But that was then. In 2000 the Democtratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles. Suddenly Venice Beach was a hugh embarrasment to the city of Los Angeles and all kinds of major improvements were proposed . Starting a few years before the convention the city went crazy pouring money into restoring the faded glory of Venice Beach. The Venice Pavillion was finally torn down after being closed for 30 years, A new skate park and a graffitti park were added. Street light were repaired, new grass went in and even the pavement on the Boardwalk itself was replaced in many areas so Hillary Clinton wouldn't stumble when she tried to rollerskated. But the biggest improvement was the additon of a Community Policing Center right on the Boardwalk.

Fast forward to today and the difference is huge. A quick check of crime statistics from the Los Angeles Police Dept shows that crime is decreasing every year. Crime in 2007 to date is down 16% compared to 2006 in the Pacific Division. Year to date in the LAPD's Pacific Division there have been 3 homicides, 19 rapes, 284 robberies, and 168 cases of assault. But please remeber that the Boardwalk and Venice Beach are just a small part of the Pacific Division. I think that is pretty remarkable considering that Venice Beach drawn can draw a crowd of about 500,000 visitors on a typical weekend. People of every type and persuasion. The funny thing is that when people arrive at the Boardwalk race, politics, gender, and all the other qualifiers are thrown out the window and we all behave most of the time.

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