South LA community activists want to clean up a 3-mile stretch along Figueroa, close motels

A group of South Los Angeles community members are calling for change along three miles of Figueroa Street.

The Community Coalition group says they are fed up with crime in their neighborhood and want 12 motels along the stretch of Figueroa shut down. The group is set to march along the street Saturday morning, with signs reading "Free the Land." The group wants the city to reclaim, reimagine and revitalize the corridor, to foster a vibrant, safe community.

"Black and Brown residents have been ignored for too long, and will march to free the land, in a call of action to liberate 12 motels along the Figueroa Corridor between Gage and Century," wrote the Community Coalition in a statement   

The coalition says the motels are at the forefront of the problem -- an uptick in drugs and prostitution in the area. 

"My daughter lives on 73rd and Figueroa right in the heart of all the activity. She sees drug sales, I see them also … we are demanding that these motels be closed," said Louverna Durst, Community Coalition member.

The coalition says their neighborhood has been overlooked and left out of critical social and economic investments.  For this, the Community Coalition marches on Saturday along the corridor.

"The people are demanding community-based solutions that create a vibrant community with safe and permanent housing, access to healthy food, safe places, and green spaces to play," wrote the Community Coalition in a statement. 

"We have an opportunity to remove nuisance motels along the corridor and transform them into affordable housing stock that houses families and individuals experiencing chronic homelessness."

Los Angeles City Council President Pro Tempore Marqueece Harris-Dawson responded, saying that the city has sent the New Bay Motel a revocation notice, the Palms Motel has been demolished, and the city filed a lawsuit against the New Gage Motel for being a sex-trafficking hub.