fence

My first reaction, when I heard about the proposed $2.3-million fence around MacArthur Park, was skepticism.

Yeah, the park and the immediate neighborhood have long dealt with a nasty web of urban nightmares, including homelessness, crime and a rather astonishing open-air drug scene, all of which I spent a few months looking into not long ago.

But what would a fence accomplish?

Well, after looking into it, maybe it’s not the worst idea.

Skepticism, I should note, is generally a fallback position for me. It’s something of an occupational duty, and how can you not be cynical about promises and plans in Los Angeles, where each time you open the newspaper, you have to scratch your head?

I’m still having trouble understanding how county supervisors approved another $828 million in child sexual abuse payments, on top of an earlier settlement this year of $4 billion, even after Times reporter Rebecca Ellis found nine cases in which people said they were told to fabricate abuse allegations.

The same supes, while wrestling with a budget crisis, agreed to pay $2 million to appease the county’s chief executive officer because she felt wronged by a ballot measure proposing that the job be an elected rather than appointed post. Scratching your head doesn’t help in this case; you’re tempted instead to bang it into a wall.

Drone view of MacArthur Park looking toward downtown Los Angeles.

(Ted Soqui/For The Times)

Or maybe a $2.3-million fence.

The city of L.A. is primarily responsible for taking on the problems of MacArthur Park, although the county has a role too in the areas of housing, public health and addiction services. I made two visits to the area in the last week, and while there are signs of progress and slightly less of a sense of chaos — the children’s playground hit last year by an arsonist has been fully rebuilt — there’s a long way to go.

In a story about the fence by my colleague Nathan Solis, one service provider said it would further criminalize homelessness and another said the money “could be better used by funding … services to the people in the park, rather than just moving them out.”

The vast majority of people who spoke at the Oct. 16 meeting of the Recreation and Parks Commission, which voted unanimously to move forward with the fence, were adamantly opposed despite claims that enclosing the space would be a step toward upgrading and making the park more welcoming.

“Nothing is more unwelcoming than a fence around a public space,” one critic said.

“A fence can not solve homelessness,” another said.

The LAPD underwater dive unit investigates activity in MacArthur Park Lake.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Others argued that locking up the park, which is surrounded by a predominantly immigrant community, recalls the ridiculous stunt that played out in June, when President Trump’s uniformed posse showed up in armored vehicles and on horseback in what looked like an all-out invasion of Westlake.

But another speaker, Raul Claros — who is running against Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez in the 1st District — said he’d spoken to residents and merchants who support the fence, as long as it’s part of a greater effort to address the community’s needs.

Claros said he has three questions: “What’s the plan? What’s the timeline? Who’s in charge?”

Hernandez, by the way, is not opposed to the fence. A staffer told me there’s a fence around nearby Lafayette Park. Other fenced parks in Los Angeles include Robert Burns Park, adjacent to Hancock Park, and the L.A. State Historic Park on the edge of Chinatown, which is locked at sunset.

As for the long-range plan, the Hernandez staffer said the councilwoman has secured and is investing millions of dollars in what she calls a care-first approach that aims to address drug addiction and homelessness in and around the park.

Eduardo Aguirre, who lives a couple of blocks from the park and serves on the West Pico Neighborhood Council, told me he’s OK with the fence but worried about the possible consequences. If the people who use the park at night or sleep there are forced out, he said, where will they go?

“To the streets? To the alleys? You know what’s going to happen. It’s a game,” Aguirre said.

Last fall I walked with Aguirre and his wife as they led their daughter to her elementary school. They often have to step around homeless people and past areas where dealing and drug use, along with violence, are anything but infrequent.

Families and others should be able to feel safe in the park and the neighborhood, said Norm Langer, owner of the iconic Langer’s deli on the edge of the park.

A visitor takes in the view at MacArthur Park.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

“I completely understand why you’re skeptical,” Langer told me, but he said he’s seen improvements in the last year, particularly after fences were installed along Alvarado Street and vendors were shut down. Police say some of the vendors were involved in the drug trade and the resale of stolen merchandise.

