Drawing the Line in Oakwood : LAPD and others must find ways to curb crime spree in neighborhood

Los Angeles Police Chief Willie L. Williams, who will attend a town hall meeting in Oakwood Thursday, must find a way to restore order in that small, increasingly violent section of Venice.

People shooting guns in this neighborhood have become so brazen that many parents are afraid to even send their children to school; on Monday parents kept at home about a third of the 400 children enrolled in nearby Westminster Elementary School. Their fear stemmed from a horrific night last Sunday during which six people were wounded in Oakwood, two fatally, in a barrage that included shotgun and rifle blasts.

Police blame the violence on classic gang rivalries, racial tensions and a battle between local gangs over control of illegal drug sales.

Even police officers have been targeted, being shot at twice in recent weeks in the Oakwood area, just west of Lincoln Boulevard and south of Rose Avenue.

Those attacks have prompted the Police Department to blanket the 1.1-square-mile community.

In addition to Pacific Division officers--some reassigned or placed on overtime--the LAPD’s West Bureau, its anti-gang CRASH unit, traffic officers and others have been out every night for two weeks looking for gang members.

They have made several arrests, confiscated a dozen guns and recovered two stolen cars. State parole officers have pressed efforts to nab parole violators in the area, and youth and gang workers have tried to negotiate a gang truce. Despite all this, crime has escalated.

Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, who will attend the Thursday meeting, has appealed for beefed-up police patrols and greater community resources, including recreational and after-school programs. She is also coordinating efforts with the city attorney’s office and state and federal lawmakers.

Chief Williams has appealed to residents to identify the shooters in anonymous calls to the LAPD and to the media. To encourage tips, and discourage retaliation, police must be able to guarantee public safety. And it should go without saying that parents should not have to be afraid to send their children to school.