Hundreds of people seeking housing descended on the Mayfair Hotel in Westlake on Thursday after false information about the property spread on social media, drawing a crowd so large that police had to step in for crowd control.
According to FOX 11 Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to the scene for crowd control after the gathering swelled at the 7th Street building. The station’s report does not detail what the false information said or where it originated online, only that it circulated on social media and pulled a large number of people in need of housing to the hotel.
Officials worked to redirect people seeking assistance once the crowd formed, per the same report, though specifics on how that redirection unfolded were not laid out. The chaos underscores how quickly misinformation about housing resources can mobilize desperate residents in a city where interim shelter beds remain scarce and in high demand.
A Hotel With a Long History in LA’s Homelessness Fight
The Mayfair Hotel itself has been at the center of Los Angeles homelessness policy for years. Mayor Karen Bass proposed in 2023 that the city buy the 294-room hotel from Mayfair Lofts for $60 million, with an estimated $19 million earmarked for renovations and another $4 million set aside for project oversight and other costs, according to the Los Angeles Times…