DOWNTOWN L.A.’s GRAFFITI TOWERS

J.T. the L.A. Storyteller

In this installment of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast yours truly sits down with P, the horrible vandal, to discuss L.A. City Council’s recent approval of over $4 million to “remove graffiti covering three abandoned skyscrapers in downtown L.A., secure the site, and restore the public right of way on the adjacent sidewalks.” We also go over the state of L.A. graff’ in the era of TikTok, and how it just may dove-tail with the [2028] Olympics scheduled to come back to town soon. It’s a truly can’t-miss episode and we salute @therobinsonspace for our special studio-time!

Find our latest for Making a Neighborhood, “The Eviction Machine of Los Angeles,” here. Also, did you know that Making Our Neighborhood: Redlining, Gentrification and Housing (2021), the magazine, is once again available for purchase? Grab your copy today, which supports only more storytelling and documenting for our communities, here.

(0:01) Hey, what’s going on Los Angeles? It’s J.T. and it’s Friday, April 12th, 2024
(0:25) Before we get started, a slight correction for the record
(0:44) Re: the marches for Immigrant Rights in the United States…
(1:05) Let’s take this opportunity to go through a brief list of the largest marches ever? THE TOP 5, historically, are…
(3:48) These were definitely larger marches than the March for the Great American Boycott, or the March for A Day Without an Immigrant, but it does still stand that in Los Angeles the Day Without an Immigrant March of 2006 remains the biggest in L.A. history
(4:20) With that said, here’s yours truly along with P, the Horrible Vandal, on graffiti in L.A.
(5:07) Introductions, and a shout out to the Robinson Space for Los Cuentos de Los Ángeles
(5:32) Welcome P, the Horrible Vandal
(7:06) Shout out Koreatown since if you know, you know
(7:47) The state of graffiti today with respect to the gentrification in L.A.
(9:33) Business Insider on Oceanside Plaza, now better known as the site of the Graffiti Towers
(11:20) Is LAPD still arresting people for graffiti given all of the homelessness on the streets?
(14:28) The Broken Window Theory
(20:20) Like other subcultures, graffiti has also grown into a major industry
(25:33) To be sure though, how do we engage the youth on graffiti?
(28:41) Regulating Social Media corporations vs regulating graffiti
(32:26) Looking into muralism and other “responsible” art-making for P
(36:04) If so many outsiders can make a living off L.A., why can’t artists from here make a living too?
(38:34) At the end of the day, graffiti is for everyone
(41:19) Shout out to the Horrible Vandal for the time, and all the writers. 100 percent

To make a one-time donation to my nonprofit work for working-class communities in Los Angeles, please do so here. To support the production of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast for as little as $5 a month, check out my page at patreon.com/jimbotimes.

J.T.