detractors

In the wake of January’s horrific fires, detractors of Los Angeles — an urban reality often seen as a toxic mixture of unsustainable resource planning and structurally poor governance systems — are having a field day.

Social media reaction was swift, with detractors calling it “tone‑deaf” and “Nazi‑coded,” while supporters, especially conservative commentators, praised the joke and dismissed the outrage as performative.

The result was music and art — performances, album covers, gig posters, promotional material — that was revolutionary, groundbreaking and disturbing to their detractors.

But as the housing-first approach became established in policy, detractors took note of its limitations, leading to intense policy debates over how to use scarce resources.

Ramsey doesn’t spend much of the documentary trying to shut down her detractors, but does offer one prickly point when confronted with the fact that her work is less than scientific.