Gang Member Girlfriends, You're on Notice

ACCUSED GANG member Vincent J. Vigil filed an appeal yesterday in a case convicting him of misdemeanor assault, felony assault with a deadly weapon, and 2 counts of corporal injury. One conviction involves gangs from our little neighborhood of Atwater Village and an injury to Vigil's girlfriend, Adelita Telles. From the prosecution's case:

On February 18, 2008, Dr. Thuc Bach treated [girlfriend Adelita] Telles at the Huntington Memorial Hospital for a six-inch, superficial, "bleeding" cut that was "very clean" and "very precise" and that was probably delivered in a "straight slashing action." ...

Telles said that she did not want to talk to the police about her injury and that she afraid of the person [appellant Vigil] who hurt her because he was an Avenues Gang member. Telles was with appellant who accused her of dating and having sex with someone from the Frog Town gang in Atwater Village.

Vigil's appeal was filed in Court of Appeals of California, Second District.

Scrubbed Wednesday, Tagged Again Saturday

ON SEPT. 16, I used the new City of LA graffiti website to report layers of colorful spray paint on the Glendale Blvd. bridge in Atwater Village.

On Sept. 23, I got an email saying the graffiti was removed.

On Sept. 26, I walked up the LA River to check it out. Indeed, the old graffiti was painted over, bright white on beige concrete. But now outlined in black was a giant TRS. That's The Rascals (or Thee Rascals) for those of you following your gang turf wars at home.

Garcetti's New Emphasis on North Atwater Village

FOLLOWING THE successful Toonerville gang raids in July, City Councilman Eric Garcetti has been focusing all kinds of love on North Atwater Village. This Wednesday was a "job readiness" workshop at Chevy Chase Park helping citizens figure out how to get construction jobs. And last Saturday morning saw a neighborhood walk where Garcetti's roving gang was repeatedly thanked for LAPD efforts to crack down on other less desirable roving gangs.

Toonerville Gang Raid: By the Numbers

Toonerville, originally uploaded by KID DEUCE.

JULY 9 gang raid in North Atwater Village is being hailed, not least of all by the raiders themselves, as an unqualified success. The numbers, from Northeast LAPD:

• 21 locations searched
  
• 19 suspects arrested (murder, attempted murder, narcotics trafficking, weapons violations)
• 2 additional arrests on scene (weapons violations)
• 63 firearms confiscated (48 in one house alone)
• 3 ounces of meth/cocaine confiscated
• 32 ounces of marijuana confiscated

Authorities sell the raid as the beginning of a turnaround for the residential area around Chevy Chase Park. Expect continued patrols, anti-gang programs and community outreach, similar to post-gang Drew Street in Glassell Park. Maybe even a street party.

Key to the long-term success of the raid will be preventing rival Rascals gang from filling gaps where Toonerville once reigned.

Involved agencies were Los Angeles Police Department, LA County Sheriff’s Department, City Councilman Eric Garcetti, Glendale Police Department and Drug Enforcement Agency.

Raid! Toonerville Gang Taken Down in North Atwater Village

FROM THE LAPD: "Today, the Northeast Division of the Los Angeles Police Department conducted a focused and deliberate raid on the Toonerville Gang in the Northern part of Atwater Village including the Chevy Chase Park Areas surrounding the Community Center.

"Your NOE LAPD Officers and Detectives were able to arrest suspected gang members that were recently served with warrants since the Toonerville Gang Injunction was enacted into law in Los Angeles County."

• LA Times reports police made 20 arrests, including 4 murder suspects, confiscating 58 weapons.
• Glendale News-Press quotes LAPD Capt. Bill Murphy saying Toonerville had "terrorized" Chevy Chase Park and that ongoing police programs are going to "turn that neighborhood."
  
• 89.3 KPCC also says police will remain in the area – as they did when they targeted the nearby Drew Street Gang.

And at least one reader of this blog was caught in the fray. Via email: "I heard gunshots at 4:00 am and a helicopter was circling my street with the spotlight shining into my windows. Then, when I went to leave this morning, the freaking SWAT team was on my lawn. They told me the whole neighborhood was on lock down and that I couldn't leave... They finally let me leave around 9am..."

Tonight officials from LAPD, City Council President Eric Garcetti's office, and the LA City Attorney's office will discuss the raid and ongoing anti-gang activity in the neighborhood. Atwater Village Community Meeting:

• Thursday July 9, 2009, 6:00pm
• New Hope Chapel
• 2861 Los Feliz Blvd.

LAPD: Atwater Village Shootings on Decline

LATEST NEWS from LAPD Northeast Division Captain Bill Murphy: Atwater Village: "We had several shootings between the Toonerville gang and the Rascals gang over the past couple of months. We have increased gang deployment in the area and have seen the number of shooting incidents decline (none in last couple of weeks). We are serving Toonerville gang members with permanent gang injunctions. "Only other issue is with Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (MMD) in the area. We have received some complaints regarding how they operate. We have been involved in several meetings with council district staff from CD 13 and CD 14 and they are aware of the problems associated with these MMD locations." And LA City Council is taking its own steps to change how MMDs operate.

