Multiple floors of Los Angeles skyscrapers are covered in graffiti

More than a dozen people broke into the Oceanwide Plaza skyscraper in Los Angeles, covering the windows of the shiny, unfinished buildings with spray-painted colorful block letters including the words “Crave,” “Thanks” and “Amen.” , police said Thursday.

The sprayers made their way up the forty-storey buildings, which would one day become the tallest residential towers in the city. Forbes. It was not immediately clear how long people were in the buildings, or how they got in, but police were called about the graffiti on Tuesday.

The buildings, which have been vacant since 2019, are located across from the Crypto.com Arena at LA Live, where the Grammy Awards will take place on Sunday.

The Oceanwide Plaza project was intended to be one mixed-use space with shops, a hotel and luxury apartments, but the project was abandoned in 2019 after the developer, Oceanwide Holdings, ran out of money, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The graffiti only emphasizes the unfinished buildings, which critics say are an eyesore and a source of frustration for many residents.

Los Angeles City Council member Kevin de León called on the building owners to do something about the vacant building.

“The city of LA has already helped property owners meet a deadline that orders them to meet their responsibilities,” Mr. de León said at a meeting. press conference on Friday morning. He could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

Stefano Bloch, a cultural geographer, professor at the University of Arizona and former graffiti artist, said the graffiti had helped draw attention to the unfinished project, while noting that the invaders were still breaking the law.

“These are people who are taking it upon themselves to use a space that in many ways was abandoned by people with money and power,” said Mr. Bloch, a Los Angeles native.

Police said more than a dozen people were involved in the graffiti incident. All but two had fled before officers arrived the police saidadding that two men were cited for trespassing and subsequently released.

Those responsible for the graffiti may not face the same harsh legal consequences as in the past, Mr. Bloch said. Decades ago, graffiti artists faced prison sentences, but now they are more likely to face fines for vandalism and trespassing, he said.

“In the 1990s there was a moral panic about the link between graffiti and gangs, but times have changed,” Bloch said. “Even if people don't like it – and they have the right not to like it – they understand that graffiti is not related to violence.”