Oceanwide Plaza, an unfinished, bankrupt, vandalized, graffitied tower that marred the downtown Los Angeles skyline, added a tightrope of crime to the problems faced by Oceanwide Plaza.
On Sunday, a 28-year-old performance artist named Reckless Ben filmed himself teetering along a 1-inch loose rope between 40-story abandoned skyscrapers above Figueroa Street.
“These buildings are pretty much the best canvas in Los Angeles right now,” said Benjamin Schneider. KNBC first reported the stunt, which was about 500 feet above the ground.
Schneider told The Times on Saturday that breaching the metal fence the city had erected to deter trespassing would only “make things cooler.”
“It’s like, ‘Haha, we evaded the police!’ It would be so boring if we were allowed to do that,” he said.
It’s the latest indignity for Oceanwide, which was once envisioned as a glamorous residential, hotel and retail complex in the sweltering South Park neighborhood but is now viewed by some as a failing for Los Angeles citizens. metaphor.
Earlier this year, taggers sprayed graffiti on at least the 27th floor of a partially completed skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles across from LA Live’s Crypto.com Arena.
(Irrfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
A Chinese company bought the block across from what was then the Staples Center in 2014 but ran out of money in 2019. Their creations were seen by thousands of motorists on the 110 and 10 freeways, as well as convention goers and sports fans gathering at what is now the Crypto.com Arena.
As Taggers took over the exterior, stunt performers began using its three towers, including BASE jumpers paragliding from the roof. Police also responded to reports of shots fired inside the building, where the lower level was damaged multiple times.
To control the situation, the city allocated $3.8 million in February to remove graffiti and build fencing, and the Los Angeles Police Department began patrols around the clock. The Los Angeles Police Department told The Times on Saturday that 30 people have been arrested at the property since February. As last weekend’s tightrope show showed, the site remains penetrable.
Mark Tarczynski, the agent whose team is trying to sell the property as part of the bankruptcy process, said the owner, Oceanwide Holdings, is paying for some private security to supplement the police presence. But, he said, the challenge is the size of the downtown complex: “A million square feet.”
Schneider said he distracted people by asking about 20 of his companions to hold up large signs that read “Jesus Saves.”
“We were there for about 30 to 40 minutes, just soaking it in,” he recalled. He said he and another man jumped the fence when police stopped paying close attention. Schneider wore a harness during the less than three-minute journey between towers, but said he was still afraid of falling to his death: “It was an epic thing.”
He said he left the slackline between two eyesore towers partly as an art installation and partly because he was desperate to evade police. He said he wasn’t concerned that others might harm themselves trying to recreate his feat.
“Anyone who can jump over a fence, get past the police and get all the way there, knows what they’re doing,” he said.
Schneider’s most famous previous performance art project was a projection of the word “Oops” onto a Scientology building.
Six days after walking the tightrope, he’s still surprised he hasn’t been charged with anything.
“It was like a robbery and no one was arrested. It was sick,” he said.
Los Angeles police patrol the grounds of the unfinished Oceanwide Plaza complex, which has been the target of vandals and thrill-seekers in recent months.
(Live/KTLA)
The Los Angeles Police Department “is aware of this incident and has initiated an investigation,” according to a written response to questions from a police spokesperson. The department said detectives have not yet spoken with Schneider, adding: “It is a crime to hack into the Oceanwide website and signs are clearly posted. It is unsafe and would expose trespassers, the public and the public in the event of an emergency.” and public safety officials, including our fire departments.
Tarczynski said the site’s unruliness is not expected to affect its sales. An appraisal last month put its value at $434 million, and a new owner who can shoulder the estimated $865 million cost of completing the project will be identified in the fall.
“Removing graffiti from buildings is an easy task,” he said. “The most important job is getting it done.”
