Lopez: A Fence Might Deter Macarthur Park Crime And Homelessness, But Is It Enough? - Beritaja

My first reaction, erstwhile I heard about the proposed $2.3-million fence about MacArthur Park, was skepticism.

Yeah, the parkland and the contiguous vicinity person agelong dealt pinch a nasty web of municipality nightmares, including homelessness, crime and a alternatively astonishing open-air supplier scene, each of which I spent a fewer months looking into not agelong ago.

But what would a obstruction accomplish?

Well, aft looking into it, possibly it’s not the worst idea.

Skepticism, I should note, is mostly a fallback position for me. It’s thing of an occupational duty, and really could you not beryllium cynical about promises and plans successful Los Angeles, wherever each clip you unfastened the newspaper, you person to scratch your head?

I’m still having problem knowing really region supervisors approved different $828 million successful kid intersexual maltreatment payments, connected apical of an earlier colony this twelvemonth of $4 billion, moreover aft Times newsman Rebecca Ellis recovered nine cases successful which group said they were told to fabricate maltreatment allegations.

The aforesaid supes, while wrestling pinch a fund crisis, agreed to pay $2 million to appease the county’s main executive serviceman because she felt wronged by a ballot measurement proposing that the occupation beryllium an elected alternatively than appointed post. Scratching your caput doesn’t thief successful this case; you’re tempted alternatively to bang it into a wall.

Drone position of MacArthur Park looking toward downtown Los Angeles.

(Ted Soqui/For The Times)

Or possibly a $2.3-million fence.

The metropolis of L.A. is chiefly responsible for taking connected the problems of MacArthur Park, though the region has a domiciled excessively successful the areas of housing, nationalist wellness and addiction services. I made 2 visits to the area successful the past week, and while location are signs of advancement and somewhat little of a consciousness of chaos — the children’s playground deed past twelvemonth by an arsonist has been afloat rebuilt — there’s a agelong measurement to go.

In a story about the fence by my workfellow Nathan Solis, 1 work supplier said it would further criminalize homelessness and different said the money “could beryllium amended utilized by backing ... services to the group successful the park, alternatively than conscionable moving them out.”

The immense mostly of group who said astatine the Oct. 16 meeting of the Recreation and Parks Commission, which voted unanimously to move guardant pinch the fence, were adamantly opposed contempt claims that enclosing the abstraction would beryllium a measurement toward upgrading and making the parkland much welcoming.

“Nothing is much unwelcoming than a obstruction about a nationalist space,” 1 professional said.

“A obstruction could not lick homelessness,” different said.

The LAPD underwater dive portion investigates activity successful MacArthur Park Lake.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Others based on that locking up the park, which is surrounded by a predominantly migrant community, recalls the ridiculous stunt that played retired successful June, erstwhile President Trump’s uniformed posse showed up successful armored vehicles and connected horseback successful what looked for illustration an all-out penetration of Westlake.

But different speaker, Raul Claros — who is moving against Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez successful the 1st District — said he’d spoken to residents and merchants who support the fence, arsenic agelong arsenic it’s portion of a greater effort to reside the community’s needs.

Claros said he has 3 questions: “What’s the plan? What’s the timeline? Who’s successful charge?”

Hernandez, by the way, is not opposed to the fence. A staffer told maine there’s a obstruction about adjacent Lafayette Park. Other fenced parks successful Los Angeles see Robert Burns Park, adjacent to Hancock Park, and the L.A. State Historic Park connected the separator of Chinatown, which is locked astatine sunset.

As for the long-range plan, the Hernandez staffer said the councilwoman has secured and is investing millions of dollars successful what she calls a care-first attack that intends to reside drug addiction and homelessness successful and about the park.

Eduardo Aguirre, who lives a mates of blocks from the parkland and serves connected the West Pico Neighborhood Council, told maine he’s OK pinch the obstruction but worried about the imaginable consequences. If the group who usage the parkland astatine nighttime aliases slumber location are forced out, he said, wherever will they go?

“To the streets? To the alleys? You cognize what’s going to happen. It’s a game,” Aguirre said.

Last autumn I walked pinch Aguirre and his woman arsenic they led their daughter to her simple school. They often person to measurement about bum group and past areas wherever dealing and supplier use, on pinch violence, are thing but infrequent.

Families and others should beryllium capable to consciousness safe successful the parkland and the neighborhood, said Norm Langer, proprietor of the iconic Langer’s deli connected the separator of the park.

A visitant takes successful the position astatine MacArthur Park.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

“I wholly understand why you’re skeptical,” Langer told me, but he said he’s seen improvements successful the past year, peculiarly aft fences were installed on Alvarado Street and vendors were unopen down. Police opportunity immoderate of the vendors were progressive successful the supplier waste and acquisition and the resale of stolen merchandise.

“The constituent isn’t to limit access,” Langer said. “The obstruction is intended to amended information and value of life for the group who live, work, and walk clip here. It gives parkland unit a fighting chance to support and reconstruct the place, particularly astatine night, erstwhile they could yet cleanable and repair without the changeless chaos that made upkeep about intolerable before.”

LAPD Capt. Ben Fernandes of the Rampart section told maine constabulary are “trying to make it not OK” to bargain and usage narcotics on the Alvarado corridor. Drug users often stitchery successful the northeast area of the park, Fernandes said, and he thinks putting up a obstruction and keeping the parkland disconnected limits astatine nighttime will thief “deflect” immoderate of “the open-air usage.”

The parkland has a bully shot section and a beautiful bandstand, among different celebrated attractions, but galore parents told maine they’re reluctant to sojourn pinch their children because of information concerns. If a obstruction helps bring backmost families, galore of whom unrecorded successful apartments and person nary yards, that’s a bully thing.

But arsenic the metropolis goes to activity connected creation issues, questions about enforcement, opening and closing times and different details, it needs to support successful mind that each of that is the easy part.

It took an unforgivably agelong clip for L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and different elected officials to admit a social, economical and humanitarian situation successful a spot that’s location to thousands of low-income moving people.

The vicinity needs overmuch much than a fence.

steve.lopez@beritaja.com