Nipsey Hussle Tower coming soon to South L.A.

quote:

---

Construction crews erected a chain-link fence Thursday around the lot of an L-shaped strip mall in South L.A. where Nipsey Hussle lived out his dreams — and where those dreams ended when he was gunned down on March 31.

The 8-foot-high fence is around the parking lot and Hussle’s store, The Marathon Clothing, which has turned into a magnet for tourists, but has been closed since his death.

On Instagram, the lot’s owner explained that the decision was made to start the “early development stages of the forthcoming Nipsey Hussle Tower.”

---

quote:

---

There also have been concerns about safety in the area, however.

The Los Angeles Police Department has increased patrols at the lot in recent weeks, and has been working with the property owner to install lighting and other measures after some tourists were robbed and officers made several arrests for gun possession.

---

quote:

---

On Thursday, Venita Thomas, 54, of Kansas City, Mo., scribbled her name on a mural of Hussle in the nearby alley, which will remain open to the public. She had brought her granddaughter to the spot to see a piece of history and feel Hussle’s presence, but was disappointed to learn that a blockade was erected around the area.

“It’s disappointing,” she said. “This is a landmark now. Like Tupac, he’s a legend in his own right.”

She felt the need to come to The Marathon Clothing store much like she felt the need to go on the tour of Martin Luther King Jr.'s church in Atlanta.

“It brings me to tears, being here,” she said.

---