If you’ve ever driven down Wilshire Boulevard, chances are you’ve come across MacArthur Park, the wide stretch of land that has a lake, amphitheatre, bandshell and a children’s playground. The park was named after General Douglas MacArthur,which the quote “In war, there is no substitute for victory” can be attributed to. MacArthur was one of only five men to be considered General of the Army and after the park was named after him, it was considered be Historic Cultural Monument #100 of the city of Los Angeles.
Considering it’s history, it’s a bit ironic that it’s been turned into a kind of war ground for various gangs in the city, including the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), 18th Street gang, the Wanderers and the Crazy Riders.
However as NPR’s Mandalit del Barco reports, a joint Los Angeles Police Department-FBI crackdown as enforced a plan to hopefully eliminate gang activity and dominance in the area.
MacArthur Park was out of control and the gangs were running it, says LAPD Homicide Capt. John Egan.
“One year, we had almost 106 homicides in eight square miles,” he says from the intersection of 7th Street and Alvarado.
Egan still remembers investigating a homicide and hearing shots fired three or four blocks away where another murder was happening almost simultaneously.
“There would be robberies, shootings, stabbings in the park, drug sales by the gang members,” he says. “We would play cat-and-mouse with them.”
When immigrants who were fleeing Central America settled into the neighborhood, some of them joined the gangs that fought over the drug trade.
Longtime residents Sandra Romero and Alex Alonso remember how violent MacArthur Park was in those days.”It was considered one of the most drug-plagued communities in the United States,” Alonso says.
“It was the haven for all the gang members and drug dealers,” Romero recalls. “They were involved in drug dealing, murder, people smoking crack, prostitution in little rolling brothel vans.”
Things began to change in 2002 when the LAPD in a partnership with the FBI and other government agencies to finally clean up McArthur Park, which had become a breeding ground for drug fueled activities .
As a result of all of these efforts, Egan says, the number of homicides has been declining since the high mark of 106 murders in one year in the Rampart police division more than a decade ago. To date, there have been five homicides this year.
This report is part of a four-part series in which NPR takes a close look at street gangs, why gang violence is increasing and new ways to combat it. Part 1 discussed the cooperation between FBI and LAPD to focus in on the Watts neighborhood of LA and the gang violence taking place there. To learn more about MacArthur Park and how it has evolved since the crack down on crime, visit NPR.
Postcard photos of MacArthur Park via Your Saving Grace
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1 Tom von Logue Newth // Jun 4, 2008 at 10:02 pm
i always wanted to check out macarthur park because of the song. i don’t any more!
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