Shaken Neighbors Summon Spirit

Residents of Candy Cane Lane will never forget the fatal gunfire that rocked their quiet neighborhood last Christmas, but they refuse to let it ruin their holiday spirit.

Nearly a year after a man was shot while viewing the popular Christmas light displays in the neighborhood, residents have decided to go forward with a tradition that started about half a century ago.

It wasn’t easy for many residents to get in the holiday spirit after last year’s horrific event. Some said they considered not participating in the creation of the magical world with its dazzling display of yuletide ornaments.

But police have promised additional patrols this season in the four-block tract of 250 ranch-style homes bordered by Oxnard Street, Corbin and Winnetka avenues and the Ventura Freeway. To curtail late-night cruising, residents are working to agree on a common time to turn off the lights each night.

“People were a little apprehensive about whether to decorate this year or not,” said Margaret McNeely, who for nearly a decade has lived on Lubao Avenue. “The shooting happened a block from where I live, and we were just horrified. It really frightened us.”

McNeely and fellow longtime resident Katherine Stark helped rally their neighbors to decorate. They also contacted Los Angeles City Councilwoman Laura Chick’s office to ask for help getting more police to patrol the area and sent letters to neighbors to suggest they turn off their displays at 11 p.m.

Residents responded. About half decorated their homes with fancy lights and fixtures over Thanksgiving weekend and the rest are expected to do so by this week, Stark said.

She said people were encouraged that Chick responded so quickly to their concerns, as did the Los Angeles Police Department. Bike patrols--and perhaps mounted units--will be deployed to the area during the holidays, said Lt. Gary Hallden of the LAPD’s West Valley Division.

“This is a very special and important time, and these people, in a very giving way, are reaching out to share the holiday spirit,” Chick said. “In return, we the city and the LAPD need to make sure the neighborhood is safe.”

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Last year’s shooting occurred about 10 p.m. on Christmas.

A 24-year-old man, viewing lights with his wife and 2-year-old son, was shot in the head and abdomen at the intersection of Lubao Avenue and Calvert Street. He died two months later from his wounds. The alleged gunman, ex-convict Carlos Alvaro Beltrani Merino, 32, of Sylmar, was never caught, said police, who believe he fled to Mexico.

Police say the shooting was an aberration.

Authorities believe the men were involved in a financial dispute. The two ran into each other at the lights display and got into a heated argument, which led to the shooting.

“That area has never been a problem even though there is always a never-ending procession of cars around this time of the year,” Hallden said.

Stark, a 21-year resident of Lubao Avenue, said that, though many residents were shaken by the shooting, they agree it was a fluke.

“Nothing like that had ever happened before,” she said. “We’re not going to let it ruin this tradition. It is very much alive and going very strong.”

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McNeely, with her husband and two children, spent four days last week decorating their frontyard with an elaborate display that includes thousands of lights, an antique sleigh and reindeer.

“We love doing it,” she said. “This is very exciting for our whole family.”