Homeless Get (Fake) Designer Shoes For Holidays
If you see a homeless person hot stepping in some Manolo look-alikes or strutting in what appear to be brand new Air Jordans, we don't blame you for doing a double take. But it's all good. Turns out counterfeit footwear seized by Los Angeles police in the Fashion District and elsewhere is being donated to the homeless.
manoloblahnik.com
Where authorities used to have to destroy such goods, they can now be passed along to nonprofits for use by the homeless under a California law introduced by local state Sen. Gil Cedillo. As long as the trademark holder consents, the fake goods can be given a second life.
5,000 pairs of shoes are going to the Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row, City Attorney's office spokesman Frank Mateljan said Thursday. Another 5,000 are slated for the mission next month. "It makes so much more sense to use them, instead of sending them to
the landfill,'' Mateljan said.
"On Christmas day over 1,800 men, women and children will come to the Union Rescue Mission or to one of our four winter shelter programs to find refuge and we are thrilled to be able to surprise them with a new pair of shoes for Christmas,'' said Mission CEO Andy Bales.
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