A Metro worker cleaning the station said she sees this all the time. She was recently assaulted when taking the subway from Union Station. October 17, 2021 3:41pm. Matthew Morales, behind, feels the effects after smoking fentanyl as A.J. A lucky duck waddled into the water at TeWinkle Park in Costa Mesa on Friday afternoon. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Melissa Saenz, one of several newly minted ambassadors on the train, leaned over to tell a reporter that in instances such as this she would report it to law enforcement. Would appreciate any advice on this and more suitable areas for first time visitors to LA. The apartment buildings that Hernandez managed are located at 729 South Bonnie Brae St. and 720 Westlake Ave. in Los Angeles, near MacArthur Park. It is an urban jungle of concrete infested with broken glass and jagged metal. We are here at MacArthur Park demanding #Justice4Daniela. Los Angeles police say the stabbing happened around 9 p.m. in the 600 block of S. Alvarado Street outside the Westlake/MacArthur Park station. The three policing agencies contracted by Metro the Los Angeles Police Department, the Long Beach Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported a combined . O n a January afternoon in 1890, when MacArthur Park was Westlake Park, L.A.'s newest pleasure garden, Harriet Hutchins left her home near downtown. Last year, anti-Asian hate crimes surged by 76% in Los Angeles County, reflecting a troubling trend in many other jurisdictions as physical and verbal assaults on Asian Americans escalated amid the COVID-19 epidemic. What restaurants are near MacArthur Park? Followed by a phalanx of ambassadors, she boarded a Gold Line train from downtown Union Station to Heritage Square in Montecito Heights to show how what she and others call the eyes and ears of the system will work. That was very heartwarming to see. This park was neglected . According to KABC, the woman, in her 70s, and the child were both found dead in the home around 10:30 p.m. Monday. The settlement resolves claims against Filomeno Hernandez as well as Ramin Akhavan, Bonnie Brae Investments LLC and Westlake Property Services LLC which managed or owned the rental properties where the harassment took place, according to the DOJ. Jackson, foreground, prepares to smoke it himself on Feb. 28 at the MacArthur Park Metro station in Los Angeles. But the changes barely registered with the couple. We dont see anybody going to Universal. One said "we don't want gays here,'' then the trio allegedly surrounded the victim and stabbed her multiple times, police reported. Garbage and filth are everywhere--in the grass, in the water, along the walkways. Many drug possession charges in California are misdemeanors or are considered lower-level offenses. The park STINKS ! She was on the right train, he said. Others talked on phones. After finishing the remodeling PLEASE leave the fence to protect the park, already a bunch of homeless are getting ready to set their tents, HOMELESS should NOT be allowed to live on this park, churches that distribute meals must be sure to pick all trash before they leave since they are the reason why there is so much trash around, concrete benches should be removed and replaced by iron divided benches so they can not lay down and sleep on them, Full-Day Iconic Sights of LA, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Beaches and More, Los Angeles Private Guided Sightseeing Full-Day Tour, Hollywood Sightseeing and Celebrity Homes Tour by Open Bus tours, Hollywood, Beverly Hills & Celebrity Homes Tour. Matthew Morales boarded the Metro Red Line at MacArthur Park as classical music blared over the station loudspeakers. The park is no longer the open-air drug bazaar it was in the 1990s. But she cited two stabbings on the B (Red) Line in the last few weeks, and a homicide on the A (Blue) Line. He's working on a screenplay in his spare time. The local residents deserve better. After our stroll through this environment, my sheltered, suburban adolescent son certainly had his eyes opened about the living conditions that some folks have to deal with. What is your budget in USD per night and who is traveling. We look out for each other.. Location: 1830 Verdugo Vista Drive. In February, the B (Red) Line led all train lines as having the most arrests by LAPD with 23 arrests, followed by the Bus Rapid Transit systems, 20 arrests; and Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, 16 arrests. MacArthur Park has long been a Los Angeles icon, due in part to Donna Summer's disco hit bearing the park's name. As the fight to keep mandates in place continues, the other side looks a little more like this: "We don't need the government to decide. Metro security is staffed by multiple agencies, including the L.A. County Sheriffs Department and L.A. and Long Beach police departments, transit security guards and contract security workers. I used to go to that general area to do outreach to many recent immigrants from Central America. Under the consent decree, which still must be approved by a Los Angeles federal judge, the defendants are required to pay a total of $105,000, which includes $100,000 in monetary damages to women who were harmed as a result of the sexual harassment, and a $5,000 civil penalty. After talking for a few moments, a jittery Michelle Settlemire began looking around. It served as the first port of call for immigrants from Mexico and Central America, where Spanish was more widely spoken than English. LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles City Councilman Gil Cedillo confirmed Monday that the lakeside portion of MacArthur Park, where about 200 homeless people have taken up residence, will temporarily close . Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. Funny 11. BREAKING: We will add more details to this report as they become available. Many drug users like the station elevators because some can be locked, giving them time to smoke in there. Drug use is rampant in the Metro system. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority reported that between November and January there were 26 medical emergencies at the station, the majority of them suspected drug overdoses. This is the first time that I went to a park and vomited. He had just smoked some fentanyl himself, using the subterranean station like Morales used the train, as refuge from wind that might blow a precious grain of dope away. He took the elevator down to the platform. You are right, I got the Airbnb because it was cheap and close to the metro. Metro is looking at replacing the wide benches on the platform, regulating vendors and blocking off parts of the plaza. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0c6bfa6f65b385 Millennials are buying their first homes. The Sheriffs Department made its most arrests at the A (Blue) Lines Willowbrook Station, with 19, followed by the L (Gold) Lines Lake Avenue station in Pasadena with 13 arrests. Dont think hell ever use that recipe again. In February alone, the agency reported law enforcement officers patrolling the system made 324 arrests. Let the people decide.". Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Hello, I am from Malaysia and will be travelling to La in July. I don't give a damn how politically correct people want to be, this place attracts trash. If you go around a supermarket in the United States or Europe, youll see several expressionless empty shelves. Why are homeless allowed to live in the park? Required fields are marked *. Shes asked the agency to look at care-centered strategies including a vending program, health and crisis support services, cultural programming, public art, bathrooms and shade structures. 58 container ships were waiting offshore when the White House said it was wading into the logistical snarl at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in an attempt to unclog the supply chain before Christmas. Skid Row is fueling the spread of a terrible disease called MurineTyphus. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. Two men and a woman, believed to be between 18 and 25 years old, approached the woman in Westlake'sMacArthurPark at about 9 p.m. Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. 13 min read. Commuters have abandoned large swaths of the Metro train system. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Experts warn that an atrocious crisis is facing the heart of Los Angeles and not a lot of people are talking about it. According to partial returns, four members of the Los Angeles City Council were ahead in their reelection campaigns on Tuesday, with a fifth facing a runoff on November 8. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. It happened around 10:15 a.m . For January, ridership on the Gold Line was 30% of the pre-pandemic levels, and the Red Line was 56% of them. See if the private room at Banana Bungalow West (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Some are forced to pay the gang taxes, others sell stolen property. Have lived in LA all my life, have been there more times than I can remember. MacArthur Park (originally Westlake Park) is a park dating back to the late 19th century in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles.In the early 1940s, it was renamed after General Douglas MacArthur, and later designated City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100.. Outsiders still have that impressionNetflix filmed most of the recent Will Smith film Bright, which takes place in a futuristic Los Angeles full of gang-banging orcs and humans, in the area. 1. The number of crimes reported from March 21, 2022 to Feb. 22, 2023 totaled 3,267, about a 15% increase from the same period the year before. I want to rate this as negative but there is no category that is less than zero. Maintenance crews are often called out for repairs at the station, and when they return to their vehicle they often find it has been burglarized. By supper she had not returned. It's louder than officials claim. AP. Sign up here for our free newsletters. more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. Cool 23. