Residents Move Quickly, Street Take-Over Spills into Circa Residences

‍ ‍Neighbors and residents in South Park and downtown LA mobilized quickly after the street takeover and breech of the Circa residences on Figueroa at 12th in the early hours of Sunday morning, March 8. While street takeovers with throngs of cars doing donuts and hundreds of people watching have become commonplace, the entry into Circa, broken windows, stealing packages, throwing furniture, fist-fighting, and one resident injury from a knife wound were an escalation requiring immediate attention.

DTLA RA (Downtown Los Angeles Resident Association) began a conversation with SPNA (South Park Neighborhood Association) and DLANC (Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council) the day after the incident that led to a meeting the next day with the Mayor’s Office, LAPD, South Park BID/Social District, SPNA, DTLA RA, DLANC, and the manager at Moxy/AC to address the situation.

The result of that meeting, was a press conference on March 10, and a Zoom community meeting of 200 plus residents and stakeholders on March 12, which led to Mayor Karen Bass and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell announcing:

1.    Added patrols and enforcement on Figueroa between Olympic and Pico,

2.    More patrol cars, horse patrols, foot patrols, and undercover units deployed throughout downtown,

3.    Targeted actions to deter street takeovers which include street modifications as well as holding offenders accountable,

4.    Coordination with residents, businesses, and community leaders to address safety concerns 

Many questions were asked at the Zoom community meeting. The questions were sent to LAPD, Mayor’s Office, and CD 14 for answers. We will share those responses with residents when available.

What is next? DTLA RA, SPNA, DLANC, SPBID are committed to working for:

Accountability -

(1) Is zero tolerance being enforced?

(2) Are the added patrols along Figueroa happening?

(3)  Have the residents’ questions been answered?

(4)  Has the request for a follow-up 90-minute community briefing on public safety more broadly with the Mayor, CD14, and LAPD been set up?

(5) Has the request to establish a recurring monthly public safety working group, track commitments, assess outcomes, and plan accordingly been scheduled?

(6) Connect with city attorney and district attorney regarding public safety and zero tolerance since they have not been involved in the above to complete the circle of zero tolerance.

(7) More input from and information sharing with residents/stakeholders.

The message was loud and clear from residents – the takeover of our streets and the damage caused by participants and observers will not be tolerated, city officials must be accountable in solving the problem, and offenders will face the consequences. This is our backyard, our homes, our safety is a #1 priority.

We will keep you informed.

By Debra Shrout