LOS ANGELES – An alley next to the site of where the late rapper Nipsey Hussle was murdered in South Los Angeles will be closed temporarily to mitigate what the Los Angeles Police Department described as continuous and violent crime in the area.
The city council voted Friday to shut down the alley, which is near the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard, for up to 18 months. Concrete barriers could be added at the alley’s entrance and midpoint.
The alley has been inaccessible since his murder.
A mural of Hussle, who was fatally shot in 2019 outside of his store, the Marathon Clothing Store, was put up adjacent to the alley following Hussle’s death. Last year, LAPD Chief Michel Moore described a “spike in crime” in the area since the mural’s installment.
The short alley stretches from West 58th Place to West Slauson Avenue, parallel to Crenshaw Boulevard.
In 2020, the council directed the city engineer to begin initiating the alley’s closure, citing a “hotspot for criminal activity” including shootings, robberies, thefts and drug abuse.
Allowing people and cars into the alley “contributes to the criminal activities,” according to a report by the city engineer’s office. The report also stated that the alley is not necessary for vehicle or pedestrian access to adjacent properties and its closure will not affect traffic flow.
Nearby property owners agreed to the closure, which will cost $5,000, according to the city.
