Pico-Union Barricades Do the Job

A week after Los Angeles police began a round-the-clock crackdown on drug pushers in a square-mile section of the Pico-Union district, police and many residents of the community said Thursday that safety and tranquillity appear to be taking hold in the area.

Since the program began, said Capt. Robert Riley, commander of the Rampart Division, there have been no murders or drive-by shootings in the neighborhood around 11th and Alvarado streets, which has had 22 homicides in the last five months.

“The whole area seems to be affected by this intensified presence,” Riley said. “Emergency radio calls have drastically decreased. It has also decreased crime.”

City Councilwoman Gloria Molina, who represents the 1st District, which includes Pico-Union, said she is also heartened by the early indications of lessened crime, but is not completely convinced.

“It’s still too early to tell,” Molina said, adding: “Some of the poorest people I know sent me a big bouquet of red roses out of thanks. They are very grateful. I’ve gotten letters from people. Of course, there are some who are (suspicious), and I don’t blame them, because they have been asking for this for a long time.”

As part of its ambitious “Neighborhood Rescue Operation,” the Police Department last Thursday barricaded intersections of the neighborhood and dispatched more than 160 officers to a square-mile area, which they have described as one of the city’s most bustling drug markets.

Police Cmdr. William Booth said the 160 officers dispatched on the first day were intended to be a symbolic show of force, not a permanent fixture in the community. The department slashed the number of officers in the area after that first day, but LAPD spokesmen maintain that the program is working.

Molina said she was not worried by the reduction in police.

“What we’re basically telling the drug dealers and buyers is that we’re going to be around,” she said. “We have detectives out there and in many instances, they are not in black and white.”

According to Riley, police have conducted several undercover operations in the area over the last week. In an operation two nights ago, he said, more than 75 officers--some in uniform and some in plain clothes--were deployed. Riley said some suspected narcotics dealers were arrested, but he did not know the exact number.

“The number of people there have varied,” Booth said. “Some officers are visible but some are not. But they are there.”

Officials said the LAPD is considering expanding the program to other drug-scarred neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

“We are certainly apt to do this in other neighborhoods,” Booth said. “But we can’t do this all over the city. We don’t have that many officers.”

Many residents in the targeted area commended police for their effort. “I think it’s great,” said Arnulfo Cordova, 33, as he stood on the front porch of his wood-frame apartment building. “We used to have many problems here--yelling in the night, drug-dealing, trash. It’s very peaceful and a lot cleaner now. I’d like to see it become permanent.”

Some in the area said that while drug-dealing has declined, many local crack peddlers are now plying their trade in outlying blocks. In visits to the area over the weekend, reporters witnessed several drug transactions and passing cars flagged down by aggressive narcotics dealers.

“There’s just as many drug dealers now. They’ve just moved to outlying areas,” said Dirk Stor, manager of an outpatient clinic in the area. “It’s like shoveling sand against the tide.”

But police have also gone after displaced pushers, Riley said.

“In some respects we are displacing the dope peddlers, but we’re also trying to arrest them on the periphery of this neighborhood,” Riley said. “We’ve had effects on crime as far north as Sunset Boulevard.”

Not everyone was pleased with success of the program. Merchants in the neighborhood said the heightened police presence there has depressed business.

“Business is dying,” said Moon Kim, a clerk at Lake Liquors on 11th and Lake streets. “I understand why they put up (the barricades), but people see the barriers and police cars and go away. Business is dead.”

Pedro Castro, 26, who works at a small market in the neighborhood, said his business has fallen by more than 50% since the program started.

While residents said they do not miss the crack dealers, a few also complained of the intensified police presence.

“How would you like living behind bars?” snapped one girl.

Still, others declared the project a triumph.

“No scandals, no drugs--it’s very peaceful now,” said Ricardo Rodriguez, 35, who runs an auto repair shop in the sealed-off area. “Now, we can sleep at night.”