LOS ANGELES—An alley next to the site of where the late rapper Nipsey Hussle was murdered in South Los Angeles will be closed temporarily to mitigate what the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) described as continuous and violent crime in the area.
The city council voted July 29 to shut down the alley near the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard, for up to 18 months. Concrete barriers could be added at the alley’s entrance and midpoint.
A mural of Hussle, who was fatally shot in 2019 outside his Marathon Clothing Store, was put up adjacent to the alley following his death. Last year, LAPD Chief Michel Moore described a “spike in crime” in the area since the mural’s installment.
“I believe the alley closure would serve as a deterrent to these criminal activities that have historically plagued this community,” Moore wrote in a letter to Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson in June 2021.
The short alley stretches from West 58th Place to West Slauson Avenue, parallel to Crenshaw Boulevard.
In 2020, the council directed the city engineer to begin initiating the alley’s closure, citing it as a “hotspot for criminal activity” including shootings, robberies, thefts and drug abuse.
Harris-Dawson, whose district includes South Los Angeles, proposed the motion, writing that the area was “made famous by the late Nipsey Hussle who began his entrepreneurial career here and is home to the Marathon Clothing Store as well as many other vibrant local businesses.”
“The city should take action to ensure that this site remains a safe place for residents and visitors alike,” Harris-Dawson said.
Allowing people and cars into the alley “contributes to the criminal activities,” according to a report by the city engineer’s office. The report also stated that the alley is not necessary for vehicle or pedestrian access to adjacent properties and its closure will not affect traffic flow.
Nearby property owners agreed to the closure, which will cost $5,000, according to the city.
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