GENTRIFICATION and REAL CRIME

GANG ACTIVITIES & GENTRIFICATION

As cited in previous posts, Pasaterra Capital comprised of partners Tim Trout of Paladin Equity and Mandy Wang of ZZ Fashion, purchased numerous properties within the city of Pasadena in areas designated by the city as lower socio-economic neighborhoods. The reality is, these are not inexpensive neighborhoods to live in and residents include families, retirees living on fixed incomes, minorities, professionals, and young and old persons. 

Pasaterra obtained permits through the city of Pasadena's City Planning Department to buy properties and gentrify some of the city's less affluent neighborhoods which of course, requires purging long time residents from the properties it bought, refurbishing units, and afterwards substantially increasing the amounts of monthly rents. Pasaterra has successfully through the violation of Los Angeles city laws, used fear to drive out many tenants. 

On Thursday, September 22, 2022, a meeting was held at Villa Park located one block from several properties owned by Pasatera and managed by it's division, Helix Real Estate Management. Many  residents of the community and city officials including Mayor Victor M. Gordo, Councilwoman Jess Rivas, and members of the Pasadena Police Department attended the meeting. The reason for the meeting was to inform residents of escalating crime in the communities north of the 210 freeway and west of Lake Avenue. 

Attempted Murder

On Saturday, September 17, 2022, at approximately 1:15 a.m., a group of people drove their car in pursuit of another vehicle whose driver struck their parked car. A police officer in the area stopped the vehicle driven by the suspect in front of the Villa Park recreational center. One of the persons who had pursed the driver decided to walk home since there was no further reason for him to remain with his friends and the police officer. 

The man crossed the park and as he approached Garfield Avenue, two cars drove past him. At a near by intersection, the cars both made a U-turn and stopped approximately 50 feet from the man who was walking to his home. Using automatic weapons, the persons in the vehicles fired 20 shots at the man and struck him. The man had no known gang affiliations and police believe he was targeted because he is Latino and specifically, Central American. The shooters are members of a Afro-American gang.

Police disclosed that the Villa Park Boys, a Latino gang that once controlled the neighborhoods around Villa Park have recently made a resurgence. It is believed the shooters were sending a message to the Villa Park Boys. 

Another Incident

Approximately three weeks ago a resident of Euclid Avenue reported that while walking home at 2 p.m. in the mid-afternnon, a Latino man made a gesture with his hand as if he were holding a gun and muttered of the sound of an automatic weapon being shot. The young resident is African-American and was startled by what appeared to be a threat. 

The City Takes Action

During the meeting, Councilwoman Rivas described measures already implemented and planned by the city of Pasadena. These include:

• In installation of microphones in and around Villa Park. 

• In October, cameras will be installed throughout the community.

• Increased foot patrols.

• More police cars being dispatched to patrol neighborhoods.

• In lieu of calling 911, phone numbers were provided to attendees that will facilitate reporting incidents anonymously, where properties have been graffitied.

Gentrification and Crime

It is ironic that a resurgence in gang activities is festering in some of the very same neighborhoods where Pasaterra purchased apartment complexes and through it's division, Helix Real Estate Management, aggressively quashed tenant rights and in some cases and in defiance to city laws, illegally drove many from their homes. The rise of crime in the midst of gentrification is not uncommon. 

 

Source: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/officer-spots-getaway-vehicle-after-shooting-in-pasadena-police/

Source: https://www.pasadenanow.com/main/victim-struck-multiple-times-by-gunfire-in-saturday-morning-shooting

Following a worldwide pandemic in which many people lost employment and since the reopening of business, the costs of food, utilities, and gasoline have skyrocketed. It is in that climate that private equity firms like Pasaterra Capital and it's multitude of affiliates decided to evict residents from their homes so that they could turn a profit with no regards to the impact of their tactics upon the very communities they assert they wish to gentrify. The bottom line, their motivation of pure, unadulterated profit. If they were committed to actual research then they know that there can be real and even violent backlashes to gentrification and these include increased crimes and violence. In Januay 2022, an article described the adverse and deadly impact gentrification has had upon the city of Boyle Heights. 

Source: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-01-10/el-sereno-homicides-increase-amid-fears-of-gentrification

Here is an excerpt from the above-shown article, "In El Sereno, homicides increase amidst fears of gentrification":

BY RUBEN VIVES, ALEJANDRA REYES-VELARDE

JAN. 10, 2022 5 AM PT

"Last summer, something other than COVID-19 began to trouble Eddi Ortiz.

Two Los Angeles Police Department detectives stopped by his coffee shop, Holy Grounds Coffee and Tea. They were investigating a shooting and wanted to review video footage from the security cameras.

Ortiz obliged but felt unsettled.

He was often hearing about cars and businesses being broken into — and now, another shooting.

Ortiz’s informal tally was confirmed by police statistics. Crime was getting worse in El Sereno, a tight-knit, majority-Latino section of Los Angeles wedged between Lincoln Heights, South Pasadena and Alhambra."

Continuing...

More in our next blog post.