LA private school closes after drug users, naked homeless people loiter on campus

A private school in downtown Los Angeles set up to serve children of the city's black and Latino communities has been forced to shut down after students were repeatedly exposed to drug-abusing, and sometimes nude, homeless people. 

Dana Hammond, the founder, principal, and CEO of the Academy of Media Arts, explained that the decision was not made lightly, and that he has since filed a lawsuit against the LA Grand Hotel, the first three floors of which the school occupies, accusing the owner, Chinese billionaire Wei Huang, of breaching their contract by failing to prevent the incidents from happening on campus. 

According to the Los Angeles Times, the AMA was first housed in a South Los Angeles church, but moved to the LA Grand on 4th Street and South Figueroa Street in 2022. One year earlier, the hotel had been utilized by the federal and local governments as a shelter for homeless people under Project Roomkey and Inside Safe, respectively. 

Hammond stated in his lawsuit that upon signing his lease, the hotel told him the homeless residents would soon be removed, however that never happened. Since then, students have been routinely exposed to behavior one might expect to find in the homeless encampments scattered throughout the city. 

In an interview with Fox News, Hammond claimed that he had found drugs and drug paraphernalia on and around campus, and that on numerous occasions, classes were disrupted by homeless people, including one man who was high on LSD.  

The AMA closed its doors on January 15, leaving around 50 students in 9th through 12th grades searching for a new school while the lawsuit gets sorted out. 

Hammond stressed, “We’re not enemies of the homeless population," but added that more should be done to ensure they get the help they need. 

He called on LA Mayor Karen Bass to address the situation, blaming her for extending the lease for Inside Safe tenants in the building.