Too many needles, too much fentanyl, too much drugs. That's what the owner of Langer's Deli has to say about his downtown Los Angeles community. It's so bad that he could be forced to close the neighborhood's staple after 76 years of continuous operation. The owner of Langer's Deli, Norm Langer, joins me now. We should say that your dad started this business back in 1947. It's in the West Lake area of Los Angeles, literally across the street from MacArthur Park. What's going on in your neighborhood?

It's just changed greatly over the years. The expanse of the park and all of the beauty that it's had as we go back to the '40s, '50s, '60s, and '70s, attracted a lot of people. But as you got into the '80s and '90s, we got a lot of immigrants settled in the area. We then picked up some problem with gangs, and it's gone downgraded. Lapd has never had enough help to—he used the wrong word— but enough officers to really enforce the laws on the books. It's gotten out of hand on many, many different occasions.

When you look at MacArthur Park, it's been a mess since the 1980s. It is the highest concentration of people who use fentanyl in Los Angeles. I mean, there's so much drug use in that park. There's homelessness. I know it was closed for a couple of years, Norm, to refurbish it, and it was good for a little while, and then it went back downhill again.

Well, I think part of the city was given a million and a half dollar grant to clean up both sides of the park, which took about six months, possibly a little bit more. Once it was opened up again, it went right down to drain. The problem, in my opinion, is You can't buy the cart before you buy the horse. You must clean up the street vendors and the gang problem and what exists on Alvarado before you put any money into the park. I think that's what has to to have happened. I've talked to the director of the park, and they have no problem putting the vendors and such around a perimeter of the park, which will save a lot of the problems and issues that we have now.

Yeah. What's it doing to community, what's it doing to the community? What's it doing to business?

I'm sorry, I didn't understand you.

I said, what is that situation doing to the community and what's it doing to business? I mean, Langer's is famous for your pastrami sandwich. There's probably no It's even better in the world. It's even better than Katz's Deli, according to some folks. But what's happening to business there as a result of how the community is deteriorated?

My business over the last 5, 6, 7 years has deteriorated greatly due to crime in the area, but due to what I choose to call visual blight. People don't want to make the trek down here and have to walk through it. Now, in all honesty, my customers are safe. They You have a one-block walk from my parking lot. Not a problem. I've spoken to the mayor yesterday and the day before. I've spoken to the city council, councilwoman who is present at this time in CD1. We've had meetings, and I believe that they are on the right track to regaining, shall we say, regaining the park and regaining the area. It's not that I gave an ultimatum, but I'm getting tired of this cart uphill. I expect some assistance from the city in cleaning up seventh Street in order for my customers to have a pleasant walk, a clean walk, and not be bothered by visual blight.

You were actually at the point, Norm, where you were thinking of closing down after 70 some odd years, do you think you're in a position now where maybe the city is actually going to help and you'll be able to stay open?

If the city doesn't help and I don't see some signs in the next two, three weeks, I will close.

Wow. What do they say they're going to do? Because chronic lack of policing, basically, lack of caring has been at the root of all of this for 40 40 years?

Well, we can't say 40 years. It's really gotten out of control the last three, four years. The worst of it happened during the pandemic. Then we had more of an ingress than we've ever had. It's not clean. It requires city services to come out on a regular basis, not once a month. We've got alleys that need to be cleaned out. I have steam cleaning equipment to clean the sidewalks and leave the front of the restaurant clean, leave my parking lot clean. I want it to be a pleasant experience for my customers. And generally speaking, it is as long as they don't look north on Alvarado.

Macarthur Park was supposed to be a shining jewel for Los Angeles. Now you're saying everything's good as long as you don't look in that direction. Norm, we wish you well. We hope the city finally gets its act together and does something about this because the way that it looks like you and your fellow business owners are trying to live really is untenable. We appreciate your time, sir. Thank you.

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