After Los Angeles city officials touted major public safety improvements in MacArthur Park and other area neighborhoods, a group of residents this week challenged those results and called for urgent policy changes to restore their community.
Raul Claros, founder of the CD1 Coalition, a mutual aid network, pointed to what he described as “public safety and infrastructure failures” in the Westlake neighborhood. During a news conference Tuesday, Claros painted a different picture than the one described by Mayor Karen Bass, City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez and Police Chief Jim McDonnell weeks ago.
“We need to start enforcing current laws,” Claros told City News Service. “A lot of the issues now (are) not so much the homelessness or encampments, but the things that are happening in and around the encampments like human trafficking, sex trafficking and drug trafficking.”
The CD1 Coalition — composed of residents, business owners, and other stakeholders — is calling for urgent solutions to address ongoing public safety issues.
In their proposal, the group is requesting an increased Los Angeles Police Department presence, an effort to crack down on substance use in MacArthur Park, the repurposing of the Saint Vincent Medical building, fixing street lights, and creating more business districts and a designated area for street vendors.
The group will be hosting a town hall on April 24 from 6-8 p.m. at Iglesias Pentecostes, 2020 W. Seventh St., to promote their plan.
“Our hope is that elected officials will show up, listen and work with the organizers to start developing a community plan,” Claros told CNS. Claros has filed paperwork to run against Hernandez for the City Council District 1 seat in the 2026 election.
Council District 1 encompasses northeast and northwest L.A. neighborhoods including Glassell Park, Highland Park, Chinatown, Elysian Park, Westlake, Pico Union and Koreatown, among others.
On March 10, city officials insisted that violent crime dropped significantly at MacArthur Park following three months of intervention measures.
Hernandez launched several initiatives in partnership with Los Angeles County and community organizations to improve safety in Westlake. Additionally, under the direction of Mayor Bass, LAPD increased its presence, as well as installed fencing to reduce the sale of drugs and stolen goods.
The move to add more LAPD officers in the area came after a multi-victim shooting in January.
“We know there is still much work to be done in the MacArthur Park community but over the past month, progress has been made in returning the park to the community. Crime in the area is down — theft and organized retail crime will not be tolerated in the city of Los Angeles,” Bass said at the time.
Five weeks after the interventions were implemented, violent crime decreased by 57%, and resulted in a decrease in robberies and aggravated assaults, according to the mayor’s office.
According to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, the department has made organized retail theft a key focus of its crime reduction strategy — in particular around MacArthur Park. The chief noted the department recovered an estimated $367,000 in stolen goods.
Led by Hernandez, the city funded contracts for more peace ambassadors, overdose response and cleaning teams with Healing Urban Barrios and Homies Unidos.
Peace ambassadors had more than 300 contacts in the field including homeless people, street vendors, and local businesses among others. They also assist other agencies such as UCLA Health, USC’s street medicine team and local nonprofit organizations that deliver services in and around MacArthur Park, according to Hernandez.
Claros told CNS those measures were not enough. He also criticized a fence that city officials erected to deter criminals from selling stolen products because it was hurting street vendors.
He said he’s hoping his coalition can make moves to establish space for street vendors at Mercado La Paloma or the Grand Central Market.
Norm Langer, owner of the beloved Langer’s Deli, had a different perspective. Last year, Langer raised concerns about public safety and feared such issues would shutter his business.
“Since then, I’ve seen firsthand the impact of the LAPD’s actions and Mayor Bass’s efforts. Their response has been genuine and results-driven,” Langer said in a statement Tuesday. “Crime in the area is down significantly. More than $350,000 in stolen merchandise has been recovered. There has been a surge in visible law enforcement presence, along with the enforcement of a zero-tolerance policy for organized retail theft and gang-related crimes.
“The fencing installed by the city has made a noticeable difference, disrupted the illegal sale of drugs and stolen goods, and helped to reduce the violence that has plagued the park for too long,” he added.