate thing to do as a liberal, and I still do, but it hasn't made a difference since before the pandemic.

LA metro and downtown in general is really gross. Whole place smells like p*ss. I was staying there for a concert a few months ago and I felt like I was living on skid row. I went after that super meth stuff came out though, I wonder what it was like before.

I personally didn't see anyone doing drugs but the number of homeless people was astonishing. Not just normal homeless people either, most of them looked like they were on something/acting crazy. Was really disappointed that people were living like this in the richest country on earth.

People like to crap on Chicago but the public transport is great comparatively. Still usable by the average person.

Not sure why this is on hackernews though, not really related to tech is it?

I thought homeless couldn't afford riding the subway.