Los Angeles Times

Three months to get help?

Re “Broke and stuck at LAX, desperate man carries on,” March 29

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Your article about Seth Tom Davis being stuck at LAX since Christmas Eve and his incredible journey deeply touched me. It is unbelievab­le that neither the airport, the police nor the Social Security Administra­tion could help him after almost everything he had was stolen.

Davis is not a vagrant or a criminal. He is a man with Asperger’s syndrome and epilepsy, with no family support. During his three-month stay at the airport, he was robbed of his wallet and his identity was stolen, which wiped out his bank account.

What is wrong with our society when people and agencies do not assist a person in such a situation? Surely, some of the people with whom he had contact could have helped.

Having two granddaugh­ters with autism, I know the difficulti­es of people with special needs. We need to be more compassion­ate and offer help to people like Davis.

Marlene Bronson

Los Angeles

I read in horror the article about Davis, the man from North Dakota with Asperger’s syndrome and epilepsy who spent three months living on the floor at LAX. I was ready to get in my truck, drive over to the airport and take him back to North Dakota until I read at the end that he finally got enough money together to leave.

All the tax-funded programs in the city and the county for the disadvanta­ged, and all the compassion in one of the most liberal areas of the country could not get this poor soul back home.

Now, you could say he did it on his own, which is the American way. But how much does one have to endure before someone comes to the rescue?

Earl Yessmann

Hermosa Beach

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