Echo Park Crime Updates
At last night’s Echo Park Improvement Association’s Town Hall meeting, we had a rep from both the Northeast and Rampart Divisions to provide us with an update on crime in the Echo Park area. Some notes worthy of mention are:
- Officer Hill says the Yankee Game weekend enforcement went well, that they were citing people for public drinking as early as 10:00 am in Elysian Park. Northeast also had a DUI task force in place near stadium exits for drunk drivers.
- Two significant arrests were made Wednesday in relation to recent burglaries (one on Clifford by the elementary school). Approximately four or five people retrieved their stolen property from that bust.
- From the Rampart Division, there are no new updates on the robbery at the Higher Path Dispensary last week.
- July 4th is on Sunday, and we were reminded that fireworks are illegal in Los Angeles. Anyone who has lived in Echo Park during a 4th of July knows the havoc that goes on at the Lake. Officers will be responding to calls if residents notify 311 (or 911 if it’s an emergency) of any illegal activity.
- Update on the shooting at the Echo a couple of weeks ago: the Rampart officer at the meeting last night says apparently someone had been denied entry into the club, so he came back and shot at a security guard.
And from Captain Bill Murphy, we have some information to share from the Northeast Division E-Policing Newsletter we received yesterday:
National Night Out will take place in Echo Park at the Walgreens on Tuesday, August 3 from 5-8:00 pm. “National Night Out is a fun and informative event with entertainment provided at each site.”
Dodger Night: “On Wednesday July 28, 2010, from 6-9:00 pm at the Dodger Stadium Stadium Club overlooking the right field and first base lines. The Dodgers recently renovation the Stadium Club and it now has an overhang deck with a spectacular view of the ballpark. Everyone is invited to this event and free parking will be provided in lot L. Come hear from your Captains, SLOs, and elected officials regarding the ‘State of Northeast Area.’ Make sure you get there early as last year several hundred people attended this event.”
Neighborhood Crime Update:
Echo Park
Over the last week the crime looks good. Over the past 28 days there are some property crimes occuring along the Sunset corridor mostly from late PM hours through daybreak (a few car break-in and GTAs). We had a bad burglary problem that I spoke about in the last newsletter. This has been cleaned up tremendously with several arrests of burglars over the past four weeks.
Elysian Valley
Very clear over the past week – only a few property crimes over the past 28 days.
You can contact Captain Murphy at 26152@lapd.lacity.org. To sign up for the E-Policing Newsletter, go to lapdonline.org. Then click on E-Policing in the navigation. All you have to do is provide your email address and you’re set!
Not that you should do any investigative reporting on the subject of the Echo shooting, but there are many rumors going around that it was actually a rival biker gang shooting. Have you heard any reports to that fact? And if so, why is Captain Murphy covering it up.
Hi Nathan,
Initial reports were about witnesses seeing a man wearing an insignia-clad leather vest leaving the scene on a motorcycle, but as more information came out it was determined the shots came from someone/somewhere else. I don’t think they have a suspect yet.
As for your final comment about Captain Murphy, the last two shootings in Echo Park are absent from the E-Policing newsletter. My best guess is because such events require more detail and thoroughness that a quick overview email doesn’t provide. But I agree, he should at least mention it – which is why I like to include some additional information with each crime update when possible.
I appreciate it you guys keepin’ the neighborhood informed.
On another note, I attended the Echo Park community council meeting on Tuesday night. It was quite informative and entertaining. They are looking to build an apartment complex on Sunset across from K9 Lofts. The city wont allow an entrance from sunset blvd due to the bus stop. This is forcing the complex to have entry on elsinore. To move forward they are proposing 5 homes and 5 of the sunset blvd store fronts be tore down. The neighbors on Elsinore and Mohawk are irate and there seemed to be quite a bit of controversy within the EP council (that’s where the entertainment came in). Christine Peters was the most informed person at the meeting and she was virtually silenced by the man “running” the meeting from informing the community about the topic. An LA weekly beat reporter was there also, I’m interested in what he has to say.
They are moving forward with several projects like this (also the new “night club” next to elf cafe). A lot of my neighbors have no idea about whats going on around them so I am glad that you guys are here to help keep us informed. Keep up the good work!
