L.A. Homeless Man Burned to Death in Wheelchair

Just when you think the violence against the homeless has reached its peak, this story hits the news. This morning, in South L.A., a homeless man's partially burned body was found dead in his wheelchair.

There isn't a lot of information available at this point, but here are the earliest details from the LA Times:

Fire officials responded to reports of "a person allegedly on fire," at 2:45 a.m. in the 1800 block of West Manchester Avenue, said Devin Gales, a service officer with the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Police officials told television reporters at the scene that the body had been badly burned, and a candle and some alcohol had reportedly been found nearby. The victim also was reportedly wearing a hospital identification wristband, according to reporters at the scene.

In the past year, there have been too many violent and gruesome attacks against chronically homeless individuals (including another homeless man who was burned alive in LA last fall). The most unsettling part of this violence is its upward trend; from 2002 to 2005, hate crimes against the homeless increased 300%. Fatal attacks rose by 67%. And study by the National Coalition for the Homeless found that this number has increased even more - 65% - since 2005.

In fact, Maryland became the first state in the country to include "homeless" as a category included in hate crime protection. While I laude the state for its proactive response to this needless rise in violence, I think time, energy, and resources should be directed at housing these individauls rather than making the streets more comfortable.

As more information becomes available about the man who lost his life last night, we will post it here. As with any person you see on the street, he has a name, people who care about him, and a story that should be honored.