Graffiti vandals tag 27 floors of abandoned, $1B LA skyscraper days before Grammys

An abandoned Los Angeles skyscraper complex has become a canvas for graffiti taggers as balconies on at least 25 floors have been marked with street artists’ designs, while the unoccupied buildings stand above the red carpet for Sunday’s Grammys.

Oceanwide Plaza, a planned $1 billion multi-use complex in downtown LA has sat empty for over five years but is now decorated with artwork from the so-called taggers who put their mark on the abandoned project.

The three-building site sits across South Figueroa Street from Crypto.com arena, home to the LA Kings, Lakers, and Clippers, as well as the host of the 66th Grammy Awards on Feb. 4.

The graffiti was painted on 27 balcony walls on at least two of the buildings inside the complex, according to video captured from neighboring buildings and posted to the Citizen app.

Some of the tags spelled out phrases like “set the pace” and “amen” while others were more personal tags left by their creator, “SINKOE,” “XN28,” “ROSEK” and “AMI,” according to KTLA. 

In one video, police officers stood on a street corner outside the construction fence while a crew remained up on top of the building seemingly working on their tag.

A witness said they saw officers detain some of the taggers who were leaving the building but were only given a ticket.

“I could see people up on the balcony were tagging and everything,” street photographer Daron Burgundy told the outlet. “Last night there was a crew on one of the floors and people were coming out and getting detained by LAPD and getting cited and released. People were still in there tagging while the cops were down here.”

Burgundy said he was surprised it took this long for the taggers to hit the empty complex, but said an invitation had been recently shared for people to put their mark on the buildings.

“Last night I heard that people have been coming from out of state to paint here,” he said. “LAPD mentioned that there might be an Instagram post floating around and apparently it was inviting people to come.”

“It’s been wild to watch,” Burgundy added. “It’s kind of interesting. It’s not so luxury around here anymore.”

While it’s not specifically known how the taggers are getting up to the higher floors, an LA Times photographer saw a group of five people with backpacks hopping over one of the exterior fences.

“There’s no security. It’s dangerous,” one tagger told the newspaper.

“Part of me likes this,” he said, “and the other part of me doesn’t.”

Law enforcement officials say they are working with the property managers to better secure the area with “additional safety measures,” while also cleaning up the artwork.

“The measures will be implemented immediately and the graffiti will be removed,” the LAPD Central Division wrote in a post to X.

Construction has been stalled since Jan. 2019 when Beijing-based developer Oceanwide Holdings reported financing challenges as the reason for the delay, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The complex was set to be a big part of the nearby entertainment complex, hosting condominiums, a hotel, and retail stores.

No arrests have been announced for the graffiti or trespassing of the complex, according to KTLA.