Video shows drug abuse and homelessness in MacArthur Park – NBC Los Angeles

Problems continue to persist in Los Angeles' MacArthur Park, with business leaders and community members complaining about drug use, trash and homelessness – problems that are clearly felt in the area.

In late August, Norm Langer threatened to close Langer's Deli across the street from the park after nearly 80 years in business.

NBC4 cameras captured several people consuming illegal drugs during the afternoon on Thursday as families and community members walked by.

Derek Rice worked nearby for 34 years.

“I can imagine what it used to be like. I can imagine families walking through the park and riding the little paddle boats they had there,” Rice said. “And now you see the homeless, the drug addicts, just hanging out there 24 hours a day.”

A few blocks away, Miguel was walking his six-year-old daughter home from school. He expressed concerns about walking through the park with his child.

“It's kind of scary because there are a lot of people under the influence of drugs and that's why we're afraid to go through there,” he said.

Bryan Clark's college is a quarter mile away. He also tries to avoid the park.

“I don't really go there. I try to stay away from there because there's a lot of meth and a lot of fentanyl,” Clark said. “I always hold on to my stuff when I go there.”

The park is in the district of Los Angeles City Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez. She made the following statement to NBC4 on Thursday:

“The challenges facing MacArthur Park are not new, but we are dedicating unprecedented resources to address the decades of neglect that have devastated the area. I met personally with Mayor Bass to discuss the urgent need for a hands-on approach, and I look forward to our continued partnership. My office has launched a Street Medicine team to provide care to homeless residents in MacArthur Park, secured $3 million from the City's opioid settlement funds to open a recovery center to provide much-needed services, housing placement, and care for people who are homeless or affected by substance abuse, and we have invested in a full-time Clean Team to remove trash and pick up bulk waste. We know there is more to do, and we call on our partners at all levels of government to join us in meeting this urgent moment.”

“It would be nice if they would clean up there and get the drugs out,” Clark said.

But since Thursday, the park with potential has been fraught with problems, and it's heartbreaking for longtime Los Angeles residents.

“Where do the children have to go now? Where do the elderly have to go and so on? You can't stay there,” said Rice. “This city is still beautiful, but the politicians have to get their act together.”