Board Members were recently quoted in an article about the potential closing of Langer’s Deli, a long time restaurant next to the park, and the public safety issues in the community.
Langer of Langer’s Deli calls for “The top priority has to be public safety, Langer said, and he wants to see “improved lighting, increased police patrols, social services outreach and targeted clean-up efforts.” according to an article in the LA Times in which he considers shutting down the Deli.
MacArthur Park Neighborhood Council Board Members quotes in the article:
“But Rosario Argueta, who serves on the MacArthur Park Neighborhood Council, told me she won’t let her three kids use the park. And Ivonnenanette Machado, who sits on the same council, told me her daughter got a husky for protection.
Andrew Wolff, president of the neighborhood council, said the police presence has diminished over the last two years. (Langer agrees, and bristles about it, noting that Eunisses Hernandez, the City Council rep for the area, had called for the defunding of police).
Wolff said drug activity is particularly brazen in neighborhood alleys. In one, he said, “you’ll see bodies on top of each other, completely passed out, with the stench of fentanyl everywhere, and as you look up the alley, there’s a fog from everyone smoking, and people are walking around like zombies. It’s a disgrace that it exists.”
Regarding the idea of closing Wilshire Blvd to expand the park:
“But Wolff said that as an architect, he thinks the plan “is a joke,” and would simply create more space for unchecked illegal activity while impacting the surrounding area with rerouted traffic.”
Article on Langer’s Deli in MacArthur Park on LATimes.com
Langer’s Deli owner wants L.A. to clean up MacArthur Park, may close – Los… Times PDF
Langer’s Deli and MacArthur Park on video