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Los Angeles sergeant lost a portion of his finger when a suspect bit his hand during an attack on the Metro Red Line in East Hollywood. classical music to keep people from loitering. This is original content from NewsBreaks Creator Program. A man sleeps on his belongings at the MacArthur station in Los Angeles on March 29 . Considered MS-13 territory, many of the area's poorest residents, particularly those doing illegal activities in the park, are compelled to pay a "tax" to the gang in return for being left alone. Theres a camaraderie, everyone has a story. She has written extensively about business, the criminal justice system and the supply chain, among other topics. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. Some say the plan is racist; others contend that its simply misguided. Considered MS-13 territory, many of the areas poorest residents, particularly those doing illegal activities in the park, are compelled to pay a tax to the gang in return for being left alone. 5 percent and some incentives for all the sweat and tears the pandemic has caused. The cross street is 6th Street. Rhodes Hop On Hop Off & Little train Ialyssos Combo! The transit agencys head of security has said she will be asking the 13-member board that includes Mayor Karen Bass and the county supervisors to expand the agencys force of nearly 200 in-house transit officers, some of whom are armed and enforce fare evasion and code of conduct violations. For more than a decade, the city has been trying to fix MacArthur Park by removing its homeless population and replacing it with retail and tourist facilities. In general, crime had been rising in the system in 2022, . The suspects said gay slurs to Daniela as she was being attacked and apparently a woman who was with the men was the person who sliced Danielas throat. Metro security is staffed by multiple agencies, including the L.A. County Sheriffs Department and L.A. and Long Beach police departments, transit security guards and contract security workers. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Metro Ambassadors in their bright green shirts walk on the platform at Union Station on Monday, March 6, 2023. Maria is now standing on the balcony of her Burlington Avenue apartment, gazing out over her changing neighborhood. Our uber driver warned us to be careful here, we kept clear of the numerous homeless and the park isn't in great condition and garbage but OK for a walk. Re: Is the MacArthur Park area safe for tourists? 89.221.217.11 The smaller entrance is now closed off by fencing, as are large swaths inside the battered station. Go to Crime Mapping. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that it has reached an agreement to resolve a lawsuit alleging that a MacArthur Park apartment building manager violated the federal Fair Housing Act by sexually harassing female tenants. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Hmmm maybe it is a little better since I left: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-westlake-district-20170211-story.html. Those wishing to report anonymously can call 800-222-TIPS. Gavin Newsom on Saturday will ban the sale of new gas-powered lawnmowers, leaf blowers, and chainsaws as early as 2024. It's not a particularly safe area, and I can't imagine a tourist wanting to go there. Its part of what officials like to tout as a multilayered approach to improving a system thats become emptier and more dangerous over recent years even as billions have been sunk into expansion of the rail lines. She said overdose prevention sites, where people who are addicted could ingest drugs safely and without shame, could prevent such public nuisances as people doing drugs in elevators or on trains. Where are your other options when you looked? Also what are your dates and do you need two beds? (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) By Emily Alpert Reyes , Doug Smith . more. Airbnb? "The Los Angeles city council just has the best interest of Angelenos at heart with their mandates," is one side of the message making the rounds on social media. Think about it. Do you want to read more articles like this? The consent decree also bars future discrimination, prevents Hernandez from participating in the rental or management of residential properties in the future, requires that Hernandez vacate the premises and leave his post as on-site property manager, mandates Fair Housing Act training and requires extensive monitoring and reporting regarding property management activities and compliance with the terms of the consent decree. There is a playground, basketball courts, picnic tables, benches. Wildfires erupted in and around the San Gabriel Mountains this weekend, first in Wrightwood and then in Duarte, as hot weather seized the Southland, according to fire officials. Tourists pass by the Metro Red Line Hollywood/Highland in 2020 in Hollywood. Wildfires ripping through California have prompted new emergency evacuations to be ordered Monday as the KNP Complex fire, which is burning in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, produced a giant pyrocumulus cloud and advanced toward hundreds of historic cabins near the parks southern perimeter. Los Angeles police say the stabbing happened around 9 p.m. in the 600 block of S. Alvarado Street outside the Westlake/MacArthur Park station. