An abandoned high-rise tower in downtown Los Angeles has become a magnet for graffiti artists and parachutists, and city officials are furious.
“This is not art. This is a crime,” Los Angeles Police Chief Michael Moore said Monday.As the city mobilizes resources to remove graffiti and harden the site, police are building He warned that the company was staying at the development site.
Last week, a social media video showing someone parachuting from part of the development went viral, prompting condemnation from the mayor of Los Angeles.
“I’m worried someone is going to fall or get thrown,” Karen Bass told NBC Los Angeles. “There are people parachuting out of buildings.”
Our personnel will remain on site while the City mobilizes resources to remove the graffiti and harden the site. All this in an effort to avoid tragic falls and other disasters.
This is not art. It’s a crime. https://t.co/taGbxEqSc7
— Chief Michelle Moore (@LAPDChiefMoore) February 11, 2024
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Our personnel will remain on site while the City mobilizes resources to remove the graffiti and harden the site. All this in an effort to avoid tragic falls and other disasters.
This is not art. It’s a crime. https://t.co/taGbxEqSc7
— Chief Michelle Moore (@LAPDChiefMoore) February 11, 2024
Several arrests have already been made at the scene. Los Angeles police were providing security “to avoid a tragic fall or other disaster,” Moore wrote in Monday’s X.
The partially built $1 billion Oceanwide Plaza development has been announced by a Chinese developer who said construction on the site would be possible.temporarily on hold”, citing financial issues.
Once expected to be Los Angeles’ tallest residential tower with 500 luxury condominiums, a hotel, and retail and dining space, it’s now gone. Drawing comparison Visit the famous “ghost towers” of Venezuela, Thailand, and North Korea.
“Tagger has a talent for highlighting forgotten urban spaces,” Los Angeles Times art and design critic Carolina Miranda wrote this week.The bold nature of graffiti”, he said, noting that the situation was likely to reinforce “right-wing narratives about failed cities.”
Art and design site Hypoallergenic reported that dozens of artists had tagged at least the 27th floor of the abandoned tower, and at least one of them said they had been tagged. inspired by similar changes Photo of an abandoned tower in Miami during Art Basel.
“This building has needed some love for years,” one artist told Hypoallergenic. “Even if the owners don’t do anything, the city of L.A. will be happy to make something out of it.”
“With all due respect, nothing is being done,” said another official, adding that if the developer can’t “finish the job,” graffiti artists will use the building as a canvas. He said he intended to use it as a.
Local officials have accused Oceanwide’s developers of failing to properly secure the construction site and are demanding that the developers reimburse the city for current security costs.
“If that place isn’t boarded up immediately, I guarantee you there will be a tragedy there,” Bass told NBC Los Angeles. “A new fence will be installed, but it will take a few days. The owners should pay the city back every penny.”
