After the weekend’s unrest, which began to spread after violence erupted in the Fairfax district following a Saturday afternoon rally protesting the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, we’ve been checking in with our various Wilshire-area neighborhoods (see Sunday updates from Larchmont Blvd. here) to see how they weathered the storm. Today, we’re looking at the neighborhoods closest to La Brea, which saw some damage on Wilshire, La Brea and Melrose, though not nearly as much as the neighborhoods immediately to the west, between La Brea and Fairfax.
Sycamore Square
In Sycamore Square, after some initial reports of vandalism at the BevMo! store on Wilshire, just east of La Brea, the Sycamore Square Neighborhood Association called a virtual meeting at 9 p.m. on Saturday, with about 15 people from Sycamore Square and adjacent neighborhoods checking in. According to SSNA President Conrad Starr, the meeting was “loosely structured,” with participants simply sharing their locations and reports of what was happening at the moment. “Over the course of the evening,” Starr said, “radio communications were also being shared on the closed “LA Citywide Situational Awareness Channel” on our new CERT Zello emergency networkand on our GMRS and ham radio networks.”
Starr told the Buzz that he toured the neighborhood on Sunday morning and took photos (see gallery below), finding minor damage (broken windows and doors, graffiti, etc.) at both neighborhood 7-Eleven stores (Wilshire & Highand and La Brea & Olympic), as well as at the Smoke Shop, Starbucks, and Numero Uno at Wilshire and Highland, The Mansfield Apartments (Wilshire & Mansfield), and the building housing the Hancock Park Veterinary Clinic. On Sunday, however, Starr said, cleanup and repair efforts were already underway.
“I consider us lucky things weren’t worse,” Starr said, “and it’s imperative we assemble a better neighborhood watch program that is ready to spring into action, and which leverages the many amazing digital tools available to us.”
Miracle Mile
Speaking of neighborhood watches, Kari Garcia, Neighborhood Watch Coordinator for the Miracle Mile Residential Association, told the Buzz that “Miracle Mile seems to be holding up OK.” She said there was looting at a few locations adjacent to Miracle Mile, including those mentioned above, as well as Wilshire Beauty Supply on Wilshire Blvd., but said she didn’t see any further problems.
Garcia said, “I am in communication with all 29 block captains, our Miracle Mile business watch with several business owners/managers, LAPD Captain [Shannon] Paulson (she even emailed me back!) and SLOs [Perry] Jones and [Anna] Schube, ADT and my own block. I am also on a group text with the “four corners” neighborhood leaders (Park La Brea/Hancock La Brea/Sycamore Square/Miracle Mile) so we can stay abreast of any changes and relay information between our neighborhoods.”
La Brea-Hancock
Just to the north, Tammy Rosato, president of the La Brea-Hancock Homeowners Association, also reported that “We faired pretty well all things considered.” Rosato said, “My husband and I walked the boundaries of LBH yesterday and noticed some broken and boarded up windows on Wilshire and La Brea. I believe CVS at the corner of La Brea and Third was looted, but it appears that both Trader Joe’s and Ralph’s may have proactively boarded up their stores (they were open for business on Sunday).” (This was confirmed in another report below.)
“I’m grateful things have not escalated and appear to be calming down. I am heartbroken to see the damage and tagging closer to The Grove, the Farmers Market, along Fairfax and Melrose Ave, and citywide as seen on the news.”
Melrose
The Greater Wilshire business area most seriously affected on Saturday, of course, was the corridor of Melrose Ave. between La Brea and Highland Ave. The Los Angeles Times carried a detailed account of extensive damage at the Mozzaplex restaurants, Melrose Mac (a computer repair shop) and the Troi Mec and Petit Troi restaurants, but those weren’t the only businesses that suffered damage.
According to Philpi Farha, who represents the Melrose area on the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, “Many of the businesses are closed today…It was a rough night for us on Saturday.” He also noted, however, that “It was equally remarkable to see the scores of citizens coming out with brooms and dustbins on Sunday morning. Some were neighbors. Many were from further away. They were part of organizations or just folks who wanted to do something constructive.”
Farha told the Buzz that “Our area was hit to varying degrees, largely ending at Highland. Our local butcher, Standings’ Butchery, on Melrose, had their windows broken but thankfully had already protected their inventory. Thieves got nothing aside from a few bottles of (high grade) olive oil and some canned tomatoes.”
Across the street, Farha said, “Local furniture maker Bend did not fare as well. They were cleaned out entirely, as were numerous shops on Melrose on the other side of La Brea.”
When asked how the neighborhood is doing today, Farha said, “Confused, tired and very hurt. This could not have come at a worse time. The cocktail of Pandemic, societal unease and a leadership that fans the flames is nothing short of toxic. It is not surprising that many have been wondering about what exactly happened this weekend. How did a peaceful demonstration turn violent? Who were those people who provoked and shamelessly exploited this situation? Were they part of us? Did they know that many of the businesses on Melrose are minority owned or cater to African Americans? If somebody really wanted to stoke the fire, this was a perfect opportunity to do so.”
“The result is plainly awful,” Farha continued. “Just a week ago, everybody was still hoping to come back and restart after the pandemic. Now they are questioning whether they can afford new glass on their doors and if insurance will pay for it. From a Land Use perspective, the biggest fear is not development but the absence of it – when a city gets abandoned. I would much rather fend off developers than live in a wasteland of debt and hopelessness. The Rodney King era…was marked by a massive loss in revenue and tax revenues that lasted over 10 years. That was without Covid.”
Where We are Now
Our thoughts are with all of our neighbors as we start to move into what we hope will be a time of peace, recovery and positive change. Over the next few days, the Buzz will bring you many more personal stories of experiences, ideas, plans, gatherings and more from our local residents and organizations.
For now, though, we’ll leave you with a snapshot of the moment. Sycamore Square homeowner Dan Kegel toured a long stretch of La Brea late Sunday afternoon, taking photos (see the gallery below). He said what struck him most along the way were the new sounds. “As I walked La Brea and Larchmont,” Kegel said, “the sound I heard was mostly normal traffic…but here and there electric drills whirred as businesses boarded up their windows, and at [the incoming Target/old OSH store at] 415 S. La Brea, I did see one shattered window. As I photographed it, a handful of broken glass fell to the ground, tinkling.”
“Between 8th and Santa Monica along La Brea,” Kegel added, “something like one in five businesses had boarded up. Both Ralph’s and Trader Joes were open right up to the 6 p.m. curfew, and then boarded up…I saw families out bicycling on Larchmont and towards La Brea, and several people photographing boarded-up businesses, but no protesters. I did see one lonely cardboard sign left behind by a protestor, presumably from the previous night.”
Here are some more images taken on Sunday on or near La Brea, by both Kegel and Sycamore Square Neighborhood Association President Conrad Starr:
