Neighbors Enlisted to Stop Attacks on Couple : Crime: Since June, Karen and Jay Ly have been the victims of vandalism and violence that appear to be racially motivated.

Ten volunteers from the Valley Interfaith Council went door-to-door Monday night to enlist the help of neighbors of a Northridge family victimized by a series of apparently racially motivated crimes.

“It’s just pathetic that these things are going on,” said Juanita DeSosa of the Interfaith Council.

Since June, someone has spray-painted racial slurs on Karen and Jay Ly’s house and cars, made annoying phone calls and thrown rocks through their windows, according to Los Angeles police. Karen Ly also said she has twice been attacked by young men who threatened her with more violence if she continued to report the crimes to police.

The Lys moved into a quiet neighborhood of single-family homes about 12 years ago and say they never had any problems until the attacks began in June. She is Jewish and he is Chinese.

News of the racial incidents came as a surprise to many of the Lys’ neighbors, DeSosa said. “The people weren’t aware of what had been going on. . . . They were happy to be informed,” she said.

“We just don’t like the idea of these crimes being perpetuated in this day and age. Everybody needs to get involved.”

No suspects have been identified in the case, Detective Wayne Newton said.

Organizers of Monday’s canvass of the neighborhood said they hoped it will encourage residents to report suspicious activity around the Ly house.

“It’s a friendly action to show support for the victim,” said Shirley Gillett of the council’s human relations committee.

The volunteers covered a five-block area, gathering more than 50 signatures on a petition asking the Los Angeles Police Department to take action to end racially motivated crimes.

After canvassing the neighborhood, the group held a meeting at the Ly home that was attended by the president of the Valley chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, local police officers and about 75 residents.

In June, annoying phone calls kept the Lys’ phone ringing every night. A short time later, spray-painted swastikas appeared on the side of the Ly home. Karen Ly said her toe was broken when she was attacked by men she caught in a back yard shed. In another attack, she said, she was hit in the back with a board and told to stop calling police. More recently, the interior of the Ly house was ransacked and covered with spray-painted racial epithets.

Newton said the attacks have become more frequent in the last six weeks after a brief lull. He said he hopes Monday’s action will help identify a suspect.

“Now’s the time to work together to see if we can’t stop this,” he said.