Despite what outsiders might think about downtown Los Angeles, most areas possess a surprising tranquility.
Watched over by towering concrete giants and lined with rows of sidewalk trees intended to enhance the aesthetics, it’s not uncommon to find city dwellers enjoying a gentle breeze, appreciating public art under clear blue skies, or even spotting locals or corporate executives taking a peaceful lunch break in one of the city’s green spaces.
Meeting friends along the way, residents often cheer on joggers, and pet lovers frequently gather, their furry companions greeting each other from sunrise to sunset.
5th & Grand – Photo Courtesy DTLA Insider
While there are undoubtedly drawbacks to urban living, these areas of prevailing tranquility often feel like a golden ray of sunshine, a welcome respite from persistant sirens and impatient car horns.
The wee hours of the night in downtown also hold a unique serenity. It’s a time when the concrete giants illuminate like elaborate Christmas trees under the moon’s soft glow. With most of the city asleep, a tranquil energy permeates the quiet streets, which feel both lonely and vast.
However, nights in downtown Los Angeles can also become a time for mischief, with a recent incident involving the deliberate and shocking act of sawing down numerous trees serving as a stark reminder of our dark potential.
Innocence Lost
On April 19, just a day before Earth Day, downtown Los Angeles awoke from one such serene night to the unsettling news of this deliberate and shocking act. Out during his morning routine, Media Moussavy, real estate agent and beloved local influencer behind DTLA Insider, came across a stunning and disturbing sight.
Numerous trees had been systematically sawed down, stretching from the heights of Bunker Hill to the lower reaches of the South Park’s Social District.
Someone under the cover of darkness had committed a brazen act of environmental vandalism that would send shock waves through the city.
As the algorithm caught on, numerous reports from major news outlets and social media pages would follow, along with dozens of threats of bodily harm for the unknown perpetrator.
Yet, it was certainly odd to observe Mousavvy, whose usual posts center around the revealing of some of Downtown LA’s most desirable living spaces, now going viral from showcasing the high life to showcasing the despicable actions of “the lowlifes”.
Just short of a decade in the city, it was clear from recent posts on his page that the veil had been lifted—that moment of realization when one truly becomes a downtowner, the shift from merely admiring the architecture to confronting the nitty-gritty of the big city. An apparent shift in polarity for the DTLA fan whose page had gone viral after debuting the Graffiti Tower vandalism just a year prior.
So who the f*^% cut down the trees??
At least that’s what the entire city was asking.
Despite every building having cameras, authorities were stumped? Really, with no leads other than the rumor some man on a scooter traveling a half mile south wielding a chainsaw, no one heard or saw a thing?
Perhaps these individuals were utterly tired of shade and utterly thrilled by the prospect of scorching sidewalks and turning red like lobsters under the hot California sun.
Perhaps they were against fresh air. Everyone knows trees recycle carbon dioxide to produce the life-giving oxygen we all need to survive.
Perhaps they were against development. It is widely known downtown Los Angeles has been looking for ways to improve our aesthetics, sometimes an uphill battle with so many graffiti-ridden walls, light posts, tunnels, billboards, and skyscrapers.
“Fresh air is so… pedestrian,” this person would probably sniff. “Give me the rich, complex bouquet of exhaust fumes and industrial byproducts. Now, that’s the smell of progress.
Really, where is the logic?
One social media comment suggested it was the building owners themselves, tired of having those leafy stems obstruct their concrete views.
Was there a diabolical top executive looking down on DTLA like the Grinch expressing himself radically to a conference of subsidiaries? “We’re trying to build a serious metropolis here, not some whimsical garden. All those messy leaves and branches? Such a distraction from the beautiful, unblemished, concrete and steel-laden offices. It’s called urban, people, not arboreal.”
Was it a pair of disgruntled city workers responsible for installing the trees recently fired from their job taking out their frustrations on the city? Hmmm.
Flaccid Sand flipping off Rock Hard, Super Hero – Photo courtesy Rock Hard, Super Hero
Maybe it was the villainous Flaccid Sand, still bent on committing heinous crimes, while antagonizing LA’s newest Super Hero Rock Hard to come and catch him. Yeah, but probably not. But truth be told, the town did need a super hero! In a big way.
Regardless, with so many questions about the motive and persons behind the crime, one question was answered loud and clear… If a tree falls in the city, does it make a sound? Yes. The sound of outrage.
Police are asking everyone to share tips, footage, or other information to help identify the perpetrators with LAPD Central Division. https://www.lacrimestoppers.org/ or (213) 486-6606