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. You can bring lunch and picnic under a tree. He didnt sleep the day before but seemed happy to talk. We are all in this together, Krekorian said. Even before the pandemic, ridership in the region was never as high as other big-city rail systems. As the train started west, he heated the aluminum with a lighter and sucked in the smoke through a pipe fashioned from a ballpoint pen. Los Angeles neighborhood.Photo by Breno Assis on Unsplash. The region around MacArthur Park, one of Los Angeles' poorest neighborhoods, has a high crime rate. His shoulders slumped and he slowly keeled forward. Reindeer visit, and Sami Culture Including Lunch from Tromso, Live Aqua Beach Resort Punta Cana - Round Trip Shuttle - Punta Cana Airport, The Best Sapa Tour 2D1N At 3 Star Hotel by LUX LIMO TRANSFER, Barbados Small-Group or Private Monkey Feeding Experience, Mr. Tu Day Trip to Angthong Marine Park by Speed Boat from Koh Samui, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Los Angeles Downtown West, an IHG Hotel, View all hotels near MacArthur Park on Tripadvisor, View all restaurants near MacArthur Park on Tripadvisor, View all attractions near MacArthur Park on Tripadvisor. Westlake, one of the most densely inhabited neighborhoods in the country, with more than 100,000 people packed into almost three square miles, was long seen as a cautionary tale for Los Angeles, a world ruled by street gangs. A new program will put 300 unarmed ambassadors as violence rises on the system. About 22,000 people board the trains here daily. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Metro has started a new initiative in an attempt to reduce crime at its stations, and it involves help from Beethoven, Mozart and Bach. Join today to publish and share your own content. 98% of travelers recommend this experience. DO NOT GO here. It all sounds so lovely. There was Oscar Velasquez, 23, who died at the downtown Santa Monica station; Trivonne Vonner, 35, found at the Firestone station in an unincorporated area of South Los Angeles; and Ervin Siles Gutierrez was pronounced dead at the Vermont and Santa Monica station in East Hollywood. Unsure what to do next, she stood looking confused on the platform. Before Morales boarded the train to smoke his drugs, he was outside the station plaza in a brisk breeze as people whizzed by. He showed a picture of him hiking with his 5-year-old daughter, but he wasnt ready to quit drugs. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. The park has become a known area for violent crime, narcotics sales and gang activity. Enjoy Piece Love Be A Proud American. 93% of travelers recommend this experience. For vehicles, pedestrians, and bikes, Los Angeles features some of the most dangerous intersections in California. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Metro is contracting with L.A. County's Department of Health Services teams for twice-monthly visits to the Westlake/MacArthur Park train station west of downtown Los Angeles, an area of high . The woman was taken into custody at about 5:55 p.m. without further incident. Earlier this year, a 28-year-old man was fatally stabbed in a breezeway of the station. The station sits next to an open-air drug market thats existed in this dense immigrant neighborhood for decades. A lot of homeless people. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. A Korean Christian group distributed lunches while we were there. A single dose can be bought for about $5. I used to go to that general area to do outreach to many recent immigrants from Central America. Several Metro board members said that recent increases in patrols assigned by the three law enforcement agencies, plus more patrols from Metros Transit Security Officers, have resulted in more arrests. . (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), A man enters the Westlake MacArthur Park Metro subway station on Monday, March 13, 2023. