Old and New Forces Collide at 7th & Main
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
Police tape blocks off the intersection of 7th and Main on May 21, the night a 50-year-old man was shot at the corner.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Given the rarity of gun violence Downtown, it is understandable that a trio of shootings centered around the corner of 7th and Main have left the Historic Core a bit shaken.
While the incidents do not seem to have any relation to each other, they do highlight the struggle taking place on what remains a border block in Downtown's revitalization.
Each of the incidents has roots in drug sales, according to police. "It seems to be new people coming into the area that are trying to make a play for controlling, or being involved, or having this little monopoly there," explained Lieutenant Paul Vernon, head of Central Division detectives.
Wednesday, 6pm: Police yesterday arrested 13 men, including three drug dealers in a special enforcement action aimed at 7th and Main.
Shots were first fired on back to back nights in May. On May 20, occupants of a vehicle fired shots into the side of the Huntington Hotel at 8th and Main. The next night, a man in his 50's was shot on 7th between Spring and Main.
Most recent was a July 4 incident in which a 19-year-old male was shot in both the front and the back, leaving a trail of blood as he attempted to run up Spring Street to get away.
"Why is it happening there?" asked Vernon. "Well, to be honest, it's always happened there. The Huntington Hotel is the root of it."
While other major Downtown hotels including the Alexandria, Rosslyn and Hayward were historically centers of drugs and violence, they have since been cleaned up. "The Huntington is the last bastion, so to speak, of this kind of criminal activity," Vernon said.
The hotel is currently up for sale after a protracted fight between original building owner Landmark Equity Partners, purchaser A Better Choice Development, Inc (ABCD), and the City Attorney's Office. In 2008, Landmark was ordered to sell its interest in a number of residential properties, including the Huntington, that had been maintained in sub-standard condition.
The Huntington, located at 752 S. Main, was the last to sell, despite interest from several non-profit housing providers. According to court testimony, deals were struck with both a partnership between Clifford Beers Housing, Inc and Communities Actively Living Independent and Free (CALIF) and with SRO Housing Corp. Neither could close before the deadline by which Landmark had to give up the building.
Just before the city's court-ordered deadline, Landmark closed a deal to sell the building to ABCD, a contractor it had employed to do work on the building. The city saw the sale as a sham transaction, while ABCD's Daniel Mangaroni wrote in a March 22 declaration that he simply saw a chance to flip the building and turn a profit.
Any new operator will face the challenge of reversing a long history of problems. Vernon would get calls to the building early in the 2000s while running Central's gang and narcotics units. "We had people jumping out of windows and throwing dope out windows," he recalled. "It's not quite that bad now."
The July 4 shooting also highlighted a paradox that has plagued Skid Row for decades. The 19-year-old victim, previously convicted for drug dealing, told police that he was in the neighborhood to attend treatment as part of his parole conditions. Instead, police believe he was selling.
"I suspect that 19-year-old owed [the shooters] money," Vernon said. "He hadn't paid up, or hadn't paid the tax for selling in that neighborhood."
Partly as a response to the earlier 7th and Main incidents, Central Division Captain Todd Chamberlain in June moved Senior Lead Officer Steve Nichols to the Historic Core. "It's nice every once in a while to get a new perspective and get a fresh set of eyes," Chamberlain told blogdowntown earlier this month.
Change takes time and persistence, Vernon said. "The reason that Skid Row was allowed to exist in the state it did until four or five years ago was that people didn't care, people had written it off," he said. "Well, we haven't written it off, and we've shown that for four or five years. We want to continue to make this change."
Vernon emphasized the public's role in that change, and said that residents at 7th and Main have approached the department to offer assistance. He also encouraged Downtown building owners to make an investment in cameras that cover the sidewalks around their building, and to make sure that camera footage is saved for at least four days.
That kind of partnership continues to be vital, said Russell Brown, Executive Director of the Historic Downtown Business Improvement District. "It doesn't take a whole lot to kill a neighborhood," Brown said. "You can lose it all really quick."
Guest on July 26, 2010, at 01:23PM – #1
walk by the huntington everyday and always see drug sales, always get offers to sell me something. the torta's place on the corner of 7th + main has lots of drug traffic as well. now there's that new tattoo place across from sb main... none of these property owners has security cameras and they don't do anything to clean or maintain their property. there has to be some way to hold the property owners accountable.
Guest on July 26, 2010, at 01:40PM – #2
Eric, thank you for writing this article!
