Barrio Athletics has relocated its Sunday 5K from Leimert Park to Elysian Park after facing fierce opposition in the historically black Crenshaw neighborhood.
The Latino running club, which had planned to gather at Leimert Park at 9 a.m. And run along Crenshaw Boulevard, announced the move on Instagram following what it described as “careful conversation with community leaders.” The new route will take runners near Dodger Stadium instead.
Community members immediately objected when the event was first publicized, arguing the 5K would disrupt a longstanding Sunday marketplace where black vendors earn their living. The concerns rapidly escalated beyond logistics into broader fears about gentrification and displacement.
Critics on social media accused the Latino run club of using the 5K to “scope out” the neighborhood. One user described Leimert Park as “black space” and warned that runners would be “met with resistance from the black community,” characterizing the event as a possible “hostile takeover” by the Hispanic community. Some opponents even threatened to call ICE or confront runners if they showed up.
Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic Hope, called on Mayor Karen Bass to intervene in the dispute. Ali declared Leimert Park “the crown jewel and heart and soul of Black Los Angeles.”
Barrio Athletics initially attempted to address concerns by adjusting its plans. The organization said it would move its warm-up and 5K starting point to avoid conflicting with the marketplace, stating the change was intended “to respect the local vendors’ space and not cause any disturbance to the market at the park.”
That compromise proved insufficient for some opponents. The running club ultimately abandoned the Crenshaw location entirely.
“We are making this decision to respect Leimert Park and the surrounding community,” the group wrote on Instagram.
The dispute highlighted raw tensions over territorial claims in one of Los Angeles’s most culturally significant black neighborhoods. Leimert Park has long served as a hub for black arts, commerce, and community organizing in a city where neighborhood identity remains fiercely protected amid rapid demographic and economic change.