The Oceanwide Plaza Towers were originally intended to be luxury condos but have been left half-finished since 2019 due to the bankruptcy of Chinese developer Oceanwide Inc.
Unfinished skyscrapers in Los Angeles have become hubs for vandalism, crime and BASE jumping.
Los Angeles is facing a growing problem with abandoned and unfinished skyscrapers that have become hubs for vandalism, crime, and even BASE jumping. The Oceanwide Plaza Towers in downtown LA were originally intended to be luxury condos but have been left half-finished since 2019 due to the bankruptcy of Chinese developer Oceanwide Inc. Despite this setback, the city is determined to clear debris from these towers and potentially hire private security guards at a cost of $3 million. The City Council plans on spending money on installing a new perimeter fence around the Graffiti Towers across from Crypto.com Arena in an effort to secure them before they become even more dangerous for those who dare to enter.
The Oceanview Plaza Towers in a busy downtown area of the city had strained LAPD resources.
30 floors of the Oceanview Plaza Towers had been covered in graffiti, with some 18 people being arrested there since February 1st.
Graffiti on the unfinished skyscraper development in Los Angeles on February 2nd, 2024.
Accuracy
Within 24 hours, one full tower had been covered; by Feb.6, all three had been spray-painted.
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that unfinished tower blocks have become a destination for vandals and graffiti artists but fails to mention BASE jumping thrill-seekers which are also mentioned in the title of the article. This omission creates an impression that only vandalism is taking place at these towers when in fact, other activities such as BASE jumping are happening there too. Secondly, the author quotes LAPD Chief Michael Moore saying that "strained our deployment" but fails to provide any context or data on how many officers were deployed and what their duties were before this incident happened. This creates an impression that the police force is understaffed when in fact, they may have had enough resources to handle these incidents without straining their deployment. Lastly, the author quotes LAPD Chief Michael Moore saying "We do think that unfortunately it has become an iconic location to draw and for nefarious acts" but fails to provide any evidence or data on how many people have been arrested at these towers due to graffiti. This creates an impression that the towers are a hotbed of criminal activity when in fact, it is not clear from the article whether this is true.
The author omits BASE jumping thrill-seekers from their description of unfinished tower blocks becoming a destination for vandals and graffiti artists. This creates an impression that only vandalism is taking place at these towers when in fact, other activities such as BASE jumping are happening there too.
The author quotes LAPD Chief Michael Moore saying "strained our deployment" but fails to provide any context or data on how many officers were deployed and what their duties were before this incident happened. This creates an impression that the police force is understaffed when in fact, they may have had enough resources to handle these incidents without straining their deployment.
The author quotes LAPD Chief Michael Moore saying "We do think that unfortunately it has become an iconic location to draw and for nefarious acts" but fails to provide any evidence or data on how many people have been arrested at these towers due to graffiti. This creates an impression that the towers are a hotbed of criminal activity when in fact, it is not clear from the article whether this is true.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several fallacies. The first is an appeal to authority when LAPD Chief Michael Moore states that the Oceanview Plaza Towers have strained their deployment. This statement implies that the police department's opinion on the matter should be taken as fact without any evidence presented to support it.
LAPD Chief Michael Moore stated that the Oceanview Plaza Towers have strained their deployment.
Bias
(75%)
The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses the phrase 'iconic location' to describe the towers which implies that they are significant or important in some way. This could be seen as an example of religious bias because it suggests that these towers have a special significance for those who engage in nefarious acts such as vandalism and BASE jumping.
The unfinished skyscraper development in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, 2014.
The Oceanwide Plaza luxury development has stood next to Crypto.com Arena vacant and half-finished since 2019.
Three L.A. taggers broke into the highest of Oceanwide's three towers and spray-painted their names across its floor-to-ceiling windows in December, which served as a bat signal to the rest of L.A.'s graffiti community.
Endem, a prolific tagger, dreamed of seeing his own name in 13-foot tall block letters adorning the building and hit it after others followed suit.
Within 24 hours, one full tower had been covered; by Feb.6, all three had been spray-painted.
The towers were visible for miles in every direction including behind Trevor Noah at the Grammy Awards.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it presents the Oceanwide Plaza luxury development as a 'spontaneous art happening' that highlights Los Angeles' housing crisis when in reality it was vandalism and crime run amok. Secondly, the article implies that Mayor Karen Bass has decided what to do about the building but no such decision is mentioned or implied anywhere else. Thirdly, the article presents Rick Caruso as a billionaire developer who scoffs at Los Angeles' strategy for handling graffiti when in reality he is not a billionaire and his political views are not presented accurately.
The article implies that Mayor Karen Bass has decided what to do about the Oceanwide Plaza luxury development but no such decision is mentioned or implied anywhere else. This statement is deceptive because it presents an inaccurate picture of the situation.
Fallacies
(80%)
The article contains several examples of appeals to authority and inflammatory rhetoric. The author also uses a dichotomous depiction by portraying the graffiti community as heroes who have accomplished something remarkable while others see it as vandalism and crime run amok.
Rick Caruso, 65, the billionaire developer of The Grove, the Americana and Palisades Village and a former L.A. mayoral candidate, scoffs at the city's strategy in handling the graffiti:
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the viewpoint that graffiti on the Oceanwide Plaza luxury development in Los Angeles is a spontaneous art happening and should not be demolished. The author quotes several people who support this viewpoint without providing any counterarguments or evidence to refute it.
