Skip to content
Advertisement

Venice citizens irate over police sweep

Advertisement

Citizens of the Oakwood section of Venice are irate over a  recent raid in which LAPD swat officers busted down residential doors in  an attempt to arrest gang members in the area.
Nearly 300 LAPD  officers, armed in bulletproof vests and riot helmets, joined federal  agents and state investigators on Feb. 19 to crack down on the Venice  Shoreline Crips.
Known as the most dominant gang in the area, the  Crips had gained a reputation for holding court in the Oakwood  recreation center, a site they used as an outpost for drug sales.
The  sweep, called Operation Oakwood, was the culmination of a four-month  investigation into the gangs activities, the first part of a new  campaign to rid the neighborhood of the gang.  Nineteen alleged  Shoreline Crips were arrested and jailed.  The police reported that they  are seeking 33 other suspects.
LAPD Chief Deputy Kenneth Garner said  the arrests were the first part of a new campaign to target the  Shoreline Crips, whose activities were impacting neighboring Culver City  and Santa Monica.
Nearly 75 residents attended a town hall meeting  Thursday night at the Oakwood Recreation Center to talk to law  enforcement, 11th District Councilman Bill Rosendahl, attorney Connie  Rice of the Advanceent Group, Rabbi Abraham Freehling of the Human  Relations Commission and members of the Neighborhood Council.
Councilman  Rosendahl said that the community was outraged by the raid.  Doors  were knocked down and the police went into the wrong places. The police  entered in a very dramatic way and frightened a lot of people.
Pausing,  Rosendahl said, If I had known about the planning of this thing, I  would have made clear that you have to reach out to the community, not  scare it to death.
The residents at the town hall were concerned  how the police went about serving the search warrants, said Stan  Muhammad, executive director of Venice 2000, a gang intervention group  who said about 25 houses were raided during the pre-dawn sweep. They  kicked in the doors at 5 a.m. with no warning. About seven of those  homes were occupied by senior citizens, said Muhammad.  Their tactics  were inappropriate, said Muhammad. Once they were in the homes, some  of the residents were handed search warrants and some werent.  Basically, the police justified the break-ins, said Muhammad.
Muhammad  said that a number of seniors complained about their doors being kicked  in, including Muhammads mother, 75 year old Mae Phillips, who Muhammad  said is a recovering cancer victim.  She was in her pajamas, and the  LAPD vandalized her home.  The only thing they said to her is that they  apologized for the break in.
Phillips, who has lived in Venice for  50 years, said she was sleeping when she heard loud noises in her living  room.  I heard someone yelling out my address, said Phillips, who  said the police were searching for her grandson, Ansar Stan Muhammad,  who had moved out a year ago.  By the time I got into the middle of the  living room, I heard a crash. When I turned, police were standing in my  living room with their guns drawn. Three of them were standing there  breast to breast.  They said, Maam, come on out.  They said they were  looking for my grandson.  I told them he didnt live here anymore and  they told me to sit down on my steps. But it was cold and I said if I  sit down I wont be able to get up.
Phillips said that during the  raid, the officers had broken down her door.  I told them that I  couldnt fasten my door.  One of the officers said, Why dont you pull  your couch across the door to close it?
But Phillips said that one  of the officers grabbed a hammer and nailed the door shut.  But the  door wasnt secure, said Phillips. They damaged the door on one side.   They have been very apologetic, but Im traumatized, said Phillips.   Theres a proper way to do everything.  I dont have anything to hide.
Muhammad  said he is irate over the break-ins.  My mother has no felony record  and I dont even think she has a parking ticket.  The way they went  about the raid was wrong.
Muhammad said one outcome of the town hall  is that the Venice Neighborhood Council is forming  a safety committee.   I will be co-chair of the committee, said Muhammad.  We will be  dealing with changing policy as it pertains to community policing. We  will also  be concerned with gang injunctions.  We want to create a  collaborative task force that will be dealing with the overall  community.
Pausing, Muhammad added, If only we had had this safety  committee in place, this (raid) wouldnt have happened.
Muhammad  said that the LAPD will be repairing Phillips doors.  My door is a  special order door, said Phillips.  They said they will replace my  broken door with a new one.
Phillips said that Venice has changed  during the half century she has lived there.  In the early part of the  50s you didnt have to lock your doors.  But in the last several years,  you see drug dealing on the streets.
Phillips was especially  concerned about the gang presence at the Oakwood Recreation Center.   Thats where we have our senior citizens lunch everyday.  I dont  understand why the police dont arrest these gang members.  I see them  going in and out of the restroom and I know they dont have to go to the  restroom that often.

Advertisement

Latest