Guest on July 26, 2010, at 02:08PM – #3
Why doesn't downtown have officers walking the streets on foot like in most cities?
If the Huntington Hotel is such a drug epicenter, bring a LAPD substation into the huge empty space adjacent until the problem is rectified.
People love drugs and drug commerce will always keep neighborhoods as unstable and dangerous as a meth lab.
Brian Blackwell on July 26, 2010, at 03:03PM – #4
Thanks Eric, we really appreciate your efforts in putting this article together.
skidrowdude on July 26, 2010, at 03:47PM – #5
Yes- Thanks Eric for a great article. But it is frustrating that they've known it was a problem and have spent the last 4 - 5 years working on it when it kinda seems like we need foot partrol and the idea of a substations sounds great too. Just like 5th and Broadway- I'm getting offered drugs next to Rite-Aid and a cop car is cruising by...
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on July 26, 2010, at 04:00PM – #6
It didn't make it into the article, but both Chamberlain and Vernon talked about how they read the comments here on blogdowntown and really appreciate folks giving their input and observations from the street. They may not always comment (though certainly Lt. Vernon often does), but they are reading.
Ankur on July 26, 2010, at 04:28PM – #7
I walk past Huntington hotel a lot, but know that the later it gets, the worse it is.
Even in the AM, before 9 am, I get offered drugs walking past that area. Its worse than Past los angeles street into skid row sometimes.
Guest on July 26, 2010, at 07:52PM – #8
A week or two ago I was walking Broadway (between 5th & 6th) and this gleeful dude, practically skipping, yelled to his buddy across the street, "I got my spot! I got my spot!"
It was like characters straight from The Wire had come to life...dummy drug dealer publicly showing off a "promotion."
Guest on July 26, 2010, at 09:04PM – #9
I never had heard of any shooting happening at that block. It scares me to think I walk over to that location every morning and evening for work. It frightens me to think that this is till happening. I moved into downtown 4 years ago when everything was changing and I saw the worse things possible. I thought it was geeting better! but now I have second thoughts on that!
Guest on July 26, 2010, at 10:18PM – #10
How about we start snapping pictures of these people selling drugs and post them?
In all seriousness why aren't there any foot patrols? Is that not effective?
Guest on July 26, 2010, at 11:09PM – #11
I've thought about taking pictures but I wouldn't want to get caught in the act by the bad guys. We need to go deep undercover...pose as Euro or Asian architecture tourists and start snapping.
bill on July 27, 2010, at 06:06AM – #12
I walk my dogs by here every day. It's a rare day I'm not offered drugs. I don't understand why these people are allowed to continue to hang out there?
Guest on July 27, 2010, at 11:14AM – #13
I've never been offered drugs there, but that doesn't surprise me at all. There are always people lingering around for no apparent reason, especially in the evening. There are a few pockets around town like this where the energy is just "off." Has anyone else noticed that the block where Crash Mansion used to be has the same vibe? Sometimes I see people just idling in their cars out in front of that building as someone talks to them, and then speeding off after a few minutes.
Guest on July 27, 2010, at 12:58PM – #14
If there's a drug dealer tumblr, we'd have to include photos of pharmaceutical company CEOs and script-happy licensed doctors raking in the money to support pill poppers.
Abuse doesn't only happen at the curb.
Brady Westwater (@bradywestwater) on July 27, 2010, at 01:31PM – #15
All the problems at 7th and Main - and much of Historic Downtown - would have been solved years ago if the City was willing to get an injunction and shut the Huntington Hotel down which would be easy to do since everyone in there is a felon on parole associating with other felons on parole. But for some reason, the politicians refuse to do that. I have been told by both police officers and some city officials this is the because shutting down the hotel might create problems for the non-profit that ends up buying it. I guess problems of those of us who live in the area just aren't as important.
crystal on July 27, 2010, at 04:43PM – #16
I agree an increase in foot patrol might make a difference. its a different perception that cruisers or bikes. I know it may not be the most economical but would add a layer of extra security that I would appreciate. 24/7 doesn't make much sense, but at least evening hours presence.
Guest on July 27, 2010, at 05:29PM – #17
I moved a year ago from PE Lofts, was in town this weekend and nothing has changed. A couple of new buildings but the same trash on the street. I used to walk by this place daily and was amazed the drugs being sold on the street and the prostitutes in and out, all while a LAPD officer would stand 1 block down on the corner. It's not like the police do not drive by here all day, every day. It's why I left downtown, it's why my clients decided not to invest downtown, and probably why it will never change. A few more bars, a few places to eat and a boutique or two does not make a city. Someone in that city has to take a stand, shame on the LAPD for not being able to patrol such a small area. I have watched patrols drive by while being offered drugs, all this as I'm walking home from the post office. The fact that there is a drug tax being charged to dealers says it all, someone is allowing this to happen. For there to be drug dealers there must be buyers? I'm not bitter, had high hopes for downtown, it was interesting to come back and see that nothing changed. Maybe a new mayor would help.
