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# LAPD joins the Venice gang coalition
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/lapd-joins-the-venice-gang-coalition/
- Published: 2005-11-09T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T08:07:54.000Z
- Author: Ryan Hyatt
- Tags: local, Venice, #archive-import

*VGC hopes LAPD support will spread*

VERA DAVIS CENTER — Los Angeles law enforcement officers have agreed to partner up with social service groups committed to overcoming gang violence in their communities.

Members of the Venice Gang Coalition (VGC) on Tuesday began developing strategies to tackle the long-term problems of ignorance, unemployment and hopelessness believed to be associated with the gang lifestyle while welcoming their newest partner in combatting the problems, the Los Angeles Police Department.

“We need to be part of the gang coalition,” said Capt. Bill Williams with the LAPD’s Pacific Division. “All of the agencies here have a part to play, including us, because what do you do once the guy gets out of jail to make sure he stays out of jail?”

> “We need to be part of the gang coalition.” — CAPT. BILL WILLIAMS LAPD’s Pacific Division

Capt. Williams said that while he believes there are individuals in society who would pursue a criminal life regardless of opportunities made available to them, he also believes there are those who may overcome a criminal life through better guidance, support and alternatives. In the case of the latter, he said the LAPD could become more effective at identifying those individuals so the VGC members could intervene.

Capt. Williams promised the VGC that he and other higher-ups within the LAPD would continue to participate in the group’s endeavors.

At the same time, other police representatives pointed out that although the situations that foster gang life could greatly improve, criminal activity in the Venice area is far less than it was 10 years ago.

They acknowledged that many of Venice’s problems spill over into other communities, including Santa Monica and Culver City, which have rival gangs fighting against each other.

The police department’s gesture of support was well-received by the VGC, a loose association of several local social service providers that have been seeking the attention of local police. At an Oct. 11 meeting, the VGC discussed the importance of the LAPD participating in their anti-gang efforts.

VGC members said police participation is necessary because officers are in charge of public safety and the group’s legitimacy depends on their endorsement.

With an endorsement from the police, it’s believed the fledgling group can overcome a crucial obstacle in achieving legitimacy through the political chain of command, members said. Support from the business community, as well as sources of funding for programming could follow, members said.

On Tuesday, the VGC continued to identify what it needs to do to be effective assisting the community.

“The strongest need is to fill the gap between where they are and where they can be, and that’s (by providing) hope,” said Mark Hall, a field deputy for Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl.

Hall described a “disenfranchised” society consisting of groups of individuals who feel powerless to make effective changes in their daily struggles, while advertisements for riches are unrealistically dangled before their faces.

VGC members said the need for better education and employment opportunities, as well as being able to provide a form of spiritual nourishment, would go far to counteract society’s negative influences.

The VGC identified key areas where it needs to focus its efforts. Those areas include: providing better post-prison services to ex-convicts; stepping up anti-drug awareness; providing better mentoring to struggling youth; breaking generational cycles of criminal lifestyles; providing more transitional housing to struggling 18 to 25 year olds; identifying clear sources for program revenues; cracking down on drug sales at the Venice Recreation Center; and providing better incentives to lure some away from criminal life through educational and job opportunities.

A representative from the office of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa noted the focus points and said he would be discussing them with officials to see what projects may be available using public money.

Bard Carlson, a county employment coordinator who has worked to reduce gang violence in Venice for more than 10 years, said the VGC is embarking on a timeless but worthwhile cause. As such, they can learn from past lessons to be more effective.

The biggest lesson the VGC members can learn is that efforts to counteract criminal life in the community rest largely with them. As such, the task in finding long-term solutions depends heavily on the VGC and its ability to institutionalize its purpose, he said.

“We all are here because we have a systemic problem, and what we need is a systemic solution,” Carlson said.

The VGC’s next meeting is set for Dec. 12.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 9, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/110905.pdf?ref=smdp.com)