DOWNTOWN : Brothers Work to ‘Keep L.A. Dry’

The image of a shivering homeless man being pulled from the Ventura River spurred two Beverly Hills brothers into action, and overnight “Keep L.A. Dry” was born.

“It’s not that we are so charitable. It’s just that we saw that guy trembling on TV and we thought it was crazy that he didn’t have a coat,” said Leon Schneider, 43.

Leon and David Schneider, 37, both lawyers, have committed themselves to keeping every homeless person warm and dry.

During the heavy rains earlier this month, they purchased 1,000 raincoats and gave them to homeless people in front of the Midnight Mission at 4th and Los Angeles streets.

Schneider said there was a line around the building and they ran out before everyone got a coat. But the brothers are planning another distribution before the next storm.

Their goal is to see that every needy person in Los Angeles will have adequate clothing. In that spirit they are asking family and friends to rummage through their closets for a clothes drive they are organizing.