Founded by director, performer and activist John Malpede, LAPD was the first performance group in the country made up of homeless and formerly homeless people and the first sustained arts initiative in Skid Row. For 38 years, LAPD has been one of the foremost cultural and artistic resources of the community. LAPD presents live theatrical productions, organizes public discussions and presentations, public art programs, parades and festivals, curates and creates installations and exhibitions, all addressing the lives of the neighborhood residents and the issues they face. LAPD’s performances and theater pieces are developed and realized through an extensive and inclusive process that employs research and engagement strategies and activities designed to enlist and disseminate community wisdom, and which typically take place over the course of more than a year. LAPD makes work to change the narrative about people living in poverty. LAPD’s actively maintained (by professional archive staff) Skid Row History Archive documents the history of the Skid Row neighborhood and its achievements and is utilized by scholars, journalists, filmmakers, and community members. The archive is a bulwark against community displacement.