Los Angeles' 2nd Street Tunnel, a historic site that has featured in numerous films, became a canvas for graffiti artists less than 24 hours after a city cleanup. Defined by authorities as vandalism, the art community sees it, as a critical part of L.A.’s street scene. The graffiti-covered tunnel between Figueroa and Hill Streets was recently documented by GraffTV on Instagram, showing taggers re-marking the territory they consider a living gallery of street expression.
ABC7 reported that both sides of the tunnel were quickly covered with new graffiti following the cleanup, with no response from the mayor's office or Bureau of Street Services on the tagging. Similarly, NBC Los Angeles shared a video from GraffTV, highlighting the swift reclaiming of space by the city's taggers.
Residents maintain divided opinions on whether the graffiti should be considered art or vandalism. Marcos Matta, a Los Angeles resident, expressed his view in an interview with FOX 11, "I understand [some] see it as vandalism or what not," "[However], a lot of people also see it as artistic expression."
The presence of law enforcement has done little to deter artists. According to Ryan Rohtla, who lives in proximity to the tunnel, the police seemed to be taking a minimal enforcement approach, saying, "I actually was there when the cops were rolling up," Rohtla told FOX 11. "[The police] were like, 'Yo, can you not do that?' They were stopping people one by one, but everyone was trying to finish their art real quick." However, there have been no reported arrests by the LAPD relating to the most recent incident of tagging in the 2nd Street Tunnel, and the question remains if city crews will paint over the graffiti again. Matta adds, "It's a brand-new canvas, right? You're just wasting taxpayer money, on painting and materials. It's going to be the same thing."
