There seems to be a reason that Los Angeles is "graffiti city"

In January, 2024, graffiti artists began converging on a trio of abandoned skyscrapers in downtown Los Angeles, and tagging them up from top to bottom. Within a short period of time, most of the 36 floors of each structure in the Oceanwide Plaza development had been painted with large, ornate and colorful lettering, which started receiving worldwide attention. By early February, the Washington Post published a piece explaining what had happened, and why the marking up of the structures was so significant.

I took a picture of the buildings each of the last two summers, in disbelief that they were still tagged up. This photo is from last month:

These buildings are visible for many miles in each direction. Coming into downtown from any of the major freeways, drivers see different angles of the above. It is ugly, to say the very least. I don't know any city that has allowed such a thing, and especially for such a long time.

Given that, is it any wonder that LA has seen a 50 percent increase in graffiti around the city this past year (per LAPD crime statistics)? And a more than 300 percent increase since 2023, before Oceanwide Plaza was tagged up?

No. Mayor Karen Bass and city officials' lack of action sent a message out to all: it's OK to paint up the city in graffiti. And people have.

Of course I am not the only one who put two and two together. In June, ABC7 interviewed several downtown residents and business owners about the proliferation of graffiti on seemingly every surface, from sidewalks to signs to fences. It seems no surface is safe. And when tagging is painted over, it returns again fairly soon.

 

This city hosted the World Cup for more than three weeks. Thousands of visitors were able to see the tagged up buildings downtown, and form their own impressions. 

Then two weeks ago, a miracle occurred: Bass announced that the new owner of the development had committed to cleaning up the buildings within 90 days. No explanation around how the city got them to do that, or for my question: what took them 2.5 years to do this?

I got information about the right person to contact at the city council district in which this development lies, so I could ask that question. I sent an email a week ago, and have not received a reply. So LA has become Graffiti City less than two years before the Olympic Games are to be held here, and those in charge have nothing to say?

A city official told me that the sudden push for the cleanup is likely because the Super Bowl will be held in nearby Inglewood in Feb., 2027. That makes sense. This city, like all major cities, suddenly finds extra money for road repairs, clean ups and the like right before a major event will bring visitors to town.

I'm going to start taking some new photos of all the graffiti around this city, and posting it in this space. While I'm at it, I'll also document trash and homeless encampments, which are ubiquitous here.

Stay tuned.