A clip of a homeless person responding to a woman protesting against COVID-19 vaccines has gone viral.
The footage was filmed and posted online by Twitter user “Film The Police LA,” where it has since been viewed more than one million times.
During the clip, a woman walking down Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles is heard saying: “Do you see all of these homeless people around. Are they dead in the street with COVID? Hell no. Why?”
Off-camera, a man can be heard yelling at the protesters: “Because I’m vaccinated you dumb f**k.”
The camera then pans round to show the reply came from a man pushing a shopping car down the street.
Hollywood Blvd, Saturday, 11:22 AM:
ANTI-VAXX PROTESTER: Do you see all of these homeless people around. Are they dead in the street with COVID? Hell no. Why?
HOMELESS PERSON (walking by): Because I’m vaccinated you dumb fuck. pic.twitter.com/rPskpOqtKs
— Film The Police LA (@FilmThePoliceLA) October 6, 2021
The person behind the Film The Police LA Twitter account told Newsweek that the LA street was relatively quiet that afternoon as there had been a police shooting prior to the vaccine protesters showing up. Los Angeles Police Department records confirm that there was a shooting at Highland Avenue/Hollywood Boulevard on October 2.
Following the response from the homeless man, the woman with the megaphone then continues her rhetoric, telling passers-by: “Is anyone questioning anything? Wake up! It’s OK, you’ve been asleep, you’re scared, I’m scared too.”
The woman’s query about why the COVID-19 pandemic has not resulted in the bodies of the homeless lining the streets was mocked on social media.
“Do you see all of these people who reside out in the open air, and were able to get vaccinated free of charge? Are they all dead in the street from an airborne virus that spreads easiest in closed, indoors spaces?! Hell no! Why?,” tweeted @wrenispinkl.
Fellow Twitter user Kate Currant added: “I just love how they use the fact that they are not knee deep in dead bodies to disprove COVID.”
Another tweeted noted how there are “more homeless are vaccinated in Los Angeles county than Republicans” while sharing a link to a press release from the city’s Department of Health Services stating that its Housing for Health unit managed an average 75 percent success rate in giving persons experiencing homelessness their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The release from April said that Housing for Health was able to give a second dose to the three-quarters of homeless people who had their first shot after implementing a strategy that included making them aware of the benefits and providing cell phones so they could remind people of their second shot.
“Housing for Health teams work closely with homeless service agencies to educate people experiencing homelessness and engage them in COVID vaccination,” Sarah Mahin, director of Housing for Health, said in a statement at the time.
“Our staff fosters trust and offers education and encouragement to overcome vaccine hesitancy.”
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
