'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIG/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMBBB//EAB8QAAECBgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECEQADBBIhIgUTkv/aAAgBAQABPwCv53tlT17YXcdALyokZY4aDVVALNK8mP/EABYRAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABMf/aAAgBAgEBPwBQ/8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQD/2gAIAQMBAT8AW//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On January 26, internet users noticed the word "Help" written on land in Los Angeles on Google Maps, along with "Tráfico Humano" and "LAPD" inscribed on rubble surrounded by shipping containers. This disturbing discovery has raised concerns online.
However, now, according to netizens, the mystery has been unraveled. An X user going by the name @nmewrath conducted an interview with a local resident, inquiring about the meaning of those signs. Attributing the habit of posting things to one man, a woman said living in a nearby alley, said:
"It's just one guy. He always- he puts that."
She further confirmed that his name was Jose, and he lived across the yard under the bridge. She further stated that she thought the same man was responsible for all the markings, but she was unsure why he did that.
Now, once the video went viral, people took to the comment section of the post to speculate the same. One user even asked the authorities to question Jose because he might know something.
“We must ask José, he must know something important,” wrote one user, referring to the person.
Others also reacted similarly. One said that Jose might know something, while another one said that it is allegedly a “public art.”
"To me it seems Jose knows something and is trying to get “help?” another one echoed the same sentiment.
“I'm from the area and have been seeing it for years, I immediately recognized it as public art,” one user noted, while providing the required information.
“Apparently the person who made that video has been looking into it for a while,” another person said.
However, other netizens didn’t seem to believe the theory as one said that the mystery has not yet been fully solved while another one said that it might actually be human trafficking.
“”For what reason, I do not know” mystery NOT fully solved. we need to know why he’s doing this. I'm so confused,” expressed another user.
“Yeah bullsh*t, there’s trafficking going on and you’re a FED trying to cover it up,” another one advised.
“Some guy always writes help - mystery solved. No further investigation required,” another one wrote, sarcastically.
The mystery behind the messages visible on Google Maps came to limelight
As per Newsweek's January 27 report, a group called the FaZe Clan asserted that they personally saw the "Help" messages, which later appeared on Google Maps.
Three members of the FaZe Clan went to the place after learning about the markings and recorded that the word was spelled out with big pipes. Additionally, the group saw a drone hovering above the yard in LA.
In a neighboring alley, they went up to people in cars and tents and took interviews. Then, while talking to a woman about the same, she affirmed that a person named Jose might do this and said:
“He always... He just messes around... Always write that down… He's the one that puts it all the time… He just always for some reason has been doing it… For what reason? I do not know…”
The video came after people spotted the words Help, Tráfico Humano, and LAPD on Google Maps, which were written on the ground using a variety of materials. Google maps showed that the words are inscribed on an area of what appears to be a waste or storage land.
In the meantime, online speculation about the meaning of these messages on Google Maps has started to gain traction. This came at a time when human trafficking cases were on the rise in Los Angeles, particularly near South Figueroa Street.
A spokesperson from Union Pacific Police Department told Newsweek on January 28:
"About a year ago, Union Pacific responded and discovered the individual who was in the process of making the repeated messages. After an investigation, he was removed from the property without incident, and the issue was resolved."
Additionally, Newsweek was informed by the Union Pacific Police Department officials that the issue is not a persistent one.
