Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Venice beach is cool at night if you want to play paddleball\ tennis\ handball\ basketball, etc but I think they close around 10PM. I've gone swimming at night just for the thrill of swimming in the dark ocean but it is dangerous since that is the time shark are feeding. The police will hassle you if you are hanging out on the beach after dark because some people are doing drugs and homeless people are sleeping on the sand which they are not allowed to do. I've never been bothered by anyone but I have always been in a group of guys anyway.
Honestly....
I would never walk there without my gun,, but especially not at night. Im not being overly dramatic.. just realistic based upon what I know about the area.. Venice Beach while artsy and yuppified with expensive beach close real estate has huge gang problems (Venice 13)
I ran this beach every day of my life while I lived in Santa Monica (and I always carried my 2 inch revolver in a sock)... over my life there I made two off duty arrests (both for robbery.. one armed,one strongarm),,
It is unfortunate but LAPD rarely if ever patrols the actual beach at night.. their beach team is a daytime operation and mostly during the summer
The comments about pollution are right on.. go up in a helicopter and see the grey scunge going out for three miles on the ocean floor and you would not want to set foot in the water. The beach itself has to get cleaned otherwise you would be stepping on needles and garbage from junkies or piggy beachgoers who use the world as their trashcan. The homeless love L.A. and the beach...whats not to like... for some reason they dont gravitate to Fargo North Dakota.. I wonder why... :-)
The boardwalk might be fun during the day.. for the sideshows.. but behind all this there are crooks and hustlers looking to make easy money preying upon others.
Go there to have fun and be amused.. but keep good situational awareness about you at all times
As far as walking there at night... not safe.. dont recommend it... unless you are a proficient 2nd amender
If you want to walk on the beach at night is suggest Malibu..(my last patrol station) its "safer" but that too is all relative.. it is afterall L.A.... and in L.A there is no "safe" place anymore
have fun
notme
Last edited by notmeofficer; 09-03-2010 at 07:23 AM..
Honestly....
I would never walk there without my gun,, but especially not at night. Im not being overly dramatic.. just realistic based upon what I know about the area.. Venice Beach while artsy and yuppified with expensive beach close real estate has huge gang problems (Venice 13)
I ran this beach every day of my life while I lived in Santa Monica (and I always carried my 2 inch revolver in a sock)... over my life there I made two off duty arrests (both for robbery.. one armed,one strongarm),,
It is unfortunate but LAPD rarely if ever patrols the actual beach at night.. their beach team is a daytime operation and mostly during the summer
The comments about pollution are right on.. go up in a helicopter and see the grey scunge going out for three miles on the ocean floor and you would not want to set foot in the water. The beach itself has to get cleaned otherwise you would be stepping on needles and garbage from junkies or piggy beachgoers who use the world as their trashcan. The homeless love L.A. and the beach...whats not to like... for some reason they dont gravitate to Fargo North Dakota.. I wonder why... :-)
The boardwalk might be fun during the day.. for the sideshows.. but behind all this there are crooks and hustlers looking to make easy money preying upon others.
Go there to have fun and be amused.. but keep good situational awareness about you at all times
As far as walking there at night... not safe.. dont recommend it... unless you are a proficient 2nd amender
If you want to walk on the beach at night is suggest Malibu..(my last patrol station) its "safer" but that too is all relative.. it is afterall L.A.... and in L.A there is no "safe" place anymore
have fun
notme
I think walking around Venice Beach with a gun is against the law. And if Venice is so dangerous why aren't there any reports of crime? There only time I ever hear of deaths are due to drownings in rough surf.
I think walking around Venice Beach with a gun is against the law. And if Venice is so dangerous why aren't there any reports of crime? There only time I ever hear of deaths are due to drownings in rough surf.
He is a retired police officer (deputy), and thus is protected under HR218 - allowing him to carry a weapon.
I think walking around Venice Beach with a gun is against the law. And if Venice is so dangerous why aren't there any reports of crime? There only time I ever hear of deaths are due to drownings in rough surf.
They're in the Venice blogs and forums, which C-D probably doesn't allow links to. YoVenice is a good one.
The ex cop is right about certain things, wrong about others. While Venice's gang problems are nowhere near as bad as in the past, Venice's homeless problems are as bad as they've ever been, and the LAPD doesn't patrol beaches much at night compared to other law enforcement agencies who patrol beaches like SMPD.The reason why the LAPD doesn't patrol the beaches much at night compared to other law enforcement agencies is because the LAPD is understaffed and because the LAPD has never given a damn about Venice nor has the City of Los Angeles ever given a damn about Venice except when it comes to getting money out of it. Hence not only the underpatrolling of the beaches but also the major problems with criminal homeless and the RV dwellers.
In general public services in independent cities or unincorporated areas are better than in the city of Los Angeles, and that includes policing. The LAPD tolerates stuff that the SMPD, the Sheriffs, and the south bay departments would never tolerate. The real solution is independence. Doesn't seem like there's any organized effort to get secession on the next ballot AFAIK though.
They're in the Venice blogs and forums, which C-D probably doesn't allow links to. YoVenice is a good one.
The ex cop is right about certain things, wrong about others. While Venice's gang problems are nowhere near as bad as in the past, Venice's homeless problems are as bad as they've ever been, and the LAPD doesn't patrol beaches much at night compared to other law enforcement agencies who patrol beaches like SMPD.The reason why the LAPD doesn't patrol the beaches much at night is because the LAPD is understaffed and because the LAPD has never given a damn about Venice nor has the City of Los Angeles ever given a damn about Venice except when it comes to getting money out of it. Hence not only the underpatrolling of the beaches but also the major problems with criminal homeless and the RV dwellers.
