Neighborhood watch joins private security to guard graffiti towers in downtown LA

There's still a long way to go, but one small section of the infamous graffiti towers in downtown Los Angeles is showing glass once again. 

"It's always been this, so I am curious to how it is going to be now," resident Oscar Meza said. 

Crews began cleaning up Oceanwide Plaza on Wednesday, with 24-hour security making sure new graffiti doesn't hamper the effort. The new owner of the building, KPC Square, said the barbed wire and fencing will still surround the property. A neighborhood watch group also said they'll help the private security guard the towers.

"As a neighborhood organization, we are going to watch it," said Debra Shrout, the board chair of the South Park Neighborhood Association.

Shrout's home overlooks the three towers, giving her a front-row seat to the project's progress, pauses and tagging. She said for the first time in years, there's hope for what the development could bring to downtown LA. Shrout said part of bringing that hope back is making sure the property feels like it belongs to the community. 

KPC Square said the cleanup should be done in less than 90 days. While the initial cleanup was a test run, the company plans to choose a contractor to finish the work within two weeks.