On February 2, Angelenos were woken up with a surprise as a Graffiti mural covered an abandoned Highrise in Downtown LA. The $1 billion project building was abandoned in 2019, in which the building was made to house people in luxury apartments. After 5 years of stagnancy, a group of graffiti artists had turned the apartment complex into their overnight canvas. 

There were varied reactions from the residents of Downtown LA. While many supported the artistic message that the graffiti expressed, there were some residents who thought otherwise. “They should give all those [units] to the homeless,” said Gabriel Robles, a junior at Mark Keppel. “They aren’t doing anything to those damn buildings.” Citizens were also shocked as controversial subjects had shown up among the graffiti, including a mural stating ‘Free Palestine’. The message is in reference to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, representing the community’s desire for a ceasefire. Days later, four graffiti artists were arrested as police found connections from the arrestees to the mural.