In general public services in independent cities or unincorporated areas are better than in the city of Los Angeles, and that includes policing. The LAPD tolerates stuff that the SMPD, the Sheriffs, and the south bay departments would never tolerate. The real solution is independence. Doesn't seem like there's any organized effort to get secession on the next ballot AFAIK though.
Great post. This is the primary reason I enjoy living and working in areas NOT serviced by LAPD. SMPD is probably the best police department in LA county, in my opinion, in terms of training, funding, equipment and officer hiring. Sheriffs are in a similar boat - STARS offers great training for not only their department, but many of the smaller departments in the area (SMPD sends to OC, i believe). The sheriff's often don't have the most up-to-date equipment, though.
to duplicate what i said earlier, i've spent much of the last 4 years just outside the venice borders in both SM and MDR and had a friend who live in the oakwood area. claims made by notmeoffice are extremely exaggerated. sure, any time you have a concentration of homeless and low income types there's bound to me more crime, but if you stay in well lit areas where there are plenty of other people, odds are you won't have any problems. i've run the entire length of the venice boardwalk more times than i count (anywhere between 6am and 10pm) and have never had an issue. i've also walked and ridden my bike through the middle of the oakwood in the wee hours of the morning and have never had an issue. i'm not trying to brag, just trying to share some empirical accounts of my personal experiences. i wouldn't make a habit of being in the oakwood at 3 or 4 in the morning, but it's happened in the past and i'm still alive to talk about it. yes, i've seen drug dealers and people using the alleyways as their toilets, but gang members are a rarity these days. bottom line, a gun is not needed to be safe in venice at any hour of the day.
I know the homeless issue is a concern in Venice Beach just like it is in Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Berkeley, etc. These areas have a tolerant attitude and policy toward the homeless and therefore attract poor people who have drug problems. Venice Beach does get it's share of gang bangers and a few months ago a big fight broke out on the beach. The police had to close the area down for a few hours but there were no deaths; just a bunch of losers fighting each other and creating a big scene.
But unless the police are under-reporting crime I think some of the comments are exaggerations. Along the strand from Santa Monica pier to Marina del Rey are large numbers of people riding bikes and hanging out on the beach. On the weekends it is packed with people yet one rarely hears of much trouble considering how much marijuana is smoked everywhere. That part of Los Angeles is well-represented on the city council. Maybe West LA gets the most attention but it doesn't seem that people in Venice are up in arms demanding more city services.
I know the homeless issue is a concern in Venice Beach just like it is in Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Berkeley, etc. These areas have a tolerant attitude and policy toward the homeless
Santa Monica's tolerance towards the homeless having reached its limit and the SMPD cracking down on the homeless are a major reason why Venice's homeless problems are as bad as they are!
Quote:
and therefore attract poor people who have drug problems.
Which is WHY Santa Monica got fed up with the homeless.
Quote:
That part of Los Angeles is well-represented on the city council.
No it is not.
And never could be well represented on a LOS ANGELES City Council. Only on a VENICE City Council.
You are correct about my information.. it is based on personal historical experience and not contemporary crime statistics.. which would be one indicator of the actual safety of Venice beach at night. I have not lived in Santa Monica (27th and Pearl) for 10 years (and with no disrespect to those that do.. thank god)
I do know this...
I experienced an attempted carjacking while off duty in Venice.. this ended badly for the suspect.. and I made two off duty arrests there while running.. and a dear friend I went to school with on the East Coast (Sarai Ribicoff- google it.. the Venice story is interesting) was murdered coming out of a restaurant in Venice.. statistically add all this up and it is significant. I ran this beach every day.. and yes sometimes at night.. and I was armed.. and I felt uneasy... I cant imagine what someone with no firearm protection would feel.
I also know safety is a perception.. and factual information doesnt usually fit into the hierarchy because most people want to see the good in a place.. especially if they frequent it or live there.. my perception is that Venice was (and is) a dangerous place.. not the yuppy nirvana beach that some might like to paint. I do profess not having seen it in 10 years.. and with no desire to.
My supposition interested me so I checked LAPDs current crime stats for Venice.. funny I couldn't decipher them.. then I looked at contemporary blogs,, which were all over the board depending on who wrote them.. from utopia to the most dangerous beach there is...
I understand there was a major cleanup several years ago but where did all those V13 gang members go.. sure some to prison.. but Oakwood (which abuts the beach solidly and completely controlled by a street gang)
Does Mr and Mrs John Q Citizen from Opakanokie Wisconsion really want to be walking on that beach at night.. hell no.. we call them "make a victim".. People who live in Venice and are used to the games that get run on them may have a higher level of street smarts and know where not to go at night..or living in L.A perhaps desensitizes others into unconscious bliss
All vagrants and homeless (which Venice has plenty of ) are not all innocent downtrodden Americans.. they are mentally ill.. the are criminal... they are looking for the quick buck and easy victim
I ask any of you...
Would you walk there at night with your wife... or children.. and feel safe???..please.. the answer should be self evident. I did note that LAPD is putting out a current advisory to be on heightened alert for car burglars due to the summertime crowd...
If it really is safe.. Im glad for L.A... but I dont believe it for one second
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