Shooters 'n' Smokers: LAPD Update for Atwater Village

ATWATER VILLAGE update from LAPD  Captain Bill Murphy: "We had several shootings between the Toonerville gang and the Rascals gang over the past couple of months. We have increased gang deployment in the area and have seen the number of shooting incidents decline (none in last couple of weeks). We are serving Toonerville gang members with permanent gang injunctions. "Only other issue is with Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (MMD) in the area. We have received some complaints regarding how they operate. We have been involved in several meetings with council district staff from CD 13 and CD 14 and they are aware of the problems associated with these MMD locations." The good captain adds that LAPD's Northeast area "currently ranks first in crime reduction City-wide (out of 21 police stations)" and that "we are down 576 actual crimes (murders, rapes, car break-ins, etc.) compared to last year." LAPD Northeast includes Atwater Village, Cypress Park, Eagle Rock, East Hollywood, Echo Park, Elysian Park, Elysian Valley, Franklin Hills, Garvanza, Glassell Park, Highland Park, Los Feliz, Mount Washington, Silver Lake and Solano Canyon.

An Extra Letter? Or Confirmation of Gang Membership?

EVER NOTICE how the Atwater Village gang spells its name Thee Rascals, not The Rascals? What's with the extra e? And what's with the extra e on this post about Joey Romo's murder on the AVNC forum: "Let us be strong and help THEE ROMOS get through these tough times."

Why Drew Street Continues to Thrive as Gang Enclave

View Larger Drew Street Enclave Map

ACCORDING TO his Facebook profile today, Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti is "helping demolish" the Avenue Gangs headquarters at 3304 Drew Street (map, street view ) adjacent to Atwater Village. (More from the LA Times.)

Cops raided this corner of Glassell Park in June 2008. It's protected by "dead" space: literally, on 2 sides, by Forest Lawn cemetery. The third side is bounded by the 2 freeway.

The fourth boundary is made of 2 large unoccupied lots. One, the old Van de Kamp bakery, is where Los Angeles Community College is slowly building its northeast campus. The other, a former Kmart site, is where activists have fought development by the likes of Home Depot for being "incompatible" with community interests.

But it seems to me it's be better to have active, public spaces, even if they're commercially "incompatible," over large vacant lots that shield gang activity from civilian eyes.

Starts with Broken Windows, Ends in Jail

A COUPLE OF key pieces of news this week, very much related to the car-smashing thuggery last night in Atwater Village: 1. Broken Windows Theory Bolstered by New Study - "A provocative study... lends support to the controversial 'broken windows' theory behind crime and anti-graffiti prevention programs." 2. Atwater Village Gang Member Gets 75-to-Life "A Los Angeles judge on Friday sentenced Timothy McGhee for taking part in a January 2005 disturbance at the downtown Men's Central Jail.... Authorities say the 35-year-old McGhee was the leader of a gang in the Atwater Village area."

Toonerville Gang: No Chevy Chase Park After 10 PM

THIS WEEK'S lawsuit from Los Angeles and Glendale, the cities' first joint injunction against Toonerville gang members, includes a city park ban. From the Glendale News-Press: "They would also be barred from Chevy Chase and Palmer parks, and be placed under a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily curfew with few exceptions. Those found to be in violation of the order would be subject to immediate arrest and prosecution, officials said." I'm sure North Atwater Village families will be pleased to know they only have to wait till 3 or 4 hours past sunset each night to let their kids play safely in Chevy Chase Park. (UPDATE: Scott notes that the park ban as worded may be 24/7.) Complete coverage: Lawsuit targets Toonerville gang [Glendale News-Press] Gang Injunction To Be Filed Against Toonerville [Tropico Station] Gang Injunction To Be Filed Against Toonerville in North Atwater Village [Atwater Village News]

One Less Sign of Gang Activity in Northeast LA

THREE DAYS AGO I posted this photo of a construction fence on an Atwater Village residential scrape. The green fence screen, for at least 6 months, had been decorated with the widely-seen trademark of our neighborhood's multi-level youth-oriented outdoor marketing organization, The Rascals.  Alas, this morning, the green screen was clean. The TRS, wiped out. At least for this one property. UPDATE: Actually, depends on the light. Some times of day you can still see the faint TRS on the fence screen. Looks like it may have been rubbed down, but not out.

Pre-Dawn Raid: Culmination of 10-Month Investigation

MORE ON TODAY'S pre-dawn raid, with more than 500 officers arresting dozens of Avenues gang members, the culmination of a 10-month investigation, just across San Fernando Road from Atwater Village:

• 'Major takedown' targets members of Glassell Park's Drew Street gang [LA Times]
• L.A. gang targeted in major operation [ABC7]
• Task Forces Target Gangs Near Glendale [CBS2]

Several of the gang's members have been indicted for murder, drug trafficking, carjacking, home invasion robberies and witness intimidation.

Does this mean it's safe again for late-night tacos on Fletcher Drive?

