Rally Will Call for End to Oakwood Gang War
Oakwood residents and community leaders will participate in a rally for peace at noon today to protest gang warfare that has erupted in the Venice area.
Four people have been killed and nine injured during the last two months as a mostly black gang from Oakwood engages in a deadly game of retaliation with a predominantly Latino gang based in Mar Vista.
Community leaders hope that today’s rally at the Oakwood Recreation Center will raise a visible outcry about the growing violence and encourage more people to speak out. Another rally and march is scheduled for April 26.
Police officials welcomed the efforts of the community in standing up against the violence. “It shows the community is working in line with the Police Department to bring some resolution to what’s going on,” said Lt. Otis Dobine of the LAPD’s Pacific Division. “We have a heavy police presence and we won’t reduce it until we feel comfortable that there’s peace between these two gangs.”
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