Crackdown on Crenshaw

For years, Sunday night cruising on Crenshaw Boulevard has inconvenienced residents and business owners. Earlier this month, several law enforcement agencies combined efforts to rid the boulevard of the gridlock.

MARY REESE BOYKIN spoke to a young adult, residents, a business owner and police about their reaction to the stricter control on the boulevard.

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GREG BECKLEY

22, stopped by police for cruising

I heard that the crackdown started, but out here, nobody trips on anybody. We just ride up and down the boulevard. We have no particular destination. If you stand out here for an hour, you see the same cars go by. I come here to show off my car.

This is harassment. Officers used to ask only for your driver’s license. Now they ask for proof of insurance. Last Sunday night, I saw eight cars on a tow truck.

The boulevard is getting deserted. We young people know that they will pull us over if they feel that our tire doesn’t have enough air in it.

Different friends told me that they were pulled over because officers said the vehicle looked suspicious, the exhaust was too loud or they didn’t have a light on the license plate.

I feel angry because now there is nothing to do on Sunday night. All week long, my friends would ask, “Are you going to the ‘Shaw on Sunday night?” But I won’t be coming back here. I have had enough.

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MABLE LAPESARDE

Psychology professor, Compton Community College, Crenshaw resident

I have lived in the Crenshaw district since 1959. I think the cruising situation is horrible on the Crenshaw strip. It is almost unusable--the multitude of young people, the clutter, the drag racing. This traffic spills into the neighborhood. The young people drive here as if it is a race strip. My dog was killed by a careless driver and the person kept going. The traffic is a hazard to the seniors and children playing.

Ever since the media labeled the Crenshaw District as South Central, it seems that with the Sunday night cruising, the area has taken on a ghetto-like atmosphere. But this type of traffic is not appropriate for the quality of people and the quality of homes.

I welcome the crackdown. Next, they should put speed bumps in the View Park Leimert Park and Baldwin Hills areas adjacent to Crenshaw Boulevard.

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ROBERT HELFMAN

Software engineer, Baldwin Hills resident

I have lived in the Crenshaw district for 15 years. I witnessed the show of force on a recent Sunday evening and was disappointed by the enormous expenditure of multiple agencies for something so trivial. The officers created gridlock by stopping drivers in the traffic lanes, frequently for minor mechanical violations.

The problem that I have observed on Crenshaw Boulevard with the young people is that they stop to talk from car to car or go slow, blocking the traffic, as they talk to friends. I think that this is the situation that officers should give attention to. But checking for minor mechanical violations isn’t something that they would do on Wilshire Boulevard.

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MARTIN KIM

Owner, liquor store, Crenshaw district

The community people were complaining that there were too many cars on Crenshaw Boulevard. Sometimes, it seemed that 300 cars were parked on the street. I am willing to follow the wishes of the community. There are many community leaders in this area. Police Chief (Bernard) Parks lives up the hill.

Since the crackdown, business has slowed down. At our store, our parking lot is messed up. Some young people just hang around here. The young men wait for females to come in to get their phone numbers. Sometimes 20 young people will rush into the store at one time. One thing I am really careful about is not selling alcoholic beverages to minors. Some of them try to rush our cashiers, but I insist on seeing identification.

I usually close the store at 11 p.m. But the police don’t like for me to stay open late on Sunday, so I close at 8:45 p.m.

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THOMAS R. MAEWEATHER

Captain, South Traffic Division

In the Crenshaw district, residents complained because they couldn’t get to and from their houses because of the heavy traffic of the cruisers. Business people complained about the loitering on their property.

Crenshaw Boulevard is a street that gives easy access to any place in this city. The area cannot be locked up because a few people want to have a good time.

For residents, quality of life is an issue. For years, this area has been quiet and peaceful. Now homeowners complain that they cannot use the street they live on. There is so much gridlock that an emergency vehicle cannot get through. There is noise. There are more street robberies, stolen vehicles and a higher level of other crimes associated with the cruising. There is a problem with young people drinking in public. More trash is on the street.

Last Sunday night, there was in excess of 100 LAPD officers alone. They gave 226 citations. We plan to keep the boulevard open and to keep traffic moving. Many of the young people don’t like this crackdown; they feel they need an outlet, but a few cannot take away the quality of life for many.