Barrier Reflects Ups, Downs of Sylmar Struggle : Housing Project Rebuilds Anti-Pusher Fence

The score is tied 1-1 in the battle of the drug dealers vs. Astoria Gardens, but officials at the Sylmar housing project pledge not to back down until they win the war.

Seeking to keep out dealers who go to the project to peddle cocaine, rob tenants and vandalize apartments, apartment managers two weeks ago erected a six-foot, wrought-iron fence with an electronically controlled gate.

The fence, which cost $22,000, put a substantial dent in drug trafficking until the night of Oct. 9, when a man rammed it with a blue pickup truck, then sped away. The truck had no license plate, and Los Angeles police said the driver might have been a disgruntled drug trafficker.

Thursday, after $1,000 in repairs, the gate was standing again.

“We’re going to fix it again as often as it takes. We’re sick and tired of this kind of nefarious activity. We’re not going to surrender,” said Bruce Steinbaum, partner in the SK Management Co, which operates the 136-unit, federally subsidized housing project.

The complex, home to 400 to 500 low-income people, until recently was plagued by drug dealers who lined up along a low wall outside the apartments, according to residents. The dealers flagged down cars and waved them into the parking lot, where the drugs were sold, the residents said.

Drugs Used Openly

It was not uncommon for people to openly use drugs in the parking lot, said Anna Alvarez, assistant field supervisor for SK Management, who lives in the complex.

The drug trade, mostly involving the form of cocaine known as “crack,” seemed to worsen when police stepped up patrols at other low-income housing projects in the East San Fernando Valley, such as Pierce Park in Pacoima, Alvarez said.

“It was like a circus,” said one resident, a young woman who would not give her name out of fear of retaliation. The woman said she was afraid to let her 2-year-old son go outside because he might find or be given a drug.

“We were afraid to walk out in the nighttime. They’d check you out to see if you were worth attacking,” she said.

To crack down on the drug problem, SK Management last month brought in a new manager, a man in his 20s who carries a .45-caliber pistol, has strong convictions against drug use and says the project can be cleaned up by December “if I push hard enough.”

Several Citizen’s Arrests

The new manager, who asked that his name not be used because he fears reprisals from drug dealers, said he has made citizen’s arrests several times at the complex and started eviction proceedings against several tenants believed to be dealers. He also hopes to install razor wire on top of several walls that might be scaled by dealers.

Police said they have records of one citizen’s arrest by the manager, for trespassing.

“When I first started here 30 days ago, anybody and everybody that came in the parking lot would be asked, ‘Do you want to buy drugs?’ ” the manager said.

Officials of the project earlier consulted police and the office of the late Councilman Howard Finn, then mobilized tenants against the drug problem, holding Neighborhood Watch meetings, Alvarez said.

Finally, the management company asked tenants if they would mind having the fence blocking entrances and driveways to the complex. The tenants gave their approval, despite the fact that it causes some inconvenience.

Remote-control devices that open the electric gates were passed out only to those with proof that they live in the complex. Because the intercom speaker at the gate is connected only to the manager’s office, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., tenants must arrange in advance to meet visitors, Alvarez said.

Some Live in Complex

Although some drug dealers live inside the complex, and some simply wait outside the gates to get in when residents open them, drug trafficking has been significantly cut, Alvarez said.

There are still a few dealers, but they have to do their business outside, where they are fair game for police, she said.

“There’s definite improvement” since the gate was erected, said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Cary Krebs, coordinator of a foot patrol for all East Valley housing projects. Even before the security measures, Astoria Gardens had far less drug activity than any other housing project, he said.

Police said they have gotten good cooperation from SK Management officials in dealing with problems there. However, Sgt. George Dunne of the Valley narcotics division said he has cautioned the new manager against carrying a gun, even though it is legal for him to do so.

Dunne said he told the manager: “If you shoot somebody with that thing, count on going to jail.”