DavidAC on July 27, 2010, at 06:01PM – #18
Does anyone care that violent crime is down 12% in central division over the past 12 months (vs LAPD central's goal of 5%), that robberies are down 26%, and that central division is one of the safest of the LAPD's 21 divisions? (actually it might now be the safest)
Eric - good article, but how can you write about crime downtown and not mention the actual data on crime? Lets give the cops some credit here for doing a really great job.
The real story here is that: 1) downtown is getting safer and safer, and 2) downtown's residents are getting more and more frightened.
How does that LAPD fix that? Is it even the LAPD's job to fix people's incorrect perceptions?
To learn about crime in your neighbourhood I recommend reading Central's monthly newsletter. Its available at http://www.lapdonline.org/central_community_police_station/content_basic_view/6536
Nancy Richardson (@nanorich) on July 27, 2010, at 06:57PM – #19
There are community based LAPD officers who walk their beats downtown.
(I had thought that these multiple posts demanding foot patrols reflected that this aspect of community policing had been disbanded, but it hasn't.) There are beat cops downtown.
This is one reason we are one of the safest areas in the city.
Jamie DeFrisco on July 27, 2010, at 08:03PM – #20
@BradyWestwater - I don't think it's as simple as just kicking everyone out of the hotel. If you kick everyone out, you still have to do something with the property. You need money to do that. Not to mention issues with the act of kicking those who live there out.
Was there ever any update on the Firefighter that got stabbed in that area?
Ed Rosenthal on July 27, 2010, at 09:34PM – #21
A guy offered me "morphine Pills" this morning at 5th between Main and Spring. I guess my hair looked sloppy or whatever. But that is the first time in 25 years in the area that happened. I think the dealers are just more hard up like everybody else in this great recession.
Poetbroker
Guest on July 27, 2010, at 10:05PM – #22
I see that the Jewelry Trade Bldg (se corner of Broadway & 5th...where Rite-Aid is located) is starting to take appointments to see the building for potential tenants. Improvements keep chugging along there...a couple weeks ago the owners added bright up-lights outside, and the neon sign has been restored.
Looks like a lot of market rate rental units are coming soon...so that should help once this building gets leased up!
And the buildings on two other corners of the intersection are also making progress...
Dixon on July 27, 2010, at 10:19PM – #23
The problem is not just the Huntington Hotel. 7th and Main, like Winston between Los Angeles and Wall, is a major night-time drug dealing/buying location.
Back in my crack cocaine days, my dealer would work from 7th and Main. He delivered to my loft building when I phoned in an order, but he would usually come from that intersection. On the first of the month he and his wife rented a room in the Cecil Hotel. The dope was kept in the room. She took the call-in orders there, he went to the room to pick up the dope and then delivered it either to the intersection or to one of the nearby residential buildings. Their operation had nothing to do with the Huntington.
Guest on July 27, 2010, at 10:54PM – #24
I moved out of the 7th/Los Angeles area, but I think things are getting better slowly.
Also, please don't stop at the Huntington Hotel. Keep on goin' and clean up the Baltimore as well!
derblut on July 27, 2010, at 11:00PM – #25
Pardon my ignorance, but if it is so well known that drugs are being sold in plain site why aren't several arrests being made every day? I do appreciate the work the police are doing but I'm not sure I understand the pace of it all. If it's as simple as surveillance and evidence I'm sure we could get residents to donate to a fund.
Lieutenant Vernon, please help me understand.
Hala Pickford (@misspickford) on July 28, 2010, at 05:12AM – #26
For all the times I've been downtown I've only seen one drug deal (well to my knowledge) take place, shockingly to me in front of the Palace (between 5th and 6th on Broadway). Very blatant, middle of the sidewalk kind of thing.
After an extremely uneasy walk (in which I was in my face accosted by some druggie) down Main from 6th to 5th I vowed never to do that again.
I agree more clean up is needed. Citizens can do our part by coming in and trying to live good clean lives and conduct good clean business, but if there is such blatant selling and issues...why is something not being done about that?
