Latest news with #RexParris
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How radical California mayor's ingenious move to 'purge' homeless puts liberal hellholes to shame
'I don't know how many homeless centers you've been in, but this is the first one that doesn't stink,' Mayor Rex Parris bragged of his Southern California city's modern approach to homeless housing. Parris, 73, the outspoken Republican leader of Lancaster in northern Los Angeles County, has given the Daily Mail a tour of his city's 14-acre 'campus' for the homeless on the edge of the Mojave Desert.
Russia Today
21-04-2025
- Health
- Russia Today
California mayor proposes tackling homelessness with fentanyl
A mayor in Southern California is facing a backlash after suggesting the city of Lancaster could address homelessness by providing vagrants with 'all the fentanyl they want,' according to the Los Angeles Times. The US has been grappling with a severe opioid crisis. Originally developed for severe pain management, fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl has flooded the US drug market, and more than 74,000 Americans died in 2023 from drug mixtures containing the substance, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly double the total number of motor vehicle fatalities tallied that year and over three times the number of reported homicides. Mayor Rex Parris of Lancaster, California sparked controversy during a February city council meeting after a resident criticized the city's plan to deal with homelessness by confining them to an abandoned golf course near a residential area, the outlet said on Sunday. According to footage from the meeting, Parris interrupted the woman's remarks, saying, 'what I want to do is give them free fentanyl.' 'I mean, that's what I want to do. I want to give them all the fentanyl they want.' The startled resident responded to the Republican mayor, saying his comment 'was not kind.' Parris, who has served as mayor since 2008, told FOX LA on Friday that he has no 'regrets' about his remarks. He clarified that he was referring specifically to unhoused individuals involved in criminal activity who 'refuse' assistance, and reiterated his stance on providing them with the highly addictive and often deadly opioid. 'I made it very clear I was talking about the criminal element that were let out of the prisons that have now become 40 to 45% of what's referred to as the homeless population,' Parris told the outlet. 'They are responsible for most of our robberies, most of our rapes, and at least half of our murders,' he added, without providing any evidence or data to support his claims. Parris went on to say he hadn't thought anyone would take his comments 'literally,' claiming that fentanyl is 'so easy' to obtain on the streets that offering it for free wouldn't make any difference. 'Quite frankly, I wish that the president would give us a purge. Because we do need to purge these people,' Parris concluded. In 2013, the Lancaster mayor made headlines for proposing building a Buddhist temple to attract Chinese investment. In 2018, he drew attention again with a push to ban neckties from workplace, citing studies linking them to reduced blood flow to the brain.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lancaster mayor's remedy for homelessness: 'Free fentanyl' and 'a purge'
The mayor of Lancaster, Rex Parris, has ignited a controversy after musing during a council meeting that one approach to homelessness would be to "give them free fentanyl … all the fentanyl they want." Parris, a larger-than-life trial lawyer, made the incendiary comments about the drug — responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths — during a February City Council meeting, in a retort to a resident who objected to his musings of congregating unhoused residents into an "encampment." It wasn't until Parris doubled down on his remarks during an interview with Fox 11 LA that his statements went viral, provoking ire far beyond the high desert city, where he has presided as mayor since 2008. He said that he didn't think anyone had taken his comments literally, but that he did not regret them. In the interview, he said he wished for "a purge" of homeless people. "I made it very clear I was talking about the criminal element that were let out of the prisons that have now become 40 to 45% of what's referred to as the homeless population," he said. "They are responsible for most of our robberies, most of our rapes, and at least half of our murders," he said, without providing evidence to back up those assertions. He added: "Quite frankly, I wish the president would give us a purge. Because we do need to purge these people. "Now, is it harsh? Of course it is harsh. But it is my obligation as the mayor of the city of Lancaster to protect the hardworking families that live here, and I am no longer able to do it. ... It's an untenable situation. ... I want these people out of our city." Parris did not respond to a request for comment from The Times. His political opponents say they are outraged. "Anyone willing to give homeless people all the fentanyl they want, or to suggest that President Trump should allow a purge of the homeless population, has no business in public office," said Johnathan Earvin, a Democrat who challenged and lost to Parris in last year's mayoral election. Earvin has now banded together with the third-place winner in that contest, Mark Maldonado, to try to recall the mayor. Parris has loomed over Lancaster for decades, first as a trial lawyer and civic leader and for the last 15 years as its mayor. The city, which sits in the Mojave desert in northern Los Angeles County, has a population of about 175,000. According to figures from the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, reported in the Antelope Valley Press, there were 6,672 people experiencing homelessness in 2024, 1,989 more than in 2023. That includes the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, as well as surrounding areas. Lancaster residents have become accustomed to a mayor with proposals that are often grand, and sometimes quixotic. In 2013, he made headlines when, in an effort to woo Chinese investment, he talked of opening a trade office in Beijing and building a Buddhist temple in his Mojave desert town. In 2018, he was back in the news for a proposal to make neckties optional among workers in the city, citing studies that they diminish blood flow to the brain. He's also long been a voice for law and order, and many in his city have taken a dim view of homelessness. In 2021, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California released a report alleging widespread abuse of homeless people in Lancaster. The ACLU contended that the city had created a "dragnet of criminalization" in which deputies and city code enforcement officers "regularly bulldoze encampments of unhoused people and order them to move by threat of citation." At the time, Parris said the city had done more than its share to serve its homeless population. He also said he was "trying to create an environment where people who are disabled can thrive" and that he was "not going to just let people live wherever they want, camp where they want, extort money from people who are shopping." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Lancaster mayor's remedy for homelessness: ‘Free fentanyl' and ‘a purge'
