Can a fence fix MacArthur Park?

To address drug use and homelessness, city plans an enclosure. Some are skeptical.

- BY NATHAN SOLIS

On a brisk sunny morning in MacArthur Park recently, children played on a jungle gym as an open-air drug market operated nearby. Beside the park's lake — which has witnessed more than a few bodies pulled from its murky depths — vendors prepared stuffed arepas for hungry patrons.

For years, the famed park has served as an urban oasis for thousands of Westlake residents hemmed in by concrete and asphalt. At the same time, however, the city has battled waves of gang violence, drug trafficking and growing homelessness.

Now, amid a city campaign to reduce crime in the neighborhood, officials have announced plans to erect a $2.3-million fence around the park — a proposal that has ignited debate within City Hall and among residents over the best way to keep the 35-acre green space accessible and safe for everyone.

Depending on whom you ask, the project will either improve safety or make it more difficult for residents to visit the park or to provide outreach services for the homeless people there.

The Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners voted unanimously Oct. 16 to approve the conceptual phase of the project as a way to address "ongoing public safety and quality-of-life challenges" that make it difficult for the city to perform maintenance and continue park improvements.

The board, which is appointed by the mayor's office, did not elaborate on the challenges, but the park has long been a gathering place for homeless people who often experience mental health issues. It's also become known for open-air drug sales. Last summer, a Long Beach man was stabbed to death near the park, and on Labor Day a man's body was pulled from the park lake.

Local business owners say the park's problems scare off customers.