Graffiti has spread across Koreatown and throughout Los Angeles, sparking frustration among residents and a surge in complaints to the city. While taggers often describe their work as art, locals argue that unchecked graffiti has become a form of visual pollution that damages property and worsens the neighborhood environment.
Earlier this month at Vermont Avenue and 7th Street, a Korean American resident saw a large green tag around the Bank of Hope sign and frowned. “Someone made a huge green graffiti around the Bank of Hope sign. It looks like they ruined the building,” he said. The resident added that he could not understand the act itself. The office building, currently under remodeling, had its upper floors vandalized during a period of weak security. The graffiti was only removed recently.
Graffiti appears in many parts of Koreatown, from empty buildings and alleys to storefront walls, billboards, and construction barriers. Even busy areas like Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue have been affected. Much of the tagging comes from youths and young adults marking private and public property, while some gangs use graffiti to signal territory. Koreatown’s dense population can draw taggers who want their messages seen.
The Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC), which handles graffiti removal in the area on behalf of the city, said it typically removes graffiti within 48 hours of a complaint. However, the group noted that since last year graffiti incidents have surged, forcing cleanup delays of at least three days. KYCC now removes about 230 cases per week and around 930 per month.
According to LA city records, Koreatown logged 34,519 nuisance reports last year, including graffiti complaints. It ranked behind Boyle Heights (49,775 reports), Van Nuys (41,280), Westlake (39,284), and North Hollywood (35,443). Citywide, MyLA311 received 1,415,288 service requests last year, up 5.2% from the year before. Graffiti reports totaled 317,000 (22% of all requests). Annual graffiti complaints have remained between 314,000 and 345,000 for the past seven years.
The LA Times recently highlighted two 27-story mixed-use towers across from Crypto.com Arena that have been covered in graffiti and left unfinished for years. The developer Oceanwide Plaza launched the luxury project in 2015, and construction has been halted since January 2019. Last February, multiple taggers covered the windows, drawing national attention and turning the site into a destination among taggers.
Residents can report graffiti and request removal through the MyLA311 website (MyLA311.lacity.gov), mobile app, or by calling 311.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
