A mayor in Southern California wants to rid his city of homeless people by giving them a fatal drug, a remark that resulted in a firestorm of backlash. Despite the intense criticism that Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris has been receiving, he later defended his hardline stance on the homeless population, expressing that he would like a federal “purge” to eliminate them.
He first mentioned giving homeless people fentanyl during a city council meeting. In the meeting, a concerned resident questioned the city’s plan to relocate the homeless to an abandoned golf course, where they would be kept in an enclosure near a residential community, according to Fox News.
In response, Parris said, “What I want to do is give them free fentanyl. I want to give them all the fentanyl they want.” His remarks in the meeting, which was held on February 25, sparked renewed scrutiny of the long-time Republican mayor’s leadership and outrage among residents.
A recall petition was launched in response, accusing Parris of exploiting the community and prioritising “personal gain” over community well-being. The petition has so far collected 6% of its 20,000-signature goal.
However, Parris has shown no intention of walking back his statement. In a follow-up interview with Fox 11 on Friday, he stated he was referring specifically to what he called the “criminal element” within the homeless population. He claimed that among the homeless are individuals who commit the majority of violent crimes in the city. “They are responsible for most of our robberies, most of our rapes, and at least half of our murders,” he said, though no official data was provided to support those claims.
Additionally, Parris insists his comments were not meant to be taken literally. He claimed that fentanyl is already so accessible that providing it would not alter the status quo.
Parris also floated the idea of a nationwide “purge” led by the federal government to remove homeless individuals. “Quite frankly, I wish that the president would give us a purge. Because we do need to purge these people,” he said. While he acknowledged that purging the city of the homeless population was a “harsh” strategy, he indicated that, as the mayor, he needed to fulfil his obligation to protect the “hard-working families” that reside in his city by any means necessary.
Parris, who has served as mayor since 2008, is no stranger to controversy. In 2018, he proposed banning workplace neckties over health concerns that they may limit blood flow to the brain. He also pushed for longer mayoral terms, moving it from two years to four. This also triggered backlash as critics argued that the decision consolidated his political control.