Norm Langer backs the city of Los Angeles’ recent work toward combating crime in MacArthur Park, and although closing his Langer’s Deli isn’t off the table, he says he’s decided to stick around for a little while.
Seven months ago, Langer told The Times he was considering shuttering his historic 77-year-old establishment due to drug activity, crime and encampments in the area that he and other business owners had grown weary of dealing with.
The effects of those issues are still being felt, the 80-year-old businessman noted.
At 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, Langer told The Times he had nine tables and six counter seats empty; in years past, there would have been a line of customers going out the door.
What’s keeping patrons at bay, he said, is crime and the news reports that follow. The public is entitled to know what’s going on, Langer said, such as when six people were injured by gunfire in a gang-related shooting in MacArthur Park in January. But “the next day people hear that, and they’re afraid.”
“I have to try to convince people … that it is safe to come here,” he said.
Yet in March, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass touted “significant” change for MacArthur Park, and Langer agrees.
The Los Angeles Police Department increased foot patrols in the neighborhood, and deployed mental health outreach workers and teams to aid those overdosing on drugs. Officials also installed fencing along Alvarado Street in an effort, they said, to put the brakes on the sale of stolen goods — including drugs and guns — by some street vendors.
There are some business owners and community leaders who don’t agree with the approach that city officials are taking to quash crime, Langer said. But he said he sees and appreciates the police presence.
“They’re doing their part with what they’ve got,” he said. “The problem here, as far as I see it, the city in all areas is under-resourced.”
So he is practicing patience, noting that the city has had to focus resources on the emergency response to the Palisades and Eaton fires that ravaged parts of L.A. in January. While standing by his earlier statements about possibly closing, “I’m giving the city the opportunity to fix [these issues], which I think they’re entitled to.”
In the meantime, Langer said, he is looking out for his piece of the neighborhood.
Customers who want to patronize Langer’s Deli can park in the business’ lot at the northeast corner of 7th Street and Westlake Avenue, where Langer said he put an attendant on duty as a safety measure.
“I want the street on 7th Street from Westlake to Alvarado clean so my customers can come to my [restaurant], eat, enjoy, relax and go back to their car without having to worry,” he said. “That’s all I ask of my city.”
Last month, Police Chief Jim McDonnell said that in all categories of crime, including property crime, there had been a 42% overall reduction since December.
Langer said he’s looking forward to seeing more progress; as for the question of how long he’ll keep his doors open, his goal is to run his business for the three major sports championships coming to Los Angeles: the FIFA World Cup in 2026, Super Bowl LXl in 2027 and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.
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