Murder on Flower Street

Loft Crimes   #murder #flowerstreet

Downtown Los Angeles  —  The Los Angeles Times gave a written account that began with “Lisa Ramirez was the heart and soul of the Flower Street Lofts.” She was the beloved maintenance lady of the building that is the cool and hip original industrial live/work loft structure in South Park. In the rapidly escalating now-upscale neighborhood in the southwest corner of Downtown Los Angeles, Miss Ramirez worked just a block away from L.A. LIVE and the Ritz-Carlton, in the modernized residential building that has been a low-profile sanctuary surrounded by the most exciting place on earth, DTLA — until the unthinkable happened on January 10.

Lisa had no way of knowing that a dangerous psychopath was staying with one of the residents.  Michael Rogers, a deranged boyfriend of a resident at the building, followed Lisa out of the complex and then forcibly hauled her into his girlfriend’s unit where he stabbed her repeatedly with a large knife. The motive was unknown, but, according to the Times, the killer then proceeded to walk down Hope Street carrying the knife, and attempted to carjack a vehicle.  After the driver called the police, the officers responded and ended up shooting Rogers dead on the street.

Behind the scenes, many of the residents knew victim Lisa Ramirez as their every-day cheerful cleaning woman, would be stricken with grief and anxiety as the breakneck pace of neighborhood change is suddenly combined with a jolting murder of Lisa, who was an uplifting friend and beloved, indispensable fixture of the community as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Why did this happen? Can tragedies be prevented?

Other residents in the building have been on edge as noisy new build construction projects sandwich the building on both sides. Some locals reported that they had to move on. Others are hanging on and working to figure out how to prevent future calamities. The pace of excited new Downtowners moving into Downtown L.A. has not slowed. Enthusiastic renters and home buyers are not hesitating to snap up the great deals on some amazing New York style lofts with concrete features, high ceilings, large windows, modern kitchens, large walk-in closets and luxury bathrooms.

Walking her cute little pugs, one affected resident, a seasoned lady, angrily shouts “Don’t prop open the gate!” When asked about the recent murder, the resident responds “that’s how the murderer got in.” The murderer actually lived at the complex with resident girlfriend, and the killer presumably had keys to the complex and the loft unit.

As his past is reviewed for clues, killer Michael Dwaine Rogers represents a confusing contradiction between the violent domestic abuser and murderer, combined with the positive memories of his long-time relationships with girlfriend and fond memorials from family members. What caused Michael Rogers to go on a murderous rampage, violently taking the life of such an innocent, happy woman as Lisa Ramirez?

No answer or reason can be found to this dichotomy that was Michael D. Rogers, a brutal abuser who also demonstrated moments of loyalty, love and caring. An extreme example of a most extreme case — this contradiction of love and hate. While most will not personally encounter murder, Downtown Los Angeles residents skillfully navigate the pros and cons of a vibrant and challenging neighborhood, enjoying an amazing renaissance of bountiful and exciting restaurants, entertainment, new shops and sprawling transportation infrastructure, while residents must navigate many curve balls such as typical city crime and the scourge of homelessness. Perhaps the horrible murder was merely a symptom of the squeezing, constricting construction quake, vertigo and noise of numerous high-rise construction sights erupting on multiple sides of the once-tranquil residential site.

Michael Rogers was eulogized as a selfless older brother, always offering the best for his younger brother, who describe Michael as “loving and caring,” his brother Cameron described Michael as “strong, loyal, and protective, always reminding me he was by my side during rough times.”

A few residents moved away, but most are staying in their happy urban homes. The killer’s girlfriend still remains in her stylish loft.  She has not responded to the L.A. Loft Blog requests for comment. Residents are going on enjoying their lives in these amazing industrial lofts in the walkable heart of a rapidly-growing neighborhood, the most exciting place on earth.

Like all big city neighborhoods, Downtown Los Angeles has BIG pros and cons, with a much lower crime rate and way bigger job creation rate than many other major U.S. urban areas, DTLA continues to skyrocket with a booming economy and rising infrastructure of residential, commercial, entertainment and transportation venues. Homelessness continues to be the number one issue for Downtown L.A., while crime, mostly non-violent, requires constant vigilance. The South Park neighborhood is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in Downtown LA, with numerous new homes, highrise tower condominium buildings under construction.

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