Just a few seconds of a day, a mere snapshot of a life in California, and yet it hits like a punch to the stomach. A clip on X has now gone viral of a man appearing disheveled, his hands dirty, and the cover to a storm drain on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles wide open as he rummages inside with a black garbage bag.
The video is presented as evidence that the man appears to be severely homeless and possibly mentally disabled, a scene that has sparked fresh fury over the condition of L.A.’s streets and who should be accountable.
The footage shows a man in what appears to be a distressed state kneeling by an open storm drain on a street in Hollywood, California. He has his hands inside the drain, and his hands appear dirty.
When he pulls them out with what looks like a black plastic garbage bag, the filth scatters as the plastic bag tears at the bottom. He gestures with his hand and says, “The fish got away,” while he addresses the camera in what appears to be an incoherent manner.
Based on the man’s appearance, the poster concluded that he has a mental disability and is potentially under the influence of some drugs, although neither fact has been independently confirmed.
It is the poster’s assertion, not factually corroborated by this footage, that the man was supplied with drugs. Regardless, the video clearly shows a man in apparent agony, kneeling with his hands inside an open storm drain on a public street, in the middle of the day, in one of the most photographed parts of the country.
Internet Reacts To California Homeless Man Fishing in Storm Drain
The political angle came fast. “Karen Bass is cool with it,” one person wrote, leaving the implication to land on its own. Another framed it as a personal decision validated: “Things are really bad in California right now. I decided to leave in 2021, and it looks like I made the right choice,” a user commented.
One commenter went straight to the dollar figure: “The city spent millions on programs that led to this moment and still can’t explain how it got here,” one comment read. Another put it with grim efficiency: “This guy chases fish in pure sewage. Taxpayer drugs create this daily nightmare,” a user wrote.
Some came with a sarcastic undertone. “Dunno why you gotta lie about this man,” one person wrote. “He’s a dedicated fisherman, and the fish got away; otherwise, he would show you his fish.” Another kept it deadpan and oddly warm: “Dammit, keep looking, dude, you’ll find one,” a user commented.
The footage is the latest development in years of stories about California’s ever-growing problem of homelessness. A 2024 report by the California state auditor states that nine state agencies spent nearly $24 billion on homelessness and housing programs from 2018 to 2023, and that the state’s homeless population still grew. The auditor determined that the state had never tracked whether its programs were actually effective.
Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass, who has endured heavy criticism regarding her administration’s attempts to deal with street encampments and homelessness, has seen her name mentioned under this clip, as it has under dozens of others before it.
