A disturbing act of arson on Wilshire Boulevard has once again exposed the Los Angeles Police Department’s failure to protect one of the city’s most vibrant communities. On December 23, surveillance footage captured a man deliberately setting fire to the sidewalk at 2972 Wilshire Boulevard, near a luxury apartment complex in Koreatown.
The suspect, who casually walked through his own fire after setting it, mirrors the recent New York subway attack pattern – yet LAPD officers were nowhere to be found. This incident adds to the mounting evidence of law enforcement’s absence in Koreatown, where multiple fires have recently erupted.
The city government’s continued negligence of Koreatown’s security needs has created what locals describe as a “no-police zone.” Despite paying some of the highest property taxes in Los Angeles, Koreatown residents receive minimal police protection.
The LA City Council’s inaction and LAPD’s operational failures have left one of Los Angeles’s most economically vital districts vulnerable to criminals. As violent crime rates surge, residents are left wondering if their safety matters to city officials at all.
This latest incident proves that neither LAPD nor city hall can be trusted to protect Koreatown’s residents and businesses. Without immediate action to address this security crisis, the community faces an increasingly dangerous future.
