Destroying Parker Center a ‘Shameful’ Move by City; Building Could Have Housed Hundreds of L.A.’s Homeless

At the time, advocates fought fiercely to preserve and repurpose the former police headquarters as homeless housing, even commissioning both engineering and architectural studies of the building to show the feasibility of creating over 700 housing units for the homeless.

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Business Wire, Inc.Business Wire, Inc.
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Friday, June 19, 2020
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Public policy, Government, State, Local, Residential Building & Real Estate, Commercial Building & Real Estate, Construction & Property, Urban planning, Homelessness, Housing, Humanitarian aid, Poverty, Socioeconomics, Humans, Academic disciplines, Culture
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United States, California
Summary
Key Points: 
  • At the time, advocates fought fiercely to preserve and repurpose the former police headquarters as homeless housing, even commissioning both engineering and architectural studies of the building to show the feasibility of creating over 700 housing units for the homeless.
  • The advocates even went as far as to hold a mournful candlelight march and funeral for Parker Center on September 5, 2018 shortly after City Council cemented its vote to raze the building in favor of a luxury office tower for city workers.
  • Now, with the buildingand its potential for desperately needed additional homeless housing unitsgone, the Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to scrap plans for the replacement office building.
  • View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200618005967/en/


Housing justice and homeless advocates from Housing Is A Human Right (HHR) today again sharply criticized shortsighted Los Angeles city officials and politicians for their decision and action two years ago to fast-track the destruction of Parker Center, the former Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters, to replace it with a new $743 million luxury office tower for city workers.

At the time, advocates fought fiercely to preserve and repurpose the former police headquarters as homeless housing, even commissioning both engineering and architectural studies of the building to show the feasibility of creating over 700 housing units for the homeless. The advocates even went as far as to hold a mournful candlelight march and funeral for Parker Center on September 5, 2018 shortly after City Council cemented its vote to raze the building in favor of a luxury office tower for city workers.

Now, with the building—and its potential for desperately needed additional homeless housing units—gone, the Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to scrap plans for the replacement office building.

“What a shame that Los Angeles City officials, including Mayor Garcetti and the City Council members, were so fast and furious to tear down Parker Center, a building that could have provided efficient and economic housing for hundreds and hundreds of homeless individuals and families for far less than what the city has been paying for its homeless housing units,” said Michael Weinstein, president of AHF, the parent organization to Housing Is A Human Right. “It’s somehow sadly fitting that we will now have an enormous empty lot at the foot of City Hall to remind us of the enormous empty promises so many of our government politicians and officials continue to make on housing, homelessness and so many other social justice and quality of life issues."

For more information, visit www.housinghumanright.org.

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