Letters to the Editor: The Broad doesn't need another $100 million. Spend that money helping L.A.'s homeless population

Los Angeles Times Opinion
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(FILES) In this file photo taken on September 14, 2017 a man crosses a pedestrian crossing painted by Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez toward the Broad Museum in Los Angeles, California. - Venezuelan kinetic atist Carlos Cruz-Diez passed away on July 27, 2019 in Paris at 95, according to a report released on his website Sunday. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTIONFREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
A pedestrian crosses the street toward the Broad Museum, which recently announced a $100-million expansion. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)

To the editor: Downtown L.A. would be better revitalized by spending $100 million on low-income housing and mental health and drug treatment centers (“The Broad announces massive expansion that will increase gallery space by 70%,” March 27). Perhaps even a mental health hospital. It could be named after Eli and Edythe Broad in a giant artist-designed font.

I love art and art museums. But I feel very sad and conflicted when I leave the fancy Broad and encounter a person experiencing mental illness who is so degraded they cannot keep their stained pants on.

The billionaires of Los Angeles are a disappointing group. They have the capabilities to help our most needy residents, but they choose projects that will glorify their position in society instead. I guess there is not enough ego gratification in helping Los Angeles with what we really need at this time: services and facilities to ameliorate the tragedy of our unhoused, mentally ill, drug-addicted neighbors.

A museum addition can wait.

Sidney Higgins, Los Angeles

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.