P.S. Apparently there are men with machete’s now selling spots around the park for the Sunday morning “flea market.” There are a lot of alarming things in that sentence. Due to some Venice Beach “art expression” law this is legal.
I am sorry for the long reply. I had a lot to say and you guys are one of the few who are willing to listen.
Thank you!
Nathan,
Capt. Murphy isn’t covering anything up, the shootings at both “The Echo” and “Pot Clinic” occured in Rampart Division, while Capt. Murphy is in charge of NorthEast Division.
Thank you Noel GR, that was an oversight on my part! You’re correct, the Rampart Division is handling those cases and I’m going to make sure and include those Rampart updates in future articles. Thanks again!
Hi All,
I thought I’d leave a comment about the Swap Meet issue. It’s actually really long. Sorry! It was nice to meet you at the EPIA meeting Kelly. It was an extremely informative meeting, my first, and I hope I’m ok to add a few comments about what went on and share some of my thoughts.
1. Gang Activity:
Citizens at the meeting did mentioned machetes, and that there is an organized crime (aka gang) element that has gotten involved and is selling the swap meet spots. The authorities did not seem to be aware of this. They mentioned the word extortion in relation to this activity, and stated that this same problem is existing at Union and 6th Street, and that there were vendors killed there because of it. There was also a woman at the meeting who had taken pictures of “Saturday late-night activity” at the park; people camping out for spots, and the selling of spots, etc. The reason why noting this activity after 10 pm (park closing hours) is relevant is because the authorities (public safety, who I believe have jurisdiction policing the parks, the police officers and the City Attorney’s Office) seem to be having problems identifying laws to protect the park. Being in the park after hours would be an enforceable offense. I do not know if there is money in the Park’s and Recreation Department (or whatever that Governmental Organization is called) budget to have park officers out there enforcing that at such a late hour. This is one of the problems. There was a lot of “our hands are tied” talk, or it’s not in the budget talk. One citizen was upset, asking why is it so hard to get on top of this gang activity. Why can’t an undercover officer be sent in as with drugs and prostitution? The officer for the region was very vague on saying whether or not this was possible, and said he would pass it on to his captain. I personally don’t understand why there is hesitation there.
2. History of the lack of law:
It’s actually due to the impotency of an existing law that this illegal vending is happening. There was a municipal code that was on the books regarding illegal vending. Five years ago, artists took the city to court, and my understanding is that it was because they weren’t allowed to set easels to paint on the beach essentially, even if they weren’t selling. That may be an exaggeration of what actually occurred, but I think that was one of the complaints. If someone can shed light on what the lawsuit was actually about, that’d be cool. I think someone was looking to get the suit’s transcripts. So, because of this inability to “set up an easel on the beach” they sued the city for freedom of expression or something to that effect. This put a hold (forgive that I don’t know the proper legalese, perhaps “put a moratorium”) on the law, and it was passed to the City Attorney’s Office to be rewritten so that the language was less broad, and herein lies the problem. The law has languished there, possibly due to the fact that the litigation of this lawsuit is still ongoing. According to the City Attorney’s Office rep, it is nearing the end, but perhaps that is why they have hesitated to put something in place. They may write it pending the verdict on this case. Or the lack of movement may be political, meaning that they don’t want to alienate a large voting population and would rather rely on expedience as opposed to doing what is right. You hear those grumblings a lot. Regardless, this latency has left the public vulnerable and defenseless.
3. Solutions:
There have been a couple of suggestions about how to enforce laws in the interim that can mitigate the rampant disregard for the park and its intended use.
a. Cite people for being there after hours. i.e. camping out, selling spots.
b. Issue parking violations when people are double parked and unloading.
c. Encouraging the State Franchise Tax Board, and the Office of Finance (City of LA) to crack down on the lack of Sales Tax being collected and lack of vendor business permits and resellers’ licenses respectively. Enforcement of this might also be a budget issue.
d. Utilizing the park in legal ways, such as the up-coming Lotus Festival, essentially making the park unusable to the swap meet. The public, though, should not have a responsibility to do this to be able to use the park as it is intended.
e. Taking the city to Small Claims Court.
