In what was described as the first case of its kind, the city obtained a court order closing a South Los Angeles apartment complex used for decades by a Crips set, the City Attorney's Office said Tuesday.
"This is not something that the City Attorney's Office normally does," City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo said in the 6900 block of South Main Street. "But these are not normal circumstances."
City Councilwoman Jan Perry was also there to offer her support for the action taken.
"We will no longer tolerate criminals taking over our buildings and endangering our families," she said. "And, today, we say enough is enough, and we cannot allow this domestic terrorism to continue."
But that did little to assuage the feelings of some residents who said they are not criminals and are being given an eviction notice at a particularly bad time of the year.
"This is right before Christmas!" one woman yelled. Another asked: "What are we going to do with all these kids?"
The order closes a 24-unit complex across from Bethune Middle School that authorities say was used as a base for more than 20 years by the 69 East Coast Crips. At times, Delgadillo said, children at Bethune have been taken out of classrooms and herded into the cafeteria until police can secure the campus perimeter.
Wow! I've never heard of such a thing. Apparently, the complex has been the site of numerous crimes for many years, and the City sued on a public nuisance theory. Still, throw the good out with the bad?
Details here from NBC4.tv/news.