Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said MacArthur Park has changed.
Westlake’s troubled public square saw gang shootings, rampant drug use, discarded syringes, homelessness, people experiencing a mental health crisis, and a “open-air market” of stolen goods.
But, Bass said Monday: “I don’t know if anyone can drive there and don’t see the significant difference.”
In recent months, the city has added nearby police walking patrols and deployed mental health outreach workers and teams to help those who overdose drugs. Officials said the fence was installed along Alvarado Street to prevent some street vendors from selling stolen goods.
Suppliers are staple foods in immigrant communities, selling goods in and around the park. But officials said some of them sold stolen property, drugs and even guns.
“Many vending stances provide an open-air market for illegal activities,” Bass said in a press conference. “Now, after collaborative and comprehensive efforts, including actions by council offices and community groups, the results are starting to show.”
These police efforts have surpassed sidewalk suppliers to neighboring businesses, the city claims to be an organized retail theft chain.
Police served a search warrant at a storefront on West 6th Street across from MacArthur Park and arrested a woman on suspicion of accepting stolen property. Officials found drugs, cosmetics and other cases believed to be taken from CVS, Walgreens, Ross, TJ Maxx and Target.
(Los Angeles Police Department)
Police said they recovered more than $350,000 in stolen goods from a store on West 6th Street across the park. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the goods were linked to organized retail theft.
Officials signed a search warrant in the business and allegedly arrested Blanca Escobar when they received the stolen property there. According to LAPD, they found cases of drugs, makeup and other items were taken from stores like CVS, Walgreens, TJ Maxx and Target.
There is no immediate information on whether the allegations have been filed against Escobar.
“LAPD is committed to maintaining and expanding these crime reduction efforts and will continue to increase our community outreach activities, targeted law enforcement and investigation efforts to ensure that MacArthur Park remains a safer place for all.”
In the crackdown, allowed street vendors said they were being stopped by police.
Captain Manny Chavez, Captain Rampart Patrol of LAPD, said the city has taken a measure to address illegal street vending and has promoted it with suppliers. Officials inform suppliers of what they can sell through a license and warn suppliers whether to sell illegal goods.
“We have achieved a very, very high tolerance for this,” Chavez said in a press conference.
John Alle, who managed many properties near Westlake and interrupted the press conference, was dissatisfied with Bass’ speech, calling the event a “PR stunt.”
He said the parks remain unsafe and gang members continue to pose a threat to the community’s business.
“We can’t see any progress,” Al added.
Bass compares the situation to the “whack-a-mole” game as the city follows illegal street vendors and tries to ensure the area is safe for residents and businesses.
But she said it was progressing, McDonald’s said crime statistics supported that. In all categories, including property crimes, the Chief of Police said it has dropped 42% overall since December.
“That doesn’t mean the work is done,” the mayor said. “We have a long way to go and we have to deal with people who are addicted.”
As police presence increased, the city mobilized an outreach team of armed naloxone, a drug that could reverse opioid overdoses. The city also uses cleaning plans to remove garbage and hazardous materials from parks such as syringes.
“It’s about saving lives so that people can get treatment and resources, get out of the streets and get into housing,” City Councilman Eunisses Hernandez said in a press conference.
Hernandez, who represents the area, said the gang shootings in January had demoted gang tensions and contacted people, street vendors and business owners who lived on the streets and entered the neighborhood with the peace ambassador.
“We also know there is more work to do, which is why my office is working to open a pour-in center near the park that will provide bathrooms, showers, and access to food,” Hernandez said.
“There were several fires in MacArthur Park, but we can all work together to find a strategy that will erupt all of these fires at the same time,” she noted.
Times worker David Zahniser and Richard Winton contributed to the report.
