"Even as gentrification swept Venice in the last decade and the district's once notorious gang activity dropped, the Venice Shoreline Crips kept a stubborn hold over the Oakwood Recreation Center, authorities say.
"According to authorities, the gang exerted a brazen influence over the facility, turning outsiders away and using it as an outpost for drug sales--particularly within the last several years. On some occasions, the basketball court saw more drug deals than free throws, they said.
"On Tuesday, however, police and prosecutors said the gang's influence in the neighborhood was about to end."
Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times report on "Operation Oakwood," the largest Westside anti-gang effort conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department in recent times. (Oh, that explains the helicopter hovering overhead at 4am the other night.)
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