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Since 2019, a Black-owned business has been an anchor of the Crenshaw Square — a place where neighbors gather, families celebrate, and a community sees itself. Today, the people who built it are fighting to keep its doors open. The neighborhood they have served is being asked to stand with them.
Five years ago, a family put everything they had into opening a restaurant on Crenshaw Boulevard. They built a space where neighbors could feel proud and at home. They cooked, they served, they hosted.
They were part of a corridor with other Black-owned businesses. A community that knew them by name. They opened during the pandemic; they stayed through everything — in a city that didn’t always make it easy. They paid their rent, on time, every month. They did the work.
Then, without warning, the landlord moved against them. What had been a long, quiet tenancy became, almost overnight, a fight to keep the doors open — before they fully understood it, they were facing a stack of legal actions and repeated demands on multiple fronts, each one carrying its own deadlines, its own filings, and its own cost. Defending a small business against litigation like this is its own kind of weight: the legal fees, the hours pulled away from running the restaurant, the uncertainty of not knowing what comes next.
The eviction and other legal actions are being challenged. The neighborhood is showing up. The story is still being written.
A Black-owned local business anchors the neighborhood — the jobs it creates, the resources it provides, the families it supports. When it’s displaced, the loss ripples outward: jobs vanish, storefronts empty.
The rest of us decide whether to stand up or stand by.
Journalists and media inquiries: see the Press & Media tab.
Commercial tenants in Los Angeles have far fewer protections against landlord harassment than residential tenants do. In April 2026, the City Council took up that gap: a motion (Council File 26-0588) directs city staff to study a Commercial Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, modeled in part on the protections residential tenants already have.
…some commercial tenants experience practices such as unwarranted lease violations, interruption of essential services, failure to perform necessary repairs, threats of retaliation, and other bad-faith actions intended to force tenants to vacate their premises. L.A. City Council Motion · Council File 26-0588 (April 22, 2026)
Read the motion: Council File 26-0588 on the L.A. City Clerk’s public record. This is a motion directing a study; it is not yet an adopted ordinance.
The District’s fight is part of this larger story — and Tyrei showed up.
Tyrei Lacy · Public comment before the L.A. City Council
The key moments:
The Stand by The District campaign is built on community gatherings. Each event is a chance to meet, to talk, to add your name, and to stand together.
Mark your calendar. More details coming soon.
Members of the press, the community, and supporters will gather. Details coming soon.
The first community gathering of the campaign. Neighbors, supporters, and friends came together to meet, hear the story, and add their names to the movement.
Court filings and key documents in the public record. Copies are available to press and supporters on request — choose what you’d like in the request panel below.
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LOS ANGELES, CA — Tyrei Lacy, owner of the celebrated Black-owned Los Angeles culinary staple The District on Crenshaw, is facing an aggressive dual legal threat from landlord Fred Leeds. In a swift escalation, Leeds has officially filed an eviction notice alongside a massive $800,000 lawsuit, threatening to permanently displace a vital community hub that stands as a beacon of culture, local employment, and culinary excellence in South Los Angeles.
The coordinated legal push—combining a staggering financial demand with immediate eviction proceedings—marks a critical flashpoint for the neighborhood. Community advocates and patrons are rapidly organizing to oppose what they characterize as an attempt to force a highly successful minority-owned business out of the historic Crenshaw corridor.
The filings bring a double blow to the establishment: a demand for $800,000 in alleged back fees and back rent, coupled with an eviction action aiming to seize the physical space. Observers and community leaders point out that Fred Leeds’ property management track record has faced scrutiny in the past, and argue that the scale of this legal action is disproportionate, seeming designed to shutter the business entirely rather than resolve a standard commercial lease dispute.
“The District on Crenshaw is more than just a restaurant; it’s a community sanctuary. To hit a thriving Black-owned business with an eviction notice and an $800,000 lawsuit simultaneously feels like an aggressive gentrification tactic meant to erase an essential piece of our neighborhood’s identity.” Cynthia Billingslea · Founder, Hey Girlfriend Network
Since opening its doors, The District on Crenshaw under Tyrei Lacy’s leadership has been a cornerstone of South LA by:
Despite the severe threat of displacement and the daunting financial claim, Lacy and The District on Crenshaw team remain resilient. The restaurant is actively working with legal counsel to fight both the eviction filing and the $800,000 lawsuit in court, determined to protect their space and continue serving South Los Angeles.
Supporters are launching a grassroots campaign to rally behind the restaurant. Community members are being urged to show their solidarity by continuing to patronize the establishment, spreading awareness on social media, and preparing for local advocacy actions.
Further updates regarding court dates and community support initiatives will be shared as the situation develops.
Located in the heart of South Los Angeles, The District on Crenshaw is a premier, Black-owned restaurant dedicated to providing elevated dining experiences, fostering community connection, and celebrating the rich cultural history of the Crenshaw district.
Fred Leeds is a prominent Los Angeles-based property owner and manager with an extensive portfolio of over 5,000 apartment doors and 1.5 million square feet of commercial real estate across Southern California, headquartered on Crenshaw Boulevard.
Niele Anderson
Email: niele@plbmediainc.com
Web: www.istandwiththedistrict.com
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(To be added once the attorney clears specific documents for public release.)
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