Hundreds of people seeking housing descended on the Mayfair Hotel in Westlake on Thursday after false information about the property spread on social media, drawing a crowd so large that police had to step in for crowd control.
According to FOX 11 Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to the scene for crowd control after the gathering swelled at the 7th Street building. The station's report does not detail what the false information said or where it originated online, only that it circulated on social media and pulled a large number of people in need of housing to the hotel.
Officials worked to redirect people seeking assistance once the crowd formed, per the same report, though specifics on how that redirection unfolded were not laid out. The chaos underscores how quickly misinformation about housing resources can mobilize desperate residents in a city where interim shelter beds remain scarce and in high demand.
A Hotel With a Long History in LA's Homelessness Fight
The Mayfair Hotel itself has been at the center of Los Angeles homelessness policy for years. Mayor Karen Bass proposed in 2023 that the city buy the 294-room hotel from Mayfair Lofts for $60 million, with an estimated $19 million earmarked for renovations and another $4 million set aside for project oversight and other costs, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The plan was for the city to own the building outright so it could be used as interim housing under Bass’ Inside Safe initiative, the Times reported. The City Council approved the purchase on August 18, 2023, according to a City of Los Angeles announcement, which called the acquisition a step toward providing permanent interim housing infrastructure to bring more people inside.
Beds Have Been Open Since 2024
A City Administrative Officer report listed the Mayfair, located at 1256 W. 7th St., as an interim-housing site with 294 beds or units that has been open since May 1, 2024, according to city records filed with the Los Angeles City Clerk's office. That timeline places Thursday's crowd at a facility that has already been operating as part of the city's homelessness response for roughly two and a half years.
The Mayfair is just one piece of a much larger hotel and motel network the city has leaned on to get people off the streets. As of July 14, the city had entered rental agreements with 38 hotels and motels, generating invoices for more than 57,533 room nights, the Times reported, illustrating the scale of demand that can turn a single rumor into a crowd of hundreds showing up at one address.
