Abandoned skyscrapers in downtown Los Angeles have become a canvas to graffiti artists. Windows of a 30-story abandoned building have been spray painted as the latest LA tourist attraction is proving to be problematic for the city and law enforcement.
Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.
Point phone camera here
City Mayor Karen Bass has called the site a hazard and safety concern.
“I guarantee you tragedy will take place there if that place is not boarded up quickly,” Bass said.
City officials said people are not only illegally climbing the skyscraper to spray paint but also using it as a base to jump and parachute from, as shown in a video from a paraglider.
Now, the city is dishing out millions to keep people out and clean the building up. The building has been an uphill battle for the city because of its owner, China Oceanwide Holdings Group. The developer abandoned the building in 2019 after plans for a plaza fell through.
According to Councilman Kevin de León, taking control of the project and making some of it given its current condition will cost the city $2 billion. The city plans to pay to fence off the property and clean the graffiti.
The City Council wanted Oceanwide to handle the costs but the developer did not respond to its immediate request, leaving the city to approve funding upfront while a city attorney tries to recoup the money from Oceanwide.
It’s not only taxpayer money going toward the building debacle right now, city resources are also being expended.
The Los Angeles Police Department has spent more than 3,000 hours patrolling the site, and officers are now patrolling 24 hours a day due to heightened public interest.
The department has arrested 18 people so far, and the city is urging people to stay out of the abandoned area.
