The city of Los Angeles and taggers may be battling over territory when it comes to the 2nd Street Tunnel in downtown Los Angeles.
The iconic tunnel between Figueroa and Hill Streets is known for the colorful, freestyle graffiti on the wall, but whether one finds the graffiti a form of art or not, whoever tags the wall may be breaking the law by vandalizing the public property.
Last week, the city’s Public Works Department painted over the graffi-covered wall. But it did not take long until the white canvas attracted taggers back to the tunnel, leaving their marks overnight.
“Less than 24 hours after city crews painted the iconic 2nd Street tunnel in downtown Los Angeles a sterile white, a wave of graffiti vandals launched a full force takeover, reclaiming the famed stretch of concrete in a stunning visual,” said GraffTV, who shared its video with NBC Los Angeles. “Under the bright lights, dozens of artists from across the city descended upon the freshly painted walls, each racing to tag their territory before sunrise.”
Completed in the 1920s, the 1,500-feet tunnel was built to relieve traffic in the area. The location has deeply ingrained in popular culture as it was a backdrop for many famous films, including “The Terminator,” “Blade Runner” and “Lethal Weapon 2.”
NBC Los Angeles reached out to the city of LA to see if it plans to clean up the wall again soon.