To the editor: Like many lifelong Angelenos, Norm Langer, who runs the legendary Langer’s Deli next to MacArthur Park, has done his best to provide for his family and community in ways that often go unnoticed. (“Langer’s Deli owner is starving for L.A. to clean up MacArthur Park, and thinking of closing,” column, Aug. 23)
His experiences trying to operate a business and provide for his customers and employees while surrounded by depravity and uncaring city politicians are heartbreaking but far too common in 2024. Anyone who defends this status quo should go try and have a sandwich on a park bench across the street and report back how they feel.
As with Norm, my experience with the local City Council member leaves much to be desired. It really feels like we are being abandoned by the city and told to comply with laws and regulations that don’t apply to vagrants and drug addicts.
I hope that Langer’s remains open for decades to come, but I certainly couldn’t fault Norm for closing and giving up on pushing that rock uphill.
Adam Bray-Ali, Los Angeles
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To the editor: Steve Lopez’s column brought back some poignant childhood memories of Langer’s that have little do with the deli’s great food.
In the late 1950s, my extended Salvadoran immigrant family and I lived in an apartment building off 7th Street, just north of MacArthur Park. On the rare occasion we had some extra money, we would eat out.
As a 6-year-old, I could not understand why we would stop at several restaurants. After my uncle would ask for a table, we’d leave and try another place. Years later, my uncle explained that the restaurants didn’t want our Salvadoran family in their establishments.
We would continue until going into Langer’s, where the employees would greet us with smiles and seat us immediately.
Now, I am a lifelong lover of Jewish food and have introduced my kids and grandchildren to Langer’s. All those other restaurants are gone, but Langer’s endures.
Carlos Navarrete, Long Beach
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To the editor: A few years ago, I took my elderly stepmother out to lunch at Langer’s. I didn’t think things through, and soon we were in a long line outside in midday heat. Langer’s employees gave us all bottles of cold water and wheeled out a huge cooler resembling what we see on football sidelines.
When we sat down, Norm Langer himself greeted us. I told him that we had already received better service before we got in the door than we get anywhere else throughout the meal.
Langer’s cares about its diners. Thank you, Steve Lopez, for reminding me to pay it a visit.
Hans Ghaffari, Encino
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To the editor: A few years ago, Echo Park Lake was in poor shape and uninviting. In 2021, the city undertook a major cleanup, putting the park behind a fence for a while. The project was a success, and the park is now enjoyed by crowds of people.
Could not the same be done for MacArthur Park? It would be such a shame not to try.
Susan Borden, Los Angeles
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To the editor: After reading Lopez’s column on Langer’s and the current condition of MacArthur Park, I decided to drive down and grab a #19 (still the best sandwich in the world) and see if the area has deteriorated since my last visit.
Simply put, yes, it has.
It is a squalid dystopia where hundreds of sick or addicted fellow humans have been largely left unhelped, and the mostly low-income housed neighbors have neither been protected nor served. Every level of government has failed this neighborhood and all of its neighbors and businesses for far too long.
It’s neglectful and disgraceful.
Miles Crakow, Los Angeles
