Anti-Gang Prayer Rally Planned at Park

In response to a recent rash of gang violence in the northeast Valley, area pastors will bring together their congregations today for a special prayer rally at Hubert Humphrey Park.

Members of more than 40 Valley congregations representing a wide variety of faiths and ethnicities will participate in the event, at one point joining hands to form a human chain around the park in a symbolic display of their shared commitment to making the community safer, organizers said.

Today’s event stems from a meeting held Oct. 7 between church leaders and federal mediators from the U.S. Department of Justice who were brought in by City Councilman Richard Alarcon to address the gang issue.

While crime in Los Angeles County fell 12% last year, gang violence in the northeast Valley has contributed to a sharp increase in the number of killings in the Valley this year, according to a police study. As of mid-October, 71 people had been killed in the Valley this year, a 20% increase from the same point in 1996.

Authorities say a joint LAPD-FBI task force, which has played a key role in convicting members of the Mexican Mafia, may now concentrate its efforts on combating gang violence in the Valley.

Today’s rally comes two days after Alarcon, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and City Atty. James Hahn held a community meeting at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church to discuss gang violence and promote Alarcon’s plan for a gang injunction in North Hills.

The injunction, which would restrict the movement and activities of gang members in the North Hills area, would be modeled after a court order limiting activities of the 18th Street gang.

Today’s rally will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. at Hubert Humphrey Park, 12560 Filmore Ave., Pacoima.