Once the source of inspiration for a and Grammy Award winner, an iconic area has devolved into a wasteland rife with . Apocalyptic in appearance, the MacArthur Park in is now overrun by addicts, many of whom are slumped on the ground and accompanied by other homeless drug users who smoke crack pipes and shoot up. The now-questionable park has also been the location of street fights and deaths.
The Los Angeles Police Department declared that it was investigating a homicide after a man drowned in a lake early on Wednesday morning. Witnesses reported to that an altercation took place close to Wilshire Boulevard and Alvarado Street. When the altercation finally progressed close to the lake, one of the men fell into the water.
The body was then removed by emergency services. Regular visitors to the park voiced concerns about the fatality, even as detectives examined the circumstances leading up to the altercation. Homies Unidos Peace ambassador William Melendez brought attention to the drug use at Macarthur Park.
“The drug use seems to be getting worse, which causes violence,” Melendez said. It is unclear if drugs were a factor in the investigation. “We don’t know what led up to it,” Lt.
Ryan Rabbett of the LAPD Central Bureau homicide unit said. “If it was a dispute over narcotics? We just don’t know.” Written by Jimmy Webb, an American singer-songwriter, the hit song based on the park was recorded by many different musicians, such as Donna Summer, Andy Williams, .