“The point isn’t to limit access,” Langer said. “The fence is intended to improve safety and quality of life for the people who live, work, and spend time here. It gives park staff a fighting chance to maintain and restore the place, especially at night, when they can finally clean and repair without the constant chaos that made upkeep nearly impossible before.”

LAPD Capt. Ben Fernandes of the Rampart division told me police are “trying to make it not OK” to buy and use drugs along the Alvarado corridor. Drug users often gather in the northeast corner of the park, Fernandes said, and he thinks putting up a fence and keeping the park off limits at night will help “deflect” some of “the open-air usage.”

The park has a nice soccer field and a lovely bandstand, among other popular attractions, but many parents told me they’re reluctant to visit with their children because of safety concerns. If a fence helps bring back families, many of whom live in apartments and have no yards, that’s a good thing.

But as the city goes to work on design issues, questions about enforcement, opening and closing times and other details, it needs to keep in mind that all of that is the easy part.

It took an unforgivably long time for L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and other elected officials to acknowledge a social, economic and humanitarian crisis in a place that’s home to thousands of low-income working people.

The neighborhood needs much more than a fence.

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WHILE we all enjoy getting on with our neighbours, there’s nothing wrong with wanting some privacy.

And one woman has shared the easy and cheap buy to keep neighbours from looking into your garden.

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Taking to social media, Steph Varnie decided to fence off her outdoor space.

Her wooden panelled fence had large spaces in between them, which she wanted to cover up.

So, she decided to head to B&M to solve the problem.

Steph bought the Split Bamboo Screening for just £18 from the budget retailer.

She wrote: “Let’s get some screening up,” with the hashtag privacy screen.

In the clip, she showed herself putting it up along her fence to create more privacy.

It was clearly an easy DIY task to do as Steph was able to do it alone with a staple gun to secure it in place.

The bamboo screen was 2 metres in length, which meant Steph still had a small gap that went uncovered.

“Shame I was just out… Need to think what to do with that little section at the end,” she said.

She went on to ask others how to cover the gap and many suggested buying another screen to cover it and make it thicker for more privacy.

The clip was posted to her TikTok account @steph_varnie with over 162k views and 300 likes.

One person wrote: “Ours lasted years, we put one lot up and then added another on top for extra privacy.”

Another commented: “We’ve done the same. 3 rolls deep to block out the neighbours, made a beautiful border now we have a private garden.”

“You did an amazing job,” penned a third.

Meanwhile a fourth said: “Double it up for more privacy.”

“Should have started from that end more privacy from neighbours,” claimed a fifth.

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A HOMEOWNER was left stunned after her neighbour took matters into their own hands with their DIY project.

She took to Reddit to explain what happened, and people were left divided on it all.

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The problem started when her neighbours decided to add a small building to the back of their garden.

Initially, the project made no difference to the homeowner and she thought nothing of it.

That is until she came home from work one day to discover they had replaced their shared fence for their benefit.

It turned out the small outbuilding had a small window on the wall next to the shared fence, but because of the normal fence panels no light could get into the window.

That’s when the neighbours decided to take matters into their own hands.

The homeowner explained: “I came home from work today and this is how the fence looks, the neighbour has had a building built at the bottom of the garden and a window on the building just the other side of that fence.

“I understand it’s to allow light to pass through the window bit it looks white and why should my privacy be invaded for their benefit?”

Alongside the post, the homeowner shared a picture of the new fence, which had large holes in the design to allow light through.

However, as well as letting light into her neighbour’s new space, the new fence allowed them to peek right into her garden.

After sharing the post on Reddit users were left divided over how the homeowner should go about the problem.

One said: “That is certainly one of the most moronic things I’ve ever seen.”

Meanwhile, a second suggested adding plants to the area to solve the problem.

They explained: “You can buy laurel trees that are already a couple of metres high to give a hedge a head start.

“This is what I did last year. I planted 10 two metre high laurels last spring and they are doing really well.”

And while someone else suggested adding another shed on their side of the fence, another person had an easier plan.

They said: “Instead of a shed, just put two garden chairs directly facing it, then sit there and look in through their window.

“Privacy works both ways and when they don’t have it, they will want it back.”