Safer Metro: Cultural Programming for Community Safety on the Plaza

Community safety

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Safe and accessible public transit systems are imperative for the health of working class communities. Recent Metro customer experience surveys reflect a significant decline in rail ridership with transit riders citing crime, harassment, and crumbling infrastructure. These issues continue to rise even though LA Metro invests heavily on policing across the system. Street vendors and transit riders of color in the area feel unsafe on or near the system due to the criminalization they experience at the hands of police. Simultaneously, transit rich communities, like Westlake/MacArthur Park, find themselves fighting displacement and gentrification due to real estate speculation. This speculation also threatens community networks and culture that have helped low-income immigrant families survive and thrive. Our project intends to uplift the existing culture of this vibrant neighborhood through community programming that will serve as an alternative to policing for achieving community safety.

This grant will expand resources for a new pilot program led by CPC in partnership with LA County Metro, that endeavors to create community-led safety initiatives that sustain and activate culture and support economic development for local street vendors on the Westlake/MacArthur Park Metro Station Plaza. Plaza culture is an integral part of Latine Cultures in Los Angeles and around the world, acting as gathering spaces for cultural exchange and community connection. This project will uplift and reinforce this cultural tradition, centering the Central American community that has been thriving in the area for decades, and transforming the station plaza into a safe and active community space. In the next 18 months, CPC will facilitate a community-led process to envision the use of the plaza and implement programming, including concerts and music festivals that represent the local community, arts programming, dance performances, and a daily street vendor market where local food vendors and artisans will sell their goods. We will also implement monthly activations that feature resources for community members and Metro transit riders like, mobile health clinics and mobile bike shops. A few initial collaborators for this program include Maqueos Music Academy, a Oaxacan band and school based in LA, Levitt Pavilion, and UCLA Labor Center. Funds from this grant will allow us to expand our programming and explore additional Metro Station Plaza’s around the city for future activation.

In response to the success of this initiative, LA County will boast a safe and culturally vibrant experience for Metro riders. Metro users will no longer fear for their safety, as threats of violence in the area will be replaced by cultural programming that acts as community safety by uplifting local communities. A transit rider passing through the Plaza will be able to experience local cuisines from street vendors, live music from local musicians, in addition to other culturally relevant arts and activities. CPC plans to expand its work to other Metro Stations around the County, reinvigorating Plaza’s that will serve as cultural hubs for LA locals and tourists who are interested in exploring and getting to know the heart of our city. In turn, we expect to see more economic opportunities for local vendors, increased Metro ridership, an improved local transit system, and strengthened surrounding communities that will ultimately lead to a safer and healthier Los Angeles County.

CPC is committed to ensuring that this early stage safety initiative is community led. We will incorporate feedback from community members at each stage of the project by hosting community meetings and distributing surveys to capture local needs and requests. We will measure the success of the project by using surveys to evaluate attitudes of Metro users, local community members, and key stakeholders at the end of the pilot program. Success will be defined by surveys that reflect increased positivity in attitudes towards Metro and decreased reports of violence and harassment on the Plaza. We will also be tracking the economic impact this project will have on local vendors who participate in the plaza market. We will survey vendors to collect data on safety concerns and economic challenges that impact their businesses. With support from partner organizations, we will be providing technical assistance to vendors and evaluating improvements in these areas.