Posted on 07/22/2005 9:32:01 AM PDT by BurbankKarl
BURBANK, Calif. -- Police took down two Interstate 5 Freeway signs honoring slain Burbank police Officer Matthew Pavelka after they were defaced with a spray-painted "187" and a gang nickname, the Daily News reported on Friday.
In gang graffiti parlance, "187" -- the California penal code section for murder -- is a death threat. For Burbank police, who are investigating the case as vandalism, the graffiti opened an old wound, according to the report.
"What you have here is an individual who has given his life to a particular cause, and people just vandalize it," Burbank police Sgt. Jay Jette told the newspaper. "It gets to be a little bit emotional.
"Our office will pursue this to see if we can identify the person responsible."
The memorial signs were put up last Nov. 15, the first anniversary of the death of Pavelka, killed during a shootout with purported members of the Vineland Boyz gang outside a hotel.
The slaying triggered on going crackdowns by federal, state and local law enforcement officials.
Police were notified about the vandalism about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday. The signs were about 8 feet above the roadway off the shoulders of the north- and southbound sides of Interstate 5 between Hollywood Way and Buena Vista Street, the Daily News reported.
Police took the signs down, booked them into evidence and took a vandalism report. City officials told the newspaper they regard the graffiti as a threat.
Boy, they better get a handle on all of this. The people of California do not deserve this. Terminator better take control or it will end up just like the movie.
All over California we are forced to look at the painted leavings of these criminals as they "mark their territory" like male cats.
I am beginning to think the battle is lost...
LA was quickly turning into a toilet back in the mid-80's when I lived there. God, I'd hate to see it now. The way families are getting the hell out of that area it'll be interesting in 10 years to see what LA looks like...North Tijuana?
Wouldn't ya like to do to them what we do with feral cats?
Actually I like feral cats more than I like these gangbangers. They are supposed to have human brains. Cats are only doing what comes naturally. There is no excuse for these criminals. They SHOULD be put to sleep.
It already looks like that. When the San Fernando Valley was considering leaving LA city and becoming a city of its own, a radio station asked listeners to suggest names for the new city. "Tijuana North" was one of the suggestions.
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