BALDWIN HILLS : Cleanup of ‘Jungle’ Possible, Group Says

With a little help from political and law enforcement officials, the leader of the Baldwin Village Apartment Owners Assn. says the village can clean up its sordid image next year.

“We can make this a model community,” said association president Ralph Isaacs. “With the involvement of the police and the city councilman, we’ll be able to make a real difference.”

Known locally as “The Jungle,” the village is comprised almost entirely of apartment buildings, long plagued with drug and gang activity, that sit at the foot of affluent Baldwin Hills. Police Capt. Norman Rouillier said that despite continued problems in the village, crime overall has declined 15% over the last three years in the Southwest Division, which includes the Crenshaw District, Baldwin Hills and Leimert Park.

Although the association’s efforts at beautifying and improving security in the village have been successful, Isaacs is looking to bolster that with cooperation from Rouillier, who came on board as the division’s captain last month.

Rouillier said that when he first sat down to assess the area’s needs with lead officers, Baldwin Village emerged as a priority. “The primary goal is to work with the association and with the community on this,” he said. “We want to increase police presence as much as we can.”

Improvements that Isaacs and Rouillier have agreed to implement include installing mercury-vapor lights along alleys, marking the alley sides of buildings with 5-inch street address numbers and painting addresses on roofs to aid police helicopter patrols. Isaacs and Rouillier also have agreed to work on vandal-proofing street lights, which are routinely disconnected by gang members and others.

Although Isaacs agreed that police cooperation is key, he also said that refurbishing buildings that have fallen into disrepair is crucial. Owners, he said, should take their cue from people like Walter Towns, who was honored last year for beautifying and securing five properties on Gelber Place and essentially ridding them of a drug-trafficking problem.

Association member David Peterson, who owns four properties in the village, said he has noticed a marked decrease in gang activity and graffiti since the organization was formed: “When we all encourage each other to present better quality apartments, it works.”

Isaacs, one of nearly 300 property owners in the area, founded the 37-member association to address property improvements and tenants’ concerns.

“The bottom line is, the owners have to care,” said Isaacs, a Crenshaw resident since 1953. “And it’s not just about us. When you bring up Baldwin Village, you bring up Baldwin Hills and surrounding areas. It’s good for everybody.”