I’m back! (I’m sure you didn’t know I was gone)

I moved to a new building on Friday, leaving behind the supposed haunted Pacific Electric Lofts, and moved a mile down the street to the National City Bank building. So I had to leave GhostTheory’s other editor, Joe Ruiz, to pick up the slack. Thanks Joe!

The new building (National City Tower) used to be the Los Angeles National City Bank. The building, bank and vault was completed in 1924. Being located in Spring street, it quickly became more and more popular amongst other financial institutions in and around the same street, earning the nickname “The Wall street of the west”.

The other day, while trying to look for the recreation room and gym, I found the old bank vault.
Now this is strange. The vault is located in the basement of the building. In a maze of hallways and other chambers that seem to be fortified with 2 feet of cement. In this maze like bastion, I got the feeling of being watched or followed.

Of course I was aware that it was my over-active imagination or the Electromagnetic fields from the two chamber electrical room that looks like it can power the whole downtown area.

As I opened the gate that leads to the basement, a strong gush of wind comes up through the stairs and pushes me back. Humid and stale, the air smells like money and cement. It’s dark down there, the construction is still not complete. No time to be paranoid now. Following the hallways and going through about 4 to 5 doors, I found the old vault. Flawlessly built, it’s an impressive sight. Sturdy and looking brand new. A worthy challenge to any robber for sure.

The vault at National City Tower Lofts (old National City Bank)

I start to wonder how many bank robberies took place here. How many of those were successful? how many failed? I’m sure if there was such a thing as residual hauntings or residual memory this would be an impressive picture. I have not had the time to really investigate the history of this building, but I will. As soon as I get settled in. I left the basement quickly when I heard a door close down the hallway. Knowing that I was the only one down there (since there are about 10 other tenants in this new building) I got freaked out. Ghosts robbers or not, I don’t want to find out.

Why don’t I want to investigate my building?

I’ve gotten comments on GhostTheory about how we should go investigate this place, or take EVPs of some other place and so on. Let me just state that this is not the purpose of GhostTheory. We really do not like the way modern paranormal investigations are heading. More and more we see TV shows coming up with a reality show that some how involves the paranormal. As if this was a fad or a joke.
Recently we were asked to appear on a new show that is being filmed in L.A. I won’t name the show but the premise of it is a group of “beautiful” young girls spend a night at a haunted place. Their misadventures are recored in a blair witch type of camera angle. Now the producer that contacted us wanted a paranormal researcher/ historian to talk about the haunted place and walk the girls through the building. Explaining the haunting to the girls and the cameras.

Of course we had to decline. Although the publicity could have been great for GhostTheory, we feel that it would not have been a wise decision for two reasons. One, GhostTheory is a debunking site and we approach the paranormal with logic. Two, we cannot betray our readers. Most of GhostTheory’s readers are well informed individuals who seek the truth. Not cheap thrills. Like us, our readers believe in the possibility of ghosts and hauntings, but are not easily fooled with all these TV shows out there, as well as a lot of these so called “Ghost hunters”.

Take for example this group I came across. Queer Paranormal.

No, I’m not prejudice against a person’s sexual orientation; but you tell me what is the point of a ghost hunting group that seeks to find gay ghosts? This is irrelevant. And quite shameful if I may say.
Say there is such a thing as ghosts. What scientific advantage would we gain to find out a ghost’s sexual preference? I’ve read cases of people being practical jokers in life, and when they died, their ghost was said to have continued playing pranks on people. If a person was a joker in life, most likely they will be a joker in the afterlife. If a person was gay in life, most likely will have the same feelings in the afterlife.

Breaking stories of hauntings in which a ghost is said to “unzip the pants of male employees” in a local pub is detrimental to the serious researchers and parapsychology itself. I’m sure the people running this Queer Paranormal are not really serious on what they do. Why do people form “ghost hunting” groups like it’s no big deal? as if it’s something to do as a past time?

I believe this is why there is no real funding for parapsychology out there. Most people think of it as a joke. When we start segregating the ghosts and hauntings by the sexual preference of the ghost, then we start to dismantle the seriousness of the paranormal. Gay ghosts, angry ghosts, joker ghosts are all in the same boat right now. No one knows for sure if they exist. No money is being given to serious researchers for studies. I think it’s important to remember the paranormal for what it is, a theory made up of claims we cannot verify. As far as science goes, if it cannot be proven, then it’s a theory. A Ghost Theory.