Resurrected Gang Member Now Officially Dead

AFTER A DOCUMENTED gang member was shot and killed in broad daylight near Perlita and Veselich avenues in Atwater Village, the LA Times reported he had been brought back to life by doctors.

Not so fast, the newspaper's homicide blog now reports:

Steven Scott Farrell, 20, a white man, died from a gunshot wound at County-USC Medical Center at 9:18 p.m. Monday, June 9...

According to Det. Jose Carillo of the LAPD's Northeast Division ... rival gang members chased after Farrell, and when they caught up to his car they began shooting. Carillo said Farrell was struck in the head and crashed into a parked car.

Though the paper didn't specify which gang collected Farrell's dues, one wonders if he would have been part of this morning's Glassell Park bust, had he not already been hit a couple of weeks ago.

Northeast LA Wakes Up, Realizes We Have a Gang Problem

Warning Signs along the LA River, by Atwater Village Newbie

A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL Sunday. A community meeting Monday. Another confab with government officials tonight. The northeast LA neighborhoods of Atwater Village, Cypress Park and Glassell Park are waking up to more than our fair share of gang shootings lately. By one account, LAPD's northeast division has seen 12 gang-related shootings, more than any other division, so far in 2008. Greater Cypress Park NC Health & Safety Committee Tuesday, Feb. 26, 7:00pm Aragon Ave Elementary School 1118 Aragon Ave., L.A., CA 90065 Feb. 26: Shattered sense of security [LA Times] Feb. 23: Glassell Park gang shooting incident yesterday [LA City Council President Eric Garcetti] Feb. 23: A Gang's Staying Power [LA Times] Feb. 22: Gang mayhem cripples big area [LA Times]

Follow That Crime Wave

BURNING RUBBER AS GATEWAY CRIME? Looks like it takes about two months to go from popping wheelies to popping caps in someone's ass. Broken window theory? Maybe they should call it flat tire theory. Dec. 11 - Circles in the street - Tire burns appearing all over Atwater Village Jan. 30 - Drug running from tire shop - Corner of Fletcher Drive and Perlita Feb. 8 - Atwater Village gang dissed - Left off LA mayor's "most dangerous" list Feb. 11 - Police looking for suspect - Man shot twice Sunday, 6pm, 2700 block of Fletcher Drive

Rascals: Better Luck Next Year

IT'S AWARD SEASON IN GANGLAND. And the Rascals of Atwater Village were left off Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's list of most dangerous gangs. (PDF here.)

Hardly one of LA's largest multi-level outdoor marketing and youth leadership organizations, the Rascals will no doubt continue to terrorize northeast Los Angeles residents with persistent re-painting of the backside of murals and giant purple walls.

And the winners are:

• 204th Street (Harbor Gateway)
• Canoga Park Alabama
• 18th Street (Westside)
• Avenues (Northeast Division)
• Grape Street Crips (Southeast)
• Black P-Stones (Southwest)
• La Mirada Locos (Rampart, Northeast)
• Mara Salvatrucha (Rampart, Hollywood, Wilshire)
• Rollin' 40s (Southwest)
• Rollin' 30s (Southwest)
• Rollin' 60s (77th Street Division)

Get To Know Your Atwater Village Gangs

YOUTH TODAY enjoy a variety of options among multi-level outdoor neighborhood marketing leadership organizations. Here's an updated list for Atwater Village, courtesy of the MySpace page for LA County Gangs:

• TOONERVILLE
• CHEVY CHASE PARK LOCOS
• ATWATER LOCOS
• WS THEE RASCALS
• SURENOS
• BOLAS
• FROGTOWN

Yes, street gangs and MySpace. Seems equally humiliating for both parties.

We Interrupt This Blog for an Important Public Service Announcement

LOS ANGELES - January 21, 2007 - The multi-level youth-oriented outdoor marketing organization The Rascals (TRS) proudly announces the continued annexation of a portion of South Atwater Village, including but not limited to this structure at Larga Avenue and Silver Lake Boulevard and its immediate environs. Territory subject to further dispute by paint can.

'Pinoy Real' is Not Some Trendy Red Wine

Speaking of gentrification, I noticed this recent addition to Atwater Village's Wikipedia page: As middle-class Armenian and Filipino immigrants surged into the area, the Los Angeles Police Department managed to crack down on gang activity [including] The Rascals gang and Pinoy Real gang. Despite LAPD crack-down, Pinoy Real (PR) lives on, with its own sloppy Wikipedia page: Atwater (LA side) PR has a long history of continued rivalry between Hispanic gangs ToonerVille Rifa (TVR) and Temple St (TST) along with other Filipino gangs. Thee Rascals Gang (TRS) and PR kept mutual respect and shared the same Atwater village torritory. PR and TRS has fought side by side to keep rivals out of Atwater. It's good to see people out tagging Web pages - instead of storefronts - with gang territory info. And with clues on how to spot gang members: PR members are known to sport Pittsburgh Pirates apparel. Oh, but there I go, proving right those smart, ambitious kids over at 50mm Los Angeles who post about "Ratwater" being full of, you know, "sniches."