4. Elaboration on Small Claims Court Solution:
One of the residents, Rick Morton, has devised a plan to shake the city up, so to speak, and draw attention to this issue. He is having those citizens who are concerned about the safety of this community file a small claim against the city, and is delivering all of these claims in person to make very clear how upset and demanding of action the people of Los Angeles are about the dereliction of duty that is occurring. It seems that the US Government at all levels is becoming less and less interested in enforcing its own laws, and the citizens really need to start becoming more involved. And I can’t believe I’m saying it, but take to task those arms of authority who are being negligent, and apathetic. Let me know if anyone would like to get involved in this, and I can pass it along to Rick.
My own personal suggestion would be to brand this issue, and raise community awareness with a “Take Back Echo Park” campaign. I already thought of a good photo campaign with a girlfriend of mine who lives across the street from the park. Funny thing is, I live on the Westside. Most of my friends live in Echo Park, though, and I hate the idea of any of them getting hurt because this lawlessness is breeding more and more dangerous lawlessness. No matter where I live, I am concerned with this issue, and know that it can happen anywhere in the city. And, actually illegal vending, is a growing issue all over LA.
And lastly (I’m so sorry. I may be overstepping the bounds of a blog “comment” with the length of mine, but… whatevs.), I personally believe that this swap meet may be occurring due to the economic downturn. What I’m about to say, is not supported by statistical evidence and is probably unpopular, but I would wager a bet that a lot of the people illegally vending at the park are doing so, because they cannot legally get a job in this country and support themselves. To put it euphemistically, I would bet that illegal vending is not the only act that they have committed illegally. And I think this issue can apply to a greater issue that this country is facing. We need to start enforcing the laws here, or we will have only ourselves to blame for the breaking of them.
Thanks for letting me share. And thanks for your blog, Kelly.
I have lived in Echo Park all ny life practically. I have seen Echo Park, the area, and Echo Park (the actual park) itself go through alot of changes all these 47 years. I was walking in the park last week, and I became overwhelmingly sad at the state this park is in. I remember a park that had weeping willows bodering the lake. The lotus grew on the northside of the lake so profusely that they covered, easily, from the northwest tip to beyond the fishing platform (cement bank) on the west side of the lake. I remember flower beds, a pretty large population of varied water fowl, canoes painted in vivid colors, later replaced by paddle boats. Through the years the trees were cut down because criminals could hide in them (the idea of an illustrious fearless leader). They were replaced by more uniformly sterile trees that stood sentry to the decay that started to befall the park. Then in 1983, in preparation for the olympics the park got a face lift. The lake was dredged, (providing much amusement as the contents of the bottom surfaced; shopping carts, old typewriters, one diamond ring, although I’m sure there were others, only one was reported), the fountain in the middle was restored. It was clean once more. As I looked around, the boathouse of my growing years sits empty, there are no boats at the dock which replaced the old pier which extended a ways out into the lake, certainly no weeping willows, just one willow across the lake. The island is off limits, the btidge needing paint. That crowning glory, the lotus, gone. In it’s place a scummy film with trash floating on it and ducks scavenging what they could. Overflowing trash cans, trash everywhere, foul smells coming from what are supposed to be filtratuon vents. There were a host of squatters; so called vendors, selling anything from food to trinkets,and broken down wares much resembling a rummage sale, or a group garage sale.. The concrete has crumbled along the walkway that borders the lake, and in nooks and crannies crated by the cracking and fallen borders of the lake, I saw one dead turtle, three pigeons and two ducks, spread along the waterside. What have we all done to this once beautiful park that had, in the beginning decades of the last century, been touted as ann oasis. I know alot of years have passed but to let this park become an eyesore, a revulsion,is one of the ongoing crimes in this area. Why isn’t there something being done? Why are we not forming volunteer groups? What is the Echo Park Community Council planning to do about this? Their worries are more about development it seems, rather than restoration. Do we need yet another night club where there once used to be the historic Ramona Theatre? Do we need to destroy people’s houses in order to have a living complex monstrosity built that has been on the proposition stage years now, and nobody wants? Why instead of more money pit ventures that will attract parking nightmares and more low living stamdards, don’t we occupy fumds and time with cleaning up this area? And for this, people are paying over-inflated retail and home prices? Give all of us native Echo Parkians a break will you? It’s worth more than dollars! This is a historic community where’s the respect here?!
Anyone with me here?Soory to soapbox. Thank you if you care like I do.
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