MacArthur Park has changed, says L.A. Mayor Karen Bass.
The troubled public square in Westlake has seen gang shootings, rampant drug use, discarded syringes, homelessness, people experiencing mental health crises, and an “open air market” of stolen goods.
But after a crackdown by the city, Bass said Monday, “I don’t know if anybody can drive around there and not see a significant difference.”
In recent months, the city has increased police foot patrols in the neighborhood and deployed mental health outreach workers and teams to help those overdosing on drugs. Fencing was installed along Alvarado Street, officials said, in an effort to impede the sale of stolen goods by some street vendors.
The vendors are a staple among immigrant communities, selling goods in and around the park. But officials say some of them sold stolen property, drugs and even guns.
“Many of those vending stands provided an open air market for illegal activity,” Bass said during a news conference outlining the city’s efforts to address the problems around the park. “Now, after collaborative and comprehensive efforts, including actions by the council office and community groups, the results are beginning to show.”
Those police efforts have extended beyond the sidewalk vendors to adjacent businesses and what the city claims is an organized retail theft chain.
Police served a search warrant at a storefront on West 6th Street, just across from MacArthur Park, and arrested a woman on suspicion of receiving stolen property. Officers found cases of pharmaceuticals, makeup and other items believed to have been taken from CVS, Walgreens, Ross, TJ Maxx and Target.
(Los Angeles Police Department)
Police say they recovered more than $350,000 in stolen merchandise from a storefront on West 6th Street, just across from the park. The goods were tied to organized retail theft, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said.
Officers served a search warrant at the business and arrested Blanca Escobar on suspicion of receiving stolen property there. They found cases of pharmaceuticals, makeup and other items believed to have been taken from stores including CVS, Walgreens, TJ Maxx and Target, according to the LAPD.
There was no immediate information on whether charges had been brought against Escobar.
“The LAPD is committed to maintaining and expanding these crime reduction efforts and will continue increasing our community outreach, targeted enforcement and investigative efforts to ensure MacArthur Park remains a safer place for all,” McDonnell said.
Amid the crackdown, permitted street vendors said they are being stopped by police.
Capt. Manny Chavez with the LAPD’s Rampart Patrol said the city had taken a measured approach to addressing illegal street vending and conducted outreach with vendors. Officers notified vendors about what they could sell with their permits and warned vendors if they were selling illegal goods.
“We took a very, very high tolerance level on that,” Chavez said during the news briefing.
John Alle, who manages a number of properties in the Westlake neighborhood and interrupted the news conference, was not satisfied with Bass’ remarks Monday, calling the event a “PR stunt.”
The park remains unsafe, and gang members continue to pose a threat to the neighborhood’s businesses, he said.
“We don’t see any progress,” Alle added.
Bass compared the situation to a game of “whack-a-mole” as the city goes after illegal street vendors and tries to ensure the area is safe for residents and businesses.
Yet she said there had been progress, and McDonnell said crime statistics backed that up. In all categories of crime, including property crimes, the police chief said there had been a 42% overall reduction since December.
“It doesn’t mean the job is done,” the mayor said. “We have a long way to go, and we have to deal with the people who are suffering from addiction.”
Along with the increased police presence, the city has mobilized outreach teams armed with naloxone, the drug that can reverse opioid overdoses. The city is also utilizing a cleanup program to remove trash and hazardous materials from the park, such as syringes.
“This is about saving lives so that people can access treatment and resources, come off the streets and into housing,” City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said during the news briefing.
Hernandez, who represents the district, said peace ambassadors went out into the neighborhood following a gang shooting in January in an effort to de-escalate gang tensions, as well as make contact with people living on the street, street vendors and business owners.
“We also know there’s more work to be done, and that’s why my office is working to open a drop-in center near the park that will provide restrooms, showers, access to food,” Hernandez said.
“There are multiple fires happening in MacArthur Park,” she noted, “but we can all work together to find a strategy that will put out all those fires at the same time.”
Times staff writers David Zahniser and Richard Winton contributed to this report.
