Koreatown, Los Angeles

Los Angeles is weighing whether to acquire Liberty Park, a privately owned green space on Wilshire Boulevard in Koreatown, and convert it into public parkland. Councilmember Heather Hutt, who represents Council District 10, is pushing for a private sale with property owner Jamison Properties, which separately plans to convert the adjacent 11-story office building into apartments through adaptive reuse. The proposal goes before the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners, which will decide whether to authorize acquisition efforts for Liberty Park and several other properties in the district.

Liberty Park and neighboring Beneficial Plaza were designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2018 after residents fought off a proposed high-rise tower on the site. Any future changes would need to preserve its historic features, including its lawn, pine grove, and Liberty Bell replica. The effort responds to a documented park shortage in Koreatown, where over a third of residents live more than a 10-minute walk from green space. Funding for the acquisitions remains unresolved, with officials citing Quimby fees as a possible source.

Raz Chowdhury, 45, died on July 2 in a hotel room at the Mayfair Hotel in Westlake, roughly a week after being moved off the streets of Koreatown into interim housing through Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' Inside Safe program. He was among 31 people relocated during a June 25 operation at Wilshire Boulevard and Manhattan Place. His cause of death remains deferred pending investigation by the LAPD's Rampart Division, and officials have not confirmed his enrollment status at the LAHSA-run facility, citing privacy rules.

Chowdhury was well known among Koreatown's homeless community and volunteers with the advocacy group Ktown for All, who described him as someone who consistently helped others access supplies and support. Friends held a memorial at his former encampment site. LAHSA data shows that as of July 31, more than 6,400 people had entered Inside Safe housing, with over a quarter returning to homelessness and about 2% recorded as deceased, underscoring ongoing scrutiny of the program's outcomes.