Bums Take the Rap : Hollywood Curfew Gets Mixed Reviews

Most Hollywood Boulevard merchants are pleased that a 71-officer Los Angeles police task force spent Friday and Saturday night enforcing curfew laws and arresting juveniles believed responsible for most of the crime along the once-glittery strip.

But a few businessmen interviewed Sunday said they are not all that troubled by youngsters who loiter or cruise the boulevard.

The real problem, they said, are the bums.

‘Make Such a Mess’

“There are so many bums and they make such a mess,” said Jason Matian, owner of Hollywood Bargain, an electronics store. “Personally, I don’t mind those kind of people, but this is a public place.

“People come from all over to see Hollywood Boulevard and they expect the glamour and they see all the bums. They get disappointed.”

Bob Kerachi, owner of Hollywood Gallery, a women’s clothing store, said business has gone down the last several years because of derelicts who congregate on the streets and alleys, sharing cheap wine and harassing customers.

“My customers are mainly women and they tell me they’re afraid to walk around the store because the bums follow them,” Kerachi said. “My customers come from Beverly Hills and they won’t come inside unless they can park right in front of the store, even if they get a ticket.”

Capt. Bob Taylor, Hollywood Division commander, said the crackdown, which began at 10 p.m. Friday and continued through 2 a.m. Sunday, was primarily aimed at reducing juvenile crime. He said there have been numerous complaints from residents and Hollywood Boulevard merchants about the large number of teen-age cruisers in the area.

More than 100 people, primarily teen-agers, were arrested for curfew violations, being drunk in public, disturbing the peace, possession of drugs and alcohol and other crimes, Taylor said.

“For those minors who have long believed Hollywood was a safe haven . . . the tide has changed,” Taylor said.

Cars passing through two checkpoints at Hollywood and Cahuenga boulevards were stopped, and after 10 p.m., drivers and passengers under 18 were arrested and either turned over to their parents or placed in foster homes, said Sgt. Greg Meyer.

15 Adults Arrested

Meyer said two youngsters found walking the boulevard after 10 p.m. Saturday were 9 and 11 years old, apparently sent to a nearby store by their parents.

Authorities also arrested 15 adults for drug and alcohol-related crimes, said Police Sgt. Mike Schneider.

While Matian is mainly concerned about the bums, he is pleased that police are working to stem the tide of crime in the area. Business has dropped substantially in the last eight years, Matian said, and many of his former customers and potential new patrons are avoiding his store because they fear “muggings, getting stabbed and getting ripped off.”

Taylor said that although the law enforcement effort was set up primarily to ease the concerns of area merchants like Matian, it also is aimed at helping “runaways and transient juveniles who often become victims of crime.”

But, he added, because police are limited in holding teen-age runaways, the effectiveness of the weekend task force operation will be less than desired.

“Most of the runaways will return to the street life,” Taylor said, “and the cycle will continue.”