Letters to the Editor: I live near L.A.’s tagged up, empty skyscrapers. They don’t look vibrant to me

To the editor: Gustavo Arellano’s apologist column on the vandalism of the unfinished Oceanwide Plaza towers in downtown L.A.’s South Park neighborhood 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 men inside those buildings; I could see them from my home. The dispatcher asked, “What are you afraid they are going to do?”

I think we now have the answer.

Arellano cites the “ingenuity” of these vandals and believes they represent “the teamwork we should all aspire to.” Did he walk around our neighborhood to see what else has been “transformed”? Vandals have tagged everything from blank walls to actual murals by actual artists.

Our neighborhood has been transformed into something that no longer feels safe and secure. Most of us who live here in South Park do so because this is one of the safest neighborhoods in downtown L.A. We love the clean streets, and we can walk our dogs any time of day or night. We also love the vibrancy of this area.

Perhaps there is one good thing that may come of this: Councilman Kevin de León could, in part, redeem himself by rescuing this abandoned project.

Richard Rodriguez, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: As much as I admire the street art from talented and risk-taking taggers on Oceanwide Plaza, I was hoping that there would be more reporting on why that $1-billion real estate project has been allowed to remain vacant since 2019, when construction was halted, taking up valuable space that could have been used for housing.

Maybe the street artists are pointing out the huge discrepancies in L.A. city leaders’ housing policies in allowing vacant buildings to proliferate while homelessness increases.

Jane Demian, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Lyon, France, prides itself on murals that literally take a side of a building and exhibit local history. In some cases, the paintings block the windows of those living inside, but they don’t mind because it is unique.

Oceanwide Plaza jumps out as L.A.’s version and creates an artistic piece. And yes, it is Angeleno art.

Who needs a painted palm tree when there are plenty of them growing on the streets to enjoy? What a great human interest story to experience in the moment.

Nancy Freedman, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: I must take exception to Arellano’s column. Tagging is not “graffiti.” It is vandalism, pure and simple.

I don’t feel any of this would cause a scene at Art Basel. Most of it takes the same form of distorted letters in various colors. Just because tagging has been part of working-class Southern California doesn’t make it right.

I participate in an all-volunteer art program at a public school, and for the last 15 years, we’ve covered this topic in the classroom. We always emphasize to the students that graffiti is art and is done with permission, whereas tagging is not.

We use an example of painting our neighbor’s garage door while they are on vacation with what we feel is great art. If it’s done without permission, it’s vandalism — even if Michelangelo did it.

Lee Rubinstein, Sherman Oaks

..

To the editor: Tagging by its nature is the defacement of someone else’s property, and however artistic it might be, it is still a sight of civic decay.

Arellano approvingly quotes someone who says the the 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 loaned the money.

What belongs to us is the right to live in a city that is well kept and well run.

David Handelman, Los Angeles