To the editor: Gustavo Arellano's apologetic column about the vandalism of the unfinished Oceanwide Plaza towers in the South Park neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles certainly does not reflect the prevailing attitude among those of us who live in this neighborhood.
Three weeks ago, I called the Los Angeles Police Department to report four young people inside those buildings; I could see them from my house. The dispatcher asked, “What are you afraid they're going to do?”
I think we now have the answer.
Arellano cites the “ingenuity” of these vandals and believes they represent “the teamwork that we should all aspire to.” Did you walk around our neighborhood to see what else has “transformed”? Vandals have tagged everything from blank walls to real murals by real artists.
Our neighborhood has transformed into something that no longer feels safe. Most of us who live here in South Park do so because this is one of the safest neighborhoods in downtown Los Angeles. We love clean streets and can walk our dogs at any time of the day or night. We also love the vibrancy of this area.
Perhaps there is some good that can come from this: Councilman Kevin de León could, in part, redeem himself by rescuing this abandoned project.
Richard Rodriguez, Los Angeles
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To the editor: As much as I admire the street art by the talented and risk-taking taggers at Oceanwide Plaza, I was hoping there would be more reporting on why that billion-dollar real estate project was allowed to sit empty since 2019, when construction stopped. , taking up valuable space that could have been used for housing.
Perhaps the street artists are pointing out the huge discrepancies in Los Angeles city leaders' housing policies by allowing empty buildings to proliferate while homelessness increases.
Jane Demian, Los Angeles
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To the editor: Lyon, France, prides itself on its murals that literally take up the side of a building and showcase local history. In some cases, the paintings cover the windows of those who live inside, but they don't care because it is unique.
Oceanwide Plaza stands out as the Los Angeles version and creates an artistic piece. And yes, it is Los Angeles art.
Who needs a painted palm tree when there are many growing in the streets to enjoy? What a great human interest story to live in the moment.
Nancy Freedman, Los Angeles
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To the editor: I must be offended by Arellano's column. Tagging is not “graffiti.” It's vandalism, pure and simple.
I don't think any of this will cause a scene at Art Basel. Most of them take the same form of distorted letters in various colors. Just because labeling was part of working class Southern California doesn't mean it's right.
I participate in an all-volunteer art program at a public school and for the past 15 years we have covered this topic in the classroom. We always emphasize to students that graffiti is art and is done with permission, while tagging is not.
We use the example of painting our neighbor's garage door while he is on vacation with what we consider great art. If it's done without permission, it's vandalism, even if Michelangelo did it.
Lee Rubinstein, Sherman Oaks
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To the editor: Tagging, by its nature, is the defacement of another person's property and, however artistic, remains a spectacle of civic decay.
Arellano approvingly quotes someone who says that development “belongs to all of us.” No, it doesn't: it belongs to the developer who ran out of money or to the banks who foolishly lent the money.
What belongs to us is the right to live in a well-maintained and well-managed city.
David Handelman, Los Angeles
