Cop sparks house cleanup where gangs ruled

SAN DIEGO  — For about the past year, gang members, homeless people and teenage taggers had the run of Linda Cox’s backyard.

They broke through her fence, sprayed graffiti on her house, threw trash and bottles everywhere, even lived in her shed.

“It was like my yard had been stolen,” the 66-year-old City Heights resident said.

San Diego police Officer David Rodriguez got it back for her.

On Thursday, at least a dozen police officers, community members, tree trimmers and other volunteers brought yard tools and tackled cleanup in the back and front yards of the tiny bungalow on 46th Street near Wightman Avenue.

Urban Corps of San Diego volunteers had already re-painted the back of her house, and others tore out the trashy shed.

“In my 24 years with the police, I’ve never seen a gang takeover like this where the person was still living here,” said San Diego police Lt. Martha Sainz, who helped coordinate the renovation.

Rodriguez, 30, who has spent his seven years with the department patrolling the Mid-City area, said he went to the home about two weeks ago when Cox reported trespassers in her yard.

It was the 10th time police had gone to her house in the past year, Sainz said, and usually the intruders were gone when officers got there.

This time, Rodriguez decided something needed to be done.

“Seeing this, I just kind of got upset,” Rodriguez said as workers swarmed the property, filling Dumpsters with tree limbs and leaves. “It kind of made me sick to my stomach. Here’s an individual who is older and not able to protect her property.”

He said he thought he would just fix her back fence so no one could get in from the alley any more. He brought the situation to his Mid-City commanders, and went into action contacting a variety of organizations to send volunteers.

Sainz said a lot of neighbors said they were glad to see the property cleaned up. However, a few days ago when the shed was taken out, a woman walked up and started screaming at the workers.

“She was yelling, ‘Why are you taking down my shed? I live here!,’” Sainz said. “The workers said if she didn’t like it she could call police. She finally walked off, still yelling.”

One 23-year resident of City Heights, Delia Contreras, said she came to help because she takes part in a lot of civic affairs.

Aztec Landscaping crews used chain saws and pole cutters to prune back enormous ficus trees. A giant yucca was uprooted in the front yard for removal, and crews were going to paint the front house trim. Police Lt. Ray Valentin came to supervise building a solid, 6-foot wood fence across the backyard.

“This is above and beyond what I thought was going to happen,” Rodriguez said.

Cox, too shy to go outside during the work, stood inside her front door screen to express her gratitude.

“It’s very, very nice,” said the San Diego native, who has lived in the house for 25 years and retired from the technical publishing field. “I’m surprised they would go out of their way. ... The neighborhood’s been kind of rough for a long time.”

She said she would sometimes open her back door and yell at teenagers to go away. Sometimes they did, but the older trespassers ignored her. She would hear taggers busy during the night.

Once, officers shooed away a dozen of them, Cox said, “but they would come back, even after being chased by police, like they can get away with it.”

Cox said her parents and many of her closest friends have died and other friends have moved away. She has some family in the region, but isn’t sure where.

Sainz said officers have offered to help Cox clean indoors too, and replace a broken water heater. Cox was reluctant to have them tackle that right away, with all the other changes taking place.

“She’s a bit overwhelmed,” Sainz said.

Mid-City Capt. David Nisleit said he was glad to see his officers focusing on the community and “working in partnerships to make a difference.”

Rodriguez said the opportunity for officers to help someone like Cox “is the whole point of the job.”

In May, officers led a group of volunteers to clean up the property of a Marine Corps World War II veteran a few blocks from Cox, on 45th Street. Squatters had taken up residence in a house in front of another where Jess Busco, 88, lived. He had been unable to get rid of the people, who trashed the place and fled when police gave them notice to get out.