Rays of Hope Against Crime : Residents Stage Flashlight Patrols of Drug-Filled Anaheim Neighborhood

ANAHEIM —  In the past three years, a 13-year-old boy was killed in a drive-by shooting, a man was shot dead in an argument over a car and residents talk about children’s hands being sliced by thugs because they had no money to give them.

Residents of this neighborhood in north central Anaheim say they live in fear. But some are fighting back. They take to the streets at night with flashlights in an effort to clean up the area, a neighborhood police say needs added attention.

While a group of residents walk with their flashlights through the neighborhood of stucco and brick homes to drive away drug dealers, prostitutes and gang members, the people they are trying to get rid of are themselves fighting back.

The group of residents, which calls itself TOPS, an acronym for the four neighborhood streets of Topeka, Olive, Pauline and Sabina, gets pelted with bottles, rocks, tomatoes, apples and oranges.

“I can’t believe they only (throw) that,” said Isidro Lopez Mejia, 25, Friday night while sitting on the front fender of his gray 1982 Chevy Impala with several friends watching TOPS members walk the neighborhood.

“Those people walking around with those silly flashlights are going to get hurt,” he said. “People shoot at each other around here. (They) have no sense, or maybe they have more guts then I’m giving them credit for.”

Many residents of the area find comfort in what TOPS members have been doing since November, and police say they too want to clean up the area.

“We really don’t solve the problem,” said Don Arrowood, 49, a member of TOPS who lives in Hawaiian Gardens but volunteers in the neighborhood installing lights on people’s homes. “We are threatening the livelihood of these criminals by chasing them from here and eventually they’ll get tired of being chased and give up.”

TOPS members say they just want to make the streets safe.

“I got swarmed by seven drug dealers on Sabina” Street, said Henry Lopez, 43, who lives nearby. “If you want to commit suicide, that’s a good place to walk through. It’s a rough neighborhood, this place. These dealers try to sell you heroin and they don’t care if you’re 43 or 10.”

Children say they’ve been afraid to play outside ever since 13-year-old Eulises Carranza Pineda was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting.

“I’m too scared to play on the street,” said 12-year-old Joanna. “A lot of bad guys do bad things here.”

Tony Coletti, 22, who has been living temporarily in the neighborhood for the past three months, said crime here is worse than in his Inglewood neighborhood.

“I’ve lived in Inglewood for 18 years right next to where the riots were exploding last year, but I never had my car stolen over there,” said Coletti, who works in a lock factory. “I’ve already had my car stolen here twice.”

In the last six months, Lois Schechinger, 49, said she’s called police more than 75 times.

“We want to be able to sit in our front yards and drink lemonade and not have to hide inside,” said TOPS member Schechinger, who owns a home on Sabina Street.

She and other residents have complained that police have ignored the area until recently. They began to notice more police patrols after more than 450 people attended a meeting last month organized by the Orange County Congregation Community Organization during which they called for more police action.

Police were invited to attend the meeting but didn’t show up.

“What’s going on there is not unique,” Capt. Roger Baker said. “The whole area is under observation and (the problems) are being addressed.”

He acknowledged that the neighborhood needs attention and commended the residents for trying to clean it up.

After reviewing the increasing number of calls for service in the neighborhood, police assigned a Community Action Policing team to the area. The team is trained to concentrate on specific areas having drug and gang problems.

On Friday night, residents met at St. Boniface Catholic Church with Mayor Tom Daly, who promised to talk to the city manager and police chief about taking more action in the neighborhood.

Parishioners, public officials and residents will hold a vigil Friday at 5 p.m. on the corner of Sabina Street and Sycamore Avenue in their continuing battle against crime in north central Anaheim.

Participants will hold candles as the procession walks through the neighborhood and Father Ed Poettgen will bless homes where possible drug dealing occurs, church officials said.

The neighborhood “is very depressing. It just makes your heart grow really sad because it used to be such a beautiful area,” Schechinger said. “But we’re changing that. It’s slow but it’s happening.”