{"id":36916,"date":"2026-08-10T18:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T13:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=36916"},"modified":"2026-08-10T18:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T13:06:26","slug":"destination-crenshaw-delayed-south-l-a-neighbors-air-grievances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=36916","title":{"rendered":"Destination Crenshaw delayed: South L.A. neighbors air grievances"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/5345f8e\/2147483647\/strip\/false\/crop\/8192x5464+0+0\/resize\/1500x1000!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F03%2Fe3%2F01e6dbf142ecb59fa0b7da590e50%2F1543050-me-0220-black-history-month-beehive-gem-007.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div data-element=\"story-body\" data-subscriber-content=\"\">\n<p><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/destinationcrenshaw.la\/\" target=\"_blank\">Destination Crenshaw<\/a> was supposed to transform 1.3 miles of Crenshaw Boulevard along Metro\u2019s K Line into an art-filled gathering space, but according to some neighbors, the project has become an inconvenience and eyesore.<\/p>\n<p>South L.A. locals held a meeting July 30 called \u201cKeep the Promise. Destination Crenshaw\u201d at <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wearebethesda.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Bethesda Temple Church<\/a> to discuss the impact of the project on their community and local businesses. The event was hosted by <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/kbla1580.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">KBLA Talk 1580<\/a> operator Tavis Smiley.<\/p>\n<p>Residents and business owners aired their grievances, which included the lack of parking, fencing along the sidewalks, dissatisfaction with the project\u2019s fluid timeline and hazardous conditions \u2014 locals said the project has caused cracks in buildings and emergency vehicles will have difficulty passing through the construction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey took all the parking from the cars. The industrial trucks and the big buses \u2026 they zoom down the street at 50 to 65 miles an hour, and we\u2019re just blessed that nobody\u2019s gotten hit or anything,\u201d Jeanette Parker, chief executive of <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.todaysfreshstart.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Today\u2019s Fresh Start Charter School<\/a>, said during the meeting.<\/p>\n<p>South L.A. locals say the Destination Crenshaw project has become disruptive and an eyesore. Destination Crenshaw broke ground in February 2020 and was supposed to have a public opening in February 2024, according to <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/destinationcrenshaw.la\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Destination-Crenshaw-Architectural-Fact-Sheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">a 2023 architectural fact sheet<\/a>. The project includes commissioned art projects from local artists and stretches from Leimert Boulevard to 60th Street along Crenshaw Boulevard, according to Destination Crenshaw\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>Representatives from Destination Crenshaw were not at the meeting. Terrii Young, the project\u2019s chief of staff, wrote in an email to The LA Local that \u201cconstruction is moving forward and crews are on site to complete the final phase of work at Sankofa Park,\u201d adding that they\u2019re also \u201cworking hard to get construction at the Crenshaw Wall started.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hear the community\u2019s frustration and are grateful to our neighbors for their patience, partnership, and continued support, despite the impact of an extended construction timeline,\u201d Young wrote. \u201cWe remain committed to raising the funds needed to complete the remainder of the project and cement the history, identity, and achievements of Black L.A. for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>L.A. City Council President and District 8 representative <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/cd8.lacity.gov\/about\/marqueece-harris-dawson\" target=\"_blank\">Marqueece Harris-Dawson<\/a> spearheaded the creation of Destination Crenshaw, which was conceived in 2016; its nonprofit was formed in 2018 and construction began in November 2021, according to Cerrina Tayag-Rivera, Harris-Dawson\u2019s spokesperson.<\/p>\n<p>Crenshaw Boulevard is a main thoroughfare that runs through the Black cultural corridor in South L.A., and Destination Crenshaw seeks to celebrate the legacy and contributions of L.A.\u2019s Black community. The project was also supposed to provide career opportunities and inspiration for future generations, as mentioned on the project\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarqueece Harris-Dawson has an office in the back of Prince Hill Destination. I have not seen this brother one time in my life. On TV? Yes. Newspapers? Yes,\u201d Beron Thompkins, owner of Miles Copy Center, said during the meeting. \u201cBut to come across the street and talk to people, or even next door to talk to people? I haven\u2019t seen this brother ever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris-Dawson, who did not attend the meeting, responded to the community\u2019s frustrations in an email to The LA Local.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe concerns of businesses and residents in the Crenshaw District are critical, and my office will work with Destination Crenshaw to address them,\u201d Harris-Dawson said. \u201cThis project started with several community meetings and community input, and to be successful, we need our neighbors to know and feel that this project is for them and to build a prosperous future.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"heres-what-neighbors-said-during-the-keep-the-promise-meeting\" class=\"subhead\">Here\u2019s what neighbors said during the \u2018Keep the Promise\u2019 meeting<\/h2>\n<p>Gregory Dulan, who opened his Dulan\u2019s on Crenshaw restaurant in 1992, told the group the street needs more parking and mentioned seeing other businesses suffer as a result of the Destination Crenshaw project.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I see my senior customers struggling to walk down to my restaurant from Victoria Avenue with their canes and their walkers, that\u2019s what impacts me,\u201d Dulan said during the meeting, which is also posted on KBLA\u2019s <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/fb.watch\/IMBBYXhVfV\/\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a> page.<\/p>\n<p>Smiley, who owns Smiley Audio Media and operates KBLA Talk 1580, echoed Dulan\u2019s testimony and said the KBLA building has cracks in it due to the project. He also said his car has been hit three times because of the narrow street, costing  $20,000 in repairs.<\/p>\n<p>Neighbors held a meeting on July 30, 2026, at Bethesda Temple Church about the Destination Crenshaw project and the lack of parking it has created. O\u2019lita Schafer said she moved to Crenshaw Boulevard two years ago and explained that her house is undergoing a major construction project due to an unstable foundation. She said her project is stalled because the trucks can\u2019t pass through.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really hope we never have a major emergency on this street because being able to get the Fire Department in and out would be very difficult,\u201d Schafer said during the meeting.<\/p>\n<p>KimMarie Johnson-Roussell, president of the <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/parkmesaheights.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Park Mesa Heights Community Council<\/a>, said the council had meetings with developers prior to the project\u2019s approval. She said the council represents 50,000 people and she now feels it has no power to protest anything built on Crenshaw Boulevard.<\/p>\n<p> Harris-Dawson \u201ctook that power out of us and sent it to Destination Crenshaw,\u201d Johnson-Roussell said.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the meeting, Smiley encouraged people to continue to push for the completion of the project and to post on social media with hashtags such as #KeepThePromiseCrenshaw, #ProcrastinationCrenshaw and #DestinationCrenshaw.<\/p>\n<p>Harris-Dawson\u2019s spokesperson did not provide details on a final completion date for Destination Crenshaw but did say locals who want updates can <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/destinationcrenshaw.la\/\" target=\"_blank\">sign up for the project\u2019s newsletter<\/a> or <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/destinationcrenshaw\/\" target=\"_blank\">follow on social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/thelalocal.org\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>LaMonica Peters writes for The LA Local<\/i><\/a><i>, a nonprofit news site covering Los Angeles communities.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Destination Crenshaw was supposed to transform 1.3 miles of Crenshaw Boulevard along Metro\u2019s K Line into an art-filled gathering space, but according to some neighbors, the project has become an inconvenience and eyesore. South L.A. locals held a meeting July 30 called \u201cKeep the Promise. Destination Crenshaw\u201d at Bethesda Temple Church to discuss the impact&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/578d2ee\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/8192x4301+0+582\/resize\/1200x630!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F03%2Fe3%2F01e6dbf142ecb59fa0b7da590e50%2F1543050-me-0220-black-history-month-beehive-gem-007.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}