Residents Try to Renew Neighborhood Watch

The barbecue and block party are over, leaving the underlying task of restoring a neighborhood’s spirit as the main focus.

People who live near the Bank of America branch that became ground zero for February’s robbery and shootout are trying to resurrect a Neighborhood Watch program that has been dormant for about a decade. The group’s first meeting is planned for Wednesday night.

Resident Gloria Martino has led the effort, organizing a block party June 7 to promote the new group and speaking at a remembrance of the event June 29 at the bank. She also has distributed hundreds of fliers and helped put up road signs.

LAPD Senior Lead Officer Larry Taylor said the Neighborhood Watch for the bank area faded out long ago, but the bank siege inspired residents to try to regain control of the neighborhood.

Wednesday’s meeting will be held at Victory Boulevard Elementary School, which served as the neighborhood’s ad hoc headquarters in the shootout’s nerve-rattling aftermath. At the meeting, Martino and Los Angeles police will explain the purpose of Neighborhood Watch and recruit volunteers.

“It’s at the school that everybody knows,” Martino said. “We’re going to have a potluck dinner, so hopefully people will feel comfortable. These things we’ve been doing have really made a difference. People are waving to each other more, getting to know each other. That’s the idea of the meeting.”

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the school, 6315 Radford Ave. For more information, call (818) 982-3273.