In the tradition of inane and scary-looking tagging, this green turtle was strung up on a pole on Mariposa Avenue last weekend. It's hard to see, but the turtle's chest is tagged up. Also in the gallery: A small pinata of a space child or something hung from a pole off Venice in downtown. Perhaps that's not gang related--but it's still creepy. Meanwhile, out today: A Christian Science Monitor story that looks at how the city's new "Summer Night Lights" program, a program that keeps lights on in parks and recreation centers to deter gang crime. Seems to be working. UPDATED
· Taggers Not Afraid To Attack Palms Shrubbery [Curbed LA]
· LA's Top 12 Gang-Ridden Neighborhoods [Curbed LA]
The Associated Press' Thomas Watkins gets hip to the LA v. Graffiti story that's already captivated local media. The AP's angle is markedly dystopian with vivid descriptions of stabbings and shootings (most outside of the city). Watkins actually speaks to a tagger who says: "If we see someone calling the police, then we target them... We are not going to let no one get in the way." The best quote though comes from a former tagger who decries vandalism on this basis: "We are all in this hellhole together." Uplifting. [AP]
As if property values needed any more help plummeting... After five years of declines, homicide numbers are leveling, reports the Daily News. The city is slightly below the number of murders from last year, but the number is so small that a few more homicides this week could push the total over 2007 levels. (Comparably) chi chi areas like the Hollywood, Pacific, and Wilshire divisions on the Westside are actually the neighborhoods experiencing increases in crime. Please refrain from approaching taggers. [Daily News]
We've heard of dogs being taken from people's front yards, but somebody had the gall to kidnap someone's pet turtle from their patio at the Molino Street Lofts. Via the DowntownLALife listserv:
"She was living in a really cool set up on the patio to my ex's loft at the Molino Street Lofts. The walls on her home were pretty high so we doubt she climbed up. We also had her in the same thing for years and she never once climbed out. With that in mind, I feel someone took her from her home as the patios at the lofts are semi open to the street... If you noticed a pal with a new turtle that wasn't really planned for please make note of that too and maybe ask them where they got it and if something fishy went down, please help us to get her back....."
The transition from LA's car culture to a city utilizing a mishmash of bikes, buses, and autos promises to be bumpy. On July 4, a disastrous accident on Brentwood's Mandeville Canyon Road sent two cyclists to the hospital with serious injuries. The bikers claim a driver, Brentwood doctor Christopher Thomas Thompson, stopped suddenly in front of them on purpose. On Saturday, the Los Angeles Times broke the news that the doctor was allegedly involved in a previous "road rage" incident with bikers. Westside city councilman Bill Rosendahl scheduled a meeting tonight to address biking and safety, but that was abruptly canceled because, as a Rosendahl press release states, "In response to escalating tensions over a July 4 incident that sent two cyclists to the hospital, Councilmember Bill Rosendahl is replacing a public Town Hall meeting with a task force on how cyclists and residents can better and more safely share Mandeville Canyon Road." Residents were worried the meeting could get out of hand. As part of the task force, four cycling clubs, the LA Bicycle Advisory Committee, the LA Department of Transportation, and the LAPD are coming up with proposals to make it safer for both drivers and cyclists on Mandeville Canyon. UPDATE: According to bicycle.net, Thompson has been arraigned and charged today. Six felonies. More after jump.
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Can't be sure if these two gentleman are behind that recent rash of car break-ins at 
We've heard of dogs being taken from people's front yards, but somebody had the gall to kidnap someone's pet turtle from their patio at the Molino Street Lofts. Via the 
The transition from LA's car culture to a city utilizing a mishmash of bikes, buses, and autos promises to be bumpy. On July 4, a disastrous accident on Brentwood's Mandeville Canyon Road 