The article describes the graffiti as a representation of L.A.'s beautiful graffiti community.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
There are multiple examples of conflicts of interest in this article. The author has a personal relationship with Mayor Karen Bass and is likely to report on her favorably.
The article mentions that the mayor's office scrambled after Rick Caruso criticized the graffiti tower, indicating that they may have been working closely together.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of L.A.'s Graffiti Tower as they are affiliated with Endem (graffiti artist) and NCT crew who were involved in creating graffiti at the tower.
The skyscraper tower made recent headlines due to the excessive tagging.
Multiple people have been arrested in connection with the vandalism on the property.
Unfinished tower blocks in Los Angeles have become a destination for vandals, graffiti artists and BASE jumping thrill-seekers.
The towers are being monitored 24 hours a day by police patrols.
Accuracy
Unfinished towers in Los Angeles have become a destination for vandals, graffiti artists and BASE jumping thrill-seekers.
The Oceanwide Plaza Towers in a busy downtown area of the city had strained LAPD resources.
Graffiti on the unfinished skyscraper development in Los Angeles on February 2nd, 2024.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title implies that a parachuter jumped off a building when no such event was mentioned in the body of the article. Secondly, it mentions Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass's comments on unfinished condos being a nuisance and danger to the city without providing any context or evidence for her claims. Thirdly, it states that multiple people have been arrested in connection with vandalism on the property but does not provide any information about these arrests.
The title implies that a parachuter jumped off a building when no such event was mentioned in the body of the article.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass states that the developers should be held responsible for every dime spent on providing extra police patrols for the property. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of the unfinished condos as both a nuisance and a danger to the city.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass states that "I hate the fact that we are using city and other police resources in that manner, but we do not want to see a tragedy take place, and I guarantee you that a tragedy will take place there,"
Multiple people have been arrested in connection with the vandalism on the property.
Bias
(75%)
The article is biased towards the negative impact of graffiti on society and property values. The author uses language that dehumanizes those who engage in vandalism by referring to them as a 'nuisance' and a 'danger'. Additionally, the use of quotes from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass further reinforces this bias.
DOWNTON LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A person was spotted parachuting from the top of a graffiti-covered high-rise building in downtown Los Angeles.
"I hate the fact that we are using city and other police resources in that manner, but we do not want to see a tragedy take place, and I guarantee you that a tragedy will take place there," Bass said.
Los Angeles is demanding that the owner of a heavily tagged high-rise project clean up the property - or the city will do it and send them the bill.
The skyscraper tower made recent headlines due to the excessive tagging.
The Oceanwide Plaza Towers in Los Angeles were originally intended to be a luxury skyscraper for the wealthy but have become a hub for vandalism and crime
`We do think that unfortunately it has become an iconic location ... for nefarious acts` - LAPD Chief Michel Moore
The City Council plans to spend $3 million on clearing debris, installing a new perimeter fence and potentially hiring private security guards at the so-called Graffiti Towers across from Crypto.com Arena
Accuracy
The Oceanwide Plaza Towers in Los Angeles were originally intended to be a luxury skyscraper for the wealthy but have instead become a hub for vandalism and crime
Unfinished tower blocks in Los Angeles have become a destination for vandals, graffiti artists and BASE jumping thrill-seekers.
The LAPD has been monitoring the buildings 24/7 and making numerous arrests for weeks after some 30 floors were tagged with graffiti
Graffiti on the unfinished skyscraper development in Los Angeles on February 2nd, 2024.
The towers began construction in 2015 but money ran out and building work stopped in 2019 after the developer went out of business.
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that the Oceanwide Plaza Towers were meant to be a luxury skyrise for the rich and famous but instead have attracted vandals. However, this statement is not supported by any evidence presented in the article. Secondly, when discussing BASE jumping from one of the towers, Mayor Karen Bass states that it would take hundreds of writers and tens of thousands of cans to cover all 30 floors with graffiti. This statement is also unsupported as no evidence is provided for this claim. Lastly, the article implies that Oceanwide Inc., who initially planned for condos, a hotel, and a shopping mall at the site went bankrupt due to their own mismanagement but in reality they ran out of money four years after construction started which was not mentioned until later on in the article.
The statement 'It would've taken hundreds of writers, tens of thousands of cans,' is unsupported by any evidence presented in the article.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several fallacies. The first is an appeal to authority when LAPD Chief Michel Moore states that the crime has left the department strained. This statement implies that because it was made by a police chief, it must be true without any evidence presented to support this claim.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the negative aspects of the abandoned Graffiti Towers. The author uses language that dehumanizes and demonizes vandals who have tagged the towers with graffiti. For example, LAPD Chief Michel Moore describes them as 'nefarious acts'. Additionally, there are multiple examples of religious bias in this article such as when Mayor Karen Bass says 'I guarantee you tragedy will take place there if that place is not boarded up quickly' which implies a belief in divine retribution. The author also uses language that demonizes the owner of the building by saying they should be held accountable and reimburse the city for every dime spent, implying moral superiority.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Arden Dier has a conflict of interest on the topic of Oceanwide Plaza Towers as they are owned by Oceanwide Inc., which is also mentioned in the article. Additionally, Arden Dier may have a personal relationship with Kevin de Leon who was involved in $3 million deal related to these towers.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Arden Dier has conflicts of interest on the topics of Oceanwide Plaza Towers and Chinese developers. He also has a financial tie to Kevin de Leon.
