The Gangsters of Drew Street, Glassell Park

Why neither God nor the police can stop them

Comments (0) By Christine Pelisek Wednesday, Mar 5 2008

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It is "one step in our effort to eradicate gangs in the neighborhood," said Delgadillo.

Inside the house, his office encountered a veritable fortress. Gadgetry that looked like it came out of a James Bond movie included surveillance cameras, steel window bars and a laser tripwire system.

Danny Leon

Rena Kosnett

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The Leon property was one of the first to be targeted by the city attorney's nuisance-abatement program Project Tough, part of Delgadillo's plan to drive gangs out of neighborhoods. It sounded like a good idea in 2005, when a Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction that mandated the eviction of Leon's son Nicolas Real, whom Delgadillo alleged acted as a front for the family, selling drugs from the house. Incredibly, the judge named another 54 people, either arrested at the house or identified as nuisances, who are also prevented from going near it. That long list includes Maria and Danny Leon.

In September 2006, the Leons were ordered to pay $75,000 in costs and penalties — and to sell the Drew Street property within four months. A real estate flier quickly issued by the family that read "Just Listed" sought $565,000 for two bedrooms, one bath and a garage. The flier touted the property as "a great family home" with marble in the bath. In another twist, the actual owners of the home have turned out to be a man in Arizona and another person in Los Angeles — not Leon — and Delgadillo's office suspects the two are straw men for the Leon family. One of the owners told city officials to go through Leon's son with any questions regarding the house. And one of the two owners initially denied owning the house.

So, at a press conference in early 2007, Delgadillo, flanked by Police Chief William Bratton and City Councilman Eric Garcetti, told an army of reporters that the penalties had not been paid, and the property had not been sold.

As a result, the city barricaded the home and fenced up the land, filing a lien for the costs plus a penalty. The lien would be used to initiate foreclosure proceedings, and city officials said the proceedings could be stopped if the owners sold the property to someone not affiliated with gangs.

"Every neighborhood has the right to live free from fear," said Garcetti at a podium in front of the house. "Those who traffic in drugs, death and fear, it is the city's promise that your time here is up."

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Because the city attorney's "closure order" was recently lifted by the courts, the house can now be sold — but it cannot be inhabited until its extensive code violations are fixed. This new development has sent fear through the area, with neighbor Bradley telling the Weekly, "The Leon family is back. At the last hour, they came up with $85,000 [the original $75,000 plus interest] to get the house back. The city attorney thought by levying punitive damages on the family, they couldn't come up with the funds."

Rocky Delgadillo's office confirms that the $85,000 fine was paid, but states that the Leon family and the house's official owners are still bound by the rules of the permanent injunction. As for Leon, she now lives in the high desert, with several of her huge brood dead or in jail. And Eduardo Garcia wonders why nothing ever changes on Drew Street. "They can put a lid on militias, white supremacists, Columbian mafia and the Italian mafia," he says. "So why can't they take care of this little problem?"