Pretty sure you can’t do that…
It’s no secret that big cities across the country are dealing with a homelessness crisis. As of 2023, there were an estimated 650,000 homeless people across the United States, though that number is likely much higher due to the difficulty in identifying and accurately tracking those who are homeless.
Cities often struggle to provide services to their homeless population. Shelters are overwhelmed, there isn’t enough funding for social services to get them off the streets and get them the help they need, and when they have no other option for medical care the homeless are forced to turn to hospital emergency rooms, overwhelming ERs with patients who could be treated elsewhere and taking away resources from those who are having actual emergencies.
Of course there’s not an easy solution for the problem. Providing them with housing without addressing the causes of their homelessness like mental health or drug issues would just end up with them back on the streets, and cities don’t have the resources to address the root causes.
It’s a heartbreaking reality for too many people. But one California mayor is under fire for his proposal for the problem: Give them fentanyl.
Rex Parris, an attorney who has served as the mayor of Lancaster, California since 2008, first made the comments during a city council meeting back in February. A speaker during the public comment period of the meeting claimed that the mayor wanted to lump all of the homeless together in an encampment, to which the mayor replied:
“What I want to do is give them free fentanyl. That’s what I want to do. I want to give them free fentanyl.”
And when asked about the comments, the mayor doubled down:
“I want to give them all the fentanyl they want. That’s what I want.”
The mayor was asked about the comments recently during an interview with Fox 11, and said he had no regrets:
“I made it very clear I was talking about the criminal element that are let out of the prisons, that have now become 40 to 45% of what’s referred to as the homeless population. They are responsible for most of our robberies, most of our rapes, and at least half of our murders. There is nothing that we can do for these people…
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’s harsh. But it’s my obligation as the mayor of the city of Lancaster to protect the hardworking families that live there, and I am no longer able to do it…I’m open to any solution, but I want these people out of our city…
I don’t regret saying it. I’m happy that we’re focusing the attention on an aspect of this problem that nobody seems to want to look at. These people are killing our citizens. Not a lot of them, but some of them. They have no respect for law and order.”
Well as you can probably guess, the mayor’s comments ruffled some feathers, with a recall petition being launched to remove Parris from office:
“Lancaster deserves leadership that listens, serves, and uplifts the community—not one that divides and exploits it.”
And Parris is receiving quite a bit of heat on social media for his “heartless” suggestion:
The cruelty is always the point, and it doesn’t get much more cruel than this. R. Rex Parris, the Republican mayor of Lancaster, California wants to “purge” the homeless population from his city by giving them all the “free fentanyl” they want. pic.twitter.com/POEQcgVNXE
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) April 21, 2025
Murderous piece of shit https://t.co/Oh7HYTUuLp
— Júlia (@TheJuliestOfAll) April 21, 2025
What an ASS. Maybe spend the money trying to help them? https://t.co/qifaDSWsau
— Hummingbird Essentials AKA Susan (@hummingbirdess) April 21, 2025
This is vile and he should be removed from office. https://t.co/VVCIk9upA3
— Amy Curtis 🇮🇱 (@RantyAmyCurtis) April 21, 2025
These people are absolute psychopaths https://t.co/dv5VyoMl8l
— BasedDeer (@basedyokel) April 21, 2025
Yeah, not sure that solution is going to gain any traction.
