City Attorney to Speak at the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council About Abatement

On Thursday Sept 6, 2012 at 7:00 pm City Attorney Vanessa Alvarado will explain how to evict a problem house on your block. She will describe the abatement process at the Neighborhood Council meeting at the Highland Park Senior Center at 6152 N. Figueroa St. 

Abatement requires diligence and cooperation among neighbors, the City Attorney, and the local LAPD. It does work. It can result in the eviction of a gang-infested, or drug-dealing house, or of Public Health and Safety violations. So instead of complaining, you can work with your neighbors and your local police to implement the legal process to get that house shut down.

You may know exactly where the gang or drug dealer lives, and what they do, and so may the police, but to make an arrest, they must see a crime taking place, and most serious dealers know when the police are around. The gang injunctions have helped, but LAPD follows rules criminals don’t. What then can be done?

You do not have to sit at home, afraid to leave, or suffering the blight which a house like that brings to your street. The city has tools available to help, you can learn how to use them. Getting the information is the first step.

Come to the Neighborhood Council on Thursday Sept 6, and ask Vanessa Alvarado how this can be done, what you may legally do, and how to get help. Talk to your neighbors, your Neighborhood Watch, and your LAPD Senior Lead Officer. We have the power, we just need to know how to use it. Together we can make Highland Park a better place to live. one house at a time.