Neighbors Tell Concerns Over CityWalk Safety

After two brawls in as many months and what some say is an increasing gang presence in and around Universal CityWalk, some neighbors are questioning the safety of an attraction touted as a highly stylized version of Los Angeles--but without the crime.

“Having a cup of coffee and reading a book at one of these lovely bookstores no longer seems possible,” said Tony Lucente, president of the Studio City Residents Assn. “We’re concerned about what seems to be an increasing number of incidents.”

The latest incident took place Saturday outside the nearby Universal Amphitheater after a Mexican rock concert. Police arrested eight people--most on misdemeanor charges of battery, one for allegedly punching a police officer’s horse--after cordoning off the area to keep the fight from spreading into the neon-lighted CityWalk.

It wasn’t the first such altercation, despite what CityWalk officials say is an orderly environment where even wearing a baseball cap backward--gang-style--can get one tossed out.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department records indicate numerous crimes around Universal Studios--from a stabbing inside a movie theater a year ago to a chair-throwing gang fight in August. And after just more than a year in business, CityWalk is earning a reputation of disorder with some neighbors.

“This was to be like a shopping area, nice restaurants, UCLA Extension classes,” Studio City activist Polly Ward said. “What’s happened . . . is frightening.”

Christine Hanson, vice president of corporate communications for MCA, said crime figures at Universal are not above the norm for an entertainment complex that can lure tens of thousands of people on a single night. With massive numbers in a small place, she said, occasional problems are bound to arise.

“This was a small incident . . . that can happen walking down any street,” she said of the recent fight, adding that both private security guards and deputies from an on-site sheriff’s substation patrol the walkways and have quickly quelled most altercations.

Many area residents said they are concerned that crime at CityWalk and its nearby attractions may migrate to their neighborhoods when the lights at Universal are switched off each night.

Members of the residents association plan to meet with Los Angeles Police Department officials within the next week. They will go over crime statistics in the area to see if the attractions seem to be luring criminals along with sightseers.

“What happens up there is their problem. But what happens down here is our problem,” said Patty Kirby, who heads up the residents association’s Partners Against Crime committee.

As plans evolve for expansion of CityWalk, Hanson said security measures would be “constantly re-evaluated.”

“We have every intention of . . . helping to ensure that we all have a nice neighborhood to live in,” she said.

Lucente said those in Studio City feel the same way.

“The debate is really starting to come to a head,” he said.