The mayor of Lancaster, Rex Parris, has ignited a controversy after musing during a council meeting that one approach to homelessness would be to 'give them free fentanyl … all the fentanyl they want.' Parris, a larger-than-life trial lawyer, made the incendiary comments about the drug — responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths — during a February City Council meeting, in a retort to a resident who objected to his musings of congregating unhoused residents into an 'encampment.' It wasn't until Parris doubled down on his remarks during an interview with Fox 11 LA that his statements went viral, provoking ire far beyond the high desert city, where he has presided as mayor since 2008. He said that he didn't think anyone had taken his comments literally, but that he did not regret them. In the interview, he said he wished for 'a purge' of homeless people. 'I made it very clear I was talking about the criminal element that were let out of the prisons that have now become 40 to 45% of what's referred to as the homeless population,' he said. 'They are responsible for most of our robberies, most of our rapes, and at least half of our murders,' he said, without providing evidence to back up those assertions. He added: 'Quite frankly, I wish the president would give us a purge. Because we do need to purge these people. 'Now, is it harsh? Of course it is harsh. But it is my obligation as the mayor of the city of Lancaster to protect the hardworking families that live here, and I am no longer able to do it. ... It's an untenable situation. ... I want these people out of our city.' Parris did not respond to a request for comment from The Times. His political opponents say they are outraged. 'Anyone willing to give homeless people all the fentanyl they want, or to suggest that President Trump should allow a purge of the homeless population, has no business in public office,' said Johnathan Earvin, a Democrat who challenged and lost to Parris in last year's mayoral election. Earvin has now banded together with the third-place winner in that contest, Mark Maldonado, to try to recall the mayor. Parris has loomed over Lancaster for decades, first as a trial lawyer and civic leader and for the last 15 years as its mayor. The city, which sits in the Mojave desert in northern Los Angeles County, has a population of about 175,000. According to figures from the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, reported in the Antelope Valley Press, there were 6,672 people experiencing homelessness in 2024, 1,989 more than in 2023. That includes the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, as well as surrounding areas. Lancaster residents have become accustomed to a mayor with proposals that are often grand, and sometimes quixotic. In 2013, he made headlines when, in an effort to woo Chinese investment, he talked of opening a trade office in Beijing and building a Buddhist temple in his Mojave desert town. In 2018, he was back in the news for a proposal to make neckties optional among workers in the city, citing studies that they diminish blood flow to the brain. He's also long been a voice for law and order, and many in his city have taken a dim view of homelessness. In 2021, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California released a report alleging widespread abuse of homeless people in Lancaster. The ACLU contended that the city had created a 'dragnet of criminalization' in which deputies and city code enforcement officers 'regularly bulldoze encampments of unhoused people and order them to move by threat of citation.' At the time, Parris said the city had done more than its share to serve its homeless population. He also said he was 'trying to create an environment where people who are disabled can thrive' and that he was 'not going to just let people live wherever they want, camp where they want, extort money from people who are shopping.'
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
California mayor says he wants to give homeless people ‘all the fentanyl they want'
(KTLA) — A Southern California mayor facing a recall effort is coming under fire after his suggestion to ending his city's homelessness issue was 'giving them all the fentanyl they want.' The comments were made by longtime Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris during a city council meeting on Feb. 25. The comments have surfaced in recent days since he gave an interview to Fox 11 this week, where he doubled down on the sentiment. Nintendo announces new date for Switch 2 pre-orders During the February meeting, a speaker during the public comment portion wanted to speak to Parris about the homelessness crisis within the city of Lancaster. Her claim was that Parris wants to 'lump' the city's homeless population in one singular encampment in the city, which she took issue with. Parris response was to do something even more severe than that. 'What I want to do is give them free fentanyl,' he said. 'That's what I want to do.' When asked to repeat what he said, Parris reiterated 'I want to give them all the fentanyl they want.' 'That was not kind,' the speaker said. The implication that Parris wants to give homeless people an illegal drug that kills thousands of Californians per year comes as some within his city are growing tired of his antics. According to the Antelope Valley Press, Lancaster's city clerk is currently suing former political opponents of Parris 'due to false and/or misleading information in the notice of intent to circulate a recall petition and failure to comply with state Election Code.' Will gas prices go up this summer? That allegation comes as those political opponents, who lost to Parris in the city's mayoral election last year, are attempting to recall him. 'For too long, Mayor R. Rex Parris has prioritized personal gain over the well-being of residents. His administration has been marked by mismanagement, controversial policies, and a disregard for transparency,' a portion of reads. The organizers pinpoint the decision by Parris to extend mayoral terms from 2 years to 4 as an example of 'manipulating the democratic process.' Parris' 2024 election victory was his sixth. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