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Check for a confirmation email, and then you're all set with MyNewsLA.com! A few Los Angeles police officers descended onto the platform. The park STINKS ! Synthetic beef investor, Bill Gates says that there is currently no excuse for developed countries to be eating real meat and that people can get used to the taste difference.. In response to such concerns, transit officials committed $122 million over the last year trying to make the system composed of 105 rail stations and more than 12,000 bus stops feel safer by placing 300 unarmed ambassadors to report crimes and help passengers. Authorities in California are investigating a suspected double homicide that killed an elderly woman and a 6-year-old child in Westlake District. LA Metro crime rose 21% this February compared to . No. There are better parks in LA so don't waste your time here. In the past eight weeks, 224 citations and 110 warning were issued, while the trio of law enforcement agencies made 280 drug-related arrests, Osborn said. Earlier that day, as he drove the Red Line subway, he saw a man masturbating in his seat and several people whom he refers to as sleepers, people who get high and nod off on the train. The puffy yellow jacket he had worn earlier fell to the floor along with a plastic baggie with his drugs. No. The three policing agencies contracted by Metro the Los Angeles Police Department, the Long Beach Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported a combined . A man was found fatally stabbed inside a Metro station in the Westlake district Tuesday evening, according to police. The dealers recognize me and I recognize them, Morales said. 0:00 1:20. UPDATE: Sex Offenders Wife, 3 Children Missing Amid Discovery of His Body Alongside 2 Teen Girls, BREAKING: 7 People Including 2 Missing Girls & Sex Offender Found Dead on Property, Cult Mom Trial: Tammy Had Bruises Consistent With Asphyxiation, Chief Medical Examiner Reveals. A journalist who shines the spotlight on verified news that gets lost in the noise. But CLCS still finds ways to commit crime. Few stations compare with MacArthur Park/Westlake. Matthew Morales smokes fentanyl on the Red Line in the Metro subway leaving MacArthur Park on Feb. 28. Firefighters Discover Man's Body While Battling Apartment Fire in South L.A. On Tuesday morning, police had cordoned off the 800 block of West . (APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images) MacArthur Park in Los Angeles officially shuts down for repairs and maintenance at 10:30 . Some board members and social justice advocates have argued for less policing on the system, saying that racial profiling targets many passengers. Besides selling and using of drugs they trash all over the place, this park could be a nice family outing but there is trash all over and the use and selling of drugs makes it a dangerous place. The air smells like a dead rat that has been rotting for days. Morales face lighted up when he found a marijuana bud on the elevator floor, put it in his pocket for later, and jumped on the train. You'll find no fresh air in this once-beautiful park, only the putrid stench of human waste and stagnant water. Would be the area to get authentic food from that region but probably not what you want to stay. Click to reveal A month ago, LA Metro extended contracts with three policing agencies and expanded the roster of its security officers in an effort to reduce rising crime on buses, trains and transit stations so that riders who had left the system, because they dont feel safe, would return. Photojournalist Allen J. Schaben began his career at the Los Angeles Times shortly after he earned his bachelors degree in journalism with minors in art and psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1994. And then by that time, its too late.. A few passengers filed in and out. Gov. Breaking news for Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. The latest epicenter for anti-police protests: Cop City in Atlanta, Three killed in small plane crash near Big Bear airport, authorities say, LAPD investigating stabbing near Los Angeles High School, Bass budget proposal for Animal Services is far less than what department requested. The stabbing is being investigated as a hate crime, and anyone with information was urged to contact Rampart Division detectives at 213-484-3660, or during non-business hours can call 1-877-LAPD-24-7. And the board will soon decide whether to continue contracts with the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department and the Long Beach Police Department, or come up with another way to secure the system. For that reason, I give it a 5Stars rating. But its extremely addictive, in part because of the withdrawal it provokes jitters, diarrhea, extreme anxiousness and nausea. A gang in her area set fire to an apartment building three doors down from Maria in 1993. A daytime field trip to this venue could be beneficial for a local kid with a case of "affluenza.". This paper explores an initiative by the Los Angeles Police Department to reduce crime and drug trafficking at a downtown public park. Members of the LAPD's Underwater Dive Unit arrived at the park. Another transgender woman of color was brutally attacked in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles' Westlake neighborhood on Sunday night after being surrounded by a group of men who suggested hatred for "gays," according to the LAPD.