Los Angeles is temporarily closing a homeless encampment in the city’s MacArthur Park to service neglected features in the area, leading residents to worry there may be demonstrations against removing people living in tents.
City councilman Gil Cedillo confirmed Monday the closure would take place at the southern end of the park beginning Oct. 15 and would last 10 weeks. Cedillo said that of the people living in that area, 164 already moved into housing provided by the city, while around 45 remained. People camping in the northern half of the park were not affected.
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The reason for the closure is “much needed deferred maintenance,” according to Cedillo’s office.
“We want to provide a safe, clean, and secure park for all people that come to MacArthur Park to play, relax, and enjoy this precious open space that lies in the heart of our low-income neighborhood of Westlake,” Cedillo said.
When news of the closure became known at a city council meeting last week, residents posted on Twitter and Reddit worried they may see a repeat of what happened at Echo Park in March. Homeless residents and their advocates clashed with police when the city tried to clear the area for maintenance and cleanup, resulting in hundreds of arrests.
The Echo Park cleanup was also done for maintenance, and the cleanup yielded 35 tons of trash, over 700 pounds of human waste, and 30 pounds of drug paraphernalia. It was home to a similar number of people as MacArthur Park.
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However, Cedillo said the approach to the residents of MacArthur Park was much smoother and that rehousing had been in process for months.
Outreach to the park is further complicated by MS-13’s control of the area. The criminal gang levies taxes on people who live and work in the park and is responsible for many homicides.
Cedillo did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
