ANAHEIM : Jeffrey-Lynne Group Moves Against Gangs

Twila Miles, who has lived in the crime-troubled Jeffrey-Lynne neighborhood for nearly seven years, is scared for her children. She has a 14-year-old daughter and two boys, ages 12 and 6.

Gang members “come around looking for my daughter,” said Miles, 34, a data-entry operator. “And my older son is getting to the age where gangs want him to join up.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Miles joined about 75 local residents in a community march they hope will run gang members off their streets.

“I hope this gets their attention, because they aren’t going to chase me off,’ Miles said.

Jeffrey-Lynne, a five-square-block area of low-rent apartments just west of the Disneyland Hotel and home to 4,000 people, has been targeted for cleanup efforts in the past by city officials and police because of violence and drug sales plaguing its streets.

Tuesday’s march represents the first project by a neighborhood committee, formed in October, to bring safety back to the streets. The Jeffrey-Lynne Neighborhood Improvement Committee, made up of tenants, owners and city officials, meets monthly to find ways to improve local conditions.

Committee members said the march is an important first step in their struggle.

“Nothing is going to change unless people start reporting crimes,” said committee member Lynn Smith, who works for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Connie Rodriguez, 50, who lives near a Jeffrey-Lynne community center where the march started, said she participated for the sake of her family.

“My grandkids come here to visit,” Rodriguez said. “And I want them to visit me in a safe neighborhood.”

The neighborhood scored a key victory in restoring order in October, 1993, when police swept through the community, arresting nine gang members suspected of murder.

“We still have crime but it’s not as bad as it was last year,” said marcher Oscar Picazo, a 57-year-old hotel worker who has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years. “We still worry about drive-by shootings and drug dealing.”

In addition to increasing crime awareness, another chief aim of the rally was to distribute papers for neighbors to report suspicious activities.

“I hope the residents realize they don’t have to put up with gangs,” said Officer Ken Seymour, who patrols the area on foot. “We are concerned about this neighborhood, but we can’t change things alone.”