"It was the first time I had ever thought that this part of America felt more like a third-world country than anything I ever imagined the United States could become."
Stop what you’re doing and listen to @JDVance tell a chilling story of how traveling in Los Angeles reminded him of going to the embassy in Haiti.
"My first experience with Skid Row happened when Usha worked at a very prestigious litigation firm in Southern California. Before she was Second Lady, she was a corporate litigator."
"There was a Christmas party in downtown Los Angeles, and the firm sent out these very specific, convoluted driving directions. I remember thinking, 'Why can't I just use Google Maps?'"
"We eventually realized they gave those directions so you could avoid driving through Skid Row at night. If you followed Google Maps instead, it would take you straight through it."
"You arrive at this beautiful venue with fancy food and wine, but there are armed guards outside and massive security walls surrounding the building."
"I remember thinking, 'This reminds me of visiting the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.' There was intense security, extraordinary wealth and privilege inside, and squalor and misery just outside the walls."
This is mind-blowing. It is a real tragedy what has happened to California.
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