Local News in Brief : Westside Gang Crime Off

Street gang-related crime has markedly decreased this year in a Westside neighborhood that was the subject of a court order last December prohibiting members of the Playboy Gangster Crips from intimidating residents, City Atty. James K. Hahn said.

Since Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Warren H. Deering ruled that hard-core gang members would face civil contempt proceedings if they trespassed on or defaced private property, crimes committed by the gang have dropped 30% in the neighborhood bounded by La Cienega and Robertson boulevards, 18th Street and Cadillac Avenue, Hahn said.

Hahn had sought a sweeping order from Deering prohibiting gang members from congregating in groups of two or more in public places, but the judge instead instituted his less restrictive order.

“I can’t say we’ve eliminated gang or drug activity in the area, but the most visible type of street sales and street activities seem to have diminished,” said Hahn, adding that he may seek similar court orders in other gang-infested city neighborhoods later this year.