Los Angeles Gang Problem

I have just finished reading your article (Part I, June 26) about gangs, their formation, their routines and habits. I can’t eat breakfast because of the sick feeling and anger I feel, not because of the gangs but because of you. You give these gangs notoriety, but what about us, the other members of the community. The homeowners and family people who just want to raise our children and live our lives without fear.

I purchased my home six years ago--nice street, neat homes and quiet at night. But leaving my street is like a nightmare, not because of thieves, but the fear of gangs. If they kill the people involved in their activities, great, but they kill anybody.

I was transplanted into the Los Angeles area at age 15, but I didn’t turn out the way so many did because my single-parent mother wouldn’t let me. I grew up with little money, graduated from Washington High and went to college. I got a job, got married, had a baby, got divorced and still held a job. I raised my son to have a respect for life, like himself and try to achieve. I pick my son up from school, anxious if I’m late because I don’t know if some gang members are going to shoot up the campus before I get there.

I didn’t always have a good job, but I always had a job. These people claim money is the problem, but that is a cop-out.

No excuse is acceptable for the killings in gang drive-by shootings. No excuse is acceptable for parents who allow their children to participate in gang activities. I’m paying off my credit cards so I can move to another area. I’ll take a loss on my property, take my son from the few friends he has, find another baby-sitter and drive farther to work.

I’m leaving, the sooner the better, and taking my taxes, my business, my civic pride and my son--who will someday be an asset to the community, go to college and be a taxpayer--to another city.

ANN ALLEN

Los Angeles