There have been several occasions I've seen those illegal food carts (baby strollers and all) just a block away from a purple shirt cop. One day there was a insane homeless man literally standing in the middle of the sidewalk screaming at passersby (I mean LITERALLY screaming in their faces) and there was no less than 2 store security guards on the block and 2 purple shirts about 2 blocks away....yet no one stopped him. Are they just immune to this kind of blatant insanity and crime or what?
I commend all the clean up efforts done so far. But I will not be satisfied until its something like the Santa Monica Promenade or even Hollywood Blvd: yes there are crazies and beggars and buskers and tons of homeless people...but everything is kept in check. You can live your life without fearing for your safety patronizing those areas. And these days its extremely unlikely you'll see one drug deal, let alone several, go down in either area. Hollywood still has a long way to go too but its sad Broadway/Spring is still aspiring to that level...
Alexandra Leh on July 28, 2010, at 11:59AM – #27
who's LA's rudy giuliani? or michael bloomberg? with all of their faults, they brought law, order, and livability to my hometown...all the things i was hoping for when i moved from bucolic mt. washington to DTLA 5 1/2 years ago. there's a reason the downtown renaissance is taking so long, but it isn't because of the LAPD (whom i respect and admire even more than i ever did before i lived down here). every agency takes its orders from the top. antonio (a former neighbor of mine on the hill) is more ineffectual -- and, for my money, more disingenuous -- than abe beame, ed koch, and david dinkins rolled up. whatever changes we've seen in 5+ years are minimal and superficial (no aspersions on my friends who have made valiant strides in creating a true community)...but perhaps that's in keeping with the tone and tenor of this particular city. i've stayed this long because i'd love to be a part of helping this neighborhood flourish...but whenever i come home from new york or san francisco, i feel the pain at 6th & main.
Guest on July 28, 2010, at 05:30PM – #28
"I commend all the clean up efforts done so far. But I will not be satisfied until its something like the Santa Monica Promenade or even Hollywood Blvd: yes there are crazies and beggars and buskers and tons of homeless people...but everything is kept in check."
Yuck. Those sanitized tourist traps already exist. Why create another one? If that kind of living appeals to you, you can easily rent a place next to a Gap Kids store. Getting a lock on violent crime doesn't mean turning an interesting neighborhood into a bland walking mall like the Promenod-off or Hwd Blvd.
New York City was once an interesting, vibrant city until Giuliani and Bloomberg made it all a corporate store wasteland. Look at how dull the nightlife is in New York, for example. NYC is a perfect example of what not to do when rehabilitating a neighborhood for all, including the mentally ill with whom we share these streets.
Guest on July 28, 2010, at 07:05PM – #29
How on earth can anyone criticize someone for wanting a safer, cleaner (aka civilized) neighborhood? It sounds as if a couple of posters on here must be profiting from illicit drug sales themselves. (Himself?)
It's a sound conclusion that anyone who supports the dealers, junkies, parolees, mentally ill, and pimps and hookers being here must somehow be profiting from it. Corrupt much?
Nancy Richardson (@nanorich) on July 28, 2010, at 07:28PM – #30
Make irresponsible accusations safely behind a wall of anonymity....
Coward much?
Guest on July 28, 2010, at 08:21PM – #31
How on earth can anyone criticize someone for wanting a safer, cleaner (aka civilized) neighborhood?
The worse ones are the people who love to sound so tolerant and lovin' until their own wallet, purse or car is stolen. Or until their own residence is burglarized. Or, more dramatically, until they're confronted by a mugger with a knife or gun.
However, even without that dose of harsh reality, some of these people are clever enough to protect themselves from their own bull----. They're among those folk who talk so idealistically, yet scurry out of downtown promptly when the sun sets and stay as far away as possible from the area during the weekends.
Sweetestkali Sweetkali on July 31, 2010, at 07:01AM – #32
On a Friday around 5 or 6pm,we watched a white woman, dressed in a business suit, approach a dealer on the corner of 7th and Broadway and purchase drugs from a dealer.
Her four to five year old daughter was with her at the time.
It takes two to tango; as long as there are customers there will be dealers. And, many of their customers are living in over-priced lofts and working corporate jobs downtown while, at the same time, wishing for a Santa Monica Third Street Promenade vibe here.
Downtown LA will NEVER become a large shopping mall; it has its own special character and vibrancy.
If these gentrification junkies want a cleaner, safer neighborhood, simply cut into the dealers' profit margin by cleaning up their own addiction issues and move to 3rd & Wilshire in Santa Monica.