Couple Told to Crack Down on Gang Visitors at Home

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Thursday issued a permanent injunction prohibiting a Burbank minister and his wife from allowing their home to be used for the illegal activities of gang members.

Judge Thomas C. Murphy ordered the Rev. Dale and Dorothy Davis to forbid youths from drinking alcohol, fighting or engaging in other illegal activities at the Davises’ Brighton Street home. Murphy ordered the Davises to ask the youths to leave the property if they discover such activities taking place. If the youths refuse to leave, the Davises must notify police, the judge said.

“Hopefully, we’re going to have peace in the area,” Murphy said. “If we’re not, the police are going to have to come out in force. Nobody wants that, but nobody wants somebody hurt.”

Murphy’s order came as a result of complaints in February by residents of the 1200 block of Brighton Street that youths were gathering at the Davis home and fighting, drinking, racing their cars along the street and scrawling graffiti on garage doors and outside walls.

Police said some of the teen-agers carried concealed weapons and vandalized the neighborhood. However, no one was charged with a criminal offense at the Davis home.

On Feb. 26, a temporary restraining order was obtained by the city of Burbank, prohibiting more than two youths affiliated with the North Hollywood Boyz gang from congregating at the Davis home. Since then, neighbors have reported no further problems, said Ed Skvarna, gang investigator for the Burbank Police Department.

Murphy said the Davises will be in contempt of court and could be arrested if they fail to abide by his injunction.

How It Started

The Davises said their home became a haven for youths earlier this year when they discovered that their son, Jeff, 15, was a member of the North Hollywood Boyz, a gang of white, Latino and Asian youths.

“When we saw our son was in a gang, we realized that to try to separate him from them would create rebellion,” said Dale Davis, a fundamentalist Christian minister. “We decided to deal with the whole group.”

In January and February, as many as 35 youths--most of them 13 to 17 years old--gathered at the Davis home to shoot basketball, play video games or hang around with friends in the front yard, the Davises said. If the teen-agers were around at mealtimes, they were invited to eat, Dorothy Davis said. She also persuaded several gang members to attend Bible readings and “sing-alongs” at a local Christian church.

The Davises said no illegal activity took place in their presence. They said they hoped to reform the teen-agers, whom they characterized as disadvantaged, troubled or bored youths.

“Our sole purpose is to help these kids, give them an understanding of the spiritual side of things, teach them about the Lord and change their ways,” Dorothy Davis said.

A local pastor has joined the Davises in their crusade to help the teen-age gang members. Pastor James Lewis said about 30 of the teen-agers regularly attend services at his church, New Life Ministries on Burbank Boulevard.

“We don’t expect all these kids to turn out to be choir members, and we’re not trying to recruit them,” Lewis said. “We’re trying to share Jesus Christ and assist them in relating to the whole community.”

Lewis said former gang members have come to his parish to warn the Burbank youths about the evils of gang life. And some of the youths, who have gathered at the Davis house, have swept streets, picked up litter and done other odd jobs, Lewis said.