Vandalism

An Azusa street gang's campaign against blacks began during a meeting at a local park in 1992. From there, prosecutors contend, the predominantly Latino street gang went on the attack. Graffiti with racial epithets began appearing around town, including "Get out N…" sprayed on garage doors of some black residents. Gang members allegedly beat up blacks they found in their "territory," telling one man "We hate n… in Azusa. This is Azusa. " Document: Azusa 13 indictment Over about 15 years, blacks were assaulted, chased and robbed, their property vandalized, in a "crime spree to drive African Americans out of the city of Azusa," said U.S. Atty.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge Thursday sentenced a graffiti artist to 13 days in jail and 45 days of graffiti removal for violating his probation, saying that his success as a tagger-turned-artist could help inspire young vandals to take their art into the studios. Judge Marcelita Haynes sentenced Cristian Gheorghiu, also known as Smear, after he acknowledged that he violated the terms of his probation for vandalism by posting photos of illegal graffiti on his website.

The line between art and vandalism seems to be getting a bit thin; such acclaimed talents as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Banksy have gotten big bucks for their works on canvas, but their works on billboards, buildings, culverts and other public surfaces cost property owners big bucks to clean up. In the case of one such street artist, Cristian Gheorghiu, the city of Los Angeles is looking for payback. As Times staff writer Richard Winton chronicled last week, City Atty. Carmen Trutanich has filed suit against Gheorghiu and nine other graffiti artists (none as well-known as Gheorghiu)

The majestic expanse of green rises like Central Park from this cramped city of concrete, brick and steel. Grassy hills line wide footpaths overseen by graceful trees. Migrating birds sip from pools of water. And when it rains, the carefully cultivated violet wildflowers glisten in the half-light and the entire park is cloaked in the sharp scent of pines, a rare natural oasis, a refuge in the Lebanese capital. Except that it's not. The park is fenced and gated, forbidden to anyone without the written permission of local authorities (with a few loopholes; more on that later)

Mid-City Arts, the street-art gallery attached to a spray paint supply store that brought us last year's big tagger-gone-legit debut show by Chaka, has gone the same route with another artist who grabbed the public's attention before being grabbed by the authorities. The show is "Rick Ordonez: Kitty Litter. " FOR THE RECORD: A subheadline on an earlier online version of this article erred in calling the show "Kitty Liter. " Ordonez made his name in graffiti circles as Atlas ?

Tens of thousands of students waving placards and chanting anti-government slogans marched through central London on Wednesday to protest plans to triple university costs as part of Britain's radical deficit-reduction program. Organizers said about 50,000 students marched through the streets and around the Houses of Parliament, including small breakaway groups that vandalized a government building, to show their outrage at plans to raise the cost of studying at a public university to about $14,000 a year.

There's got to be a movie ? or at least a reality show ? in the ongoing saga of actor Randy Quaid and his wife, Evi. The latest episode occurred Tuesday, when a Santa Barbara judge issued a warrant for Evi's arrest ? an action that will cost the couple her $500,000 bail. Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Donna Geck threatened to do the same for Randy if he misses a court hearing later this month. The Quaids are charged with vandalism and related charges for allegedly squatting in and trashing a Montecito mansion that once was their home.

Scattered violence by youths on the sidelines of a national strike against pension changes in France increased Tuesday, adding tension to the protest-related disruptions the country has experienced for nearly a week. Youths masked with scarves clashed with riot police in various areas, though no serious injuries were reported as of late Tuesday. Store windows were shattered, cars and garbage cans set on fire, and youths threw rocks at officers, notably in the center of Lyon, and in Nanterre, west of Paris.

Vandalism at a mosque in Madera, Calif., is being investigated as a potential hate crime by the U.S. Department of Justice, officials confirmed Tuesday. U.S. Atty. Benjamin Wagner said prosecuting hate crimes is a priority, particularly in the Eastern District of California, which includes Madera County and covers Central California, one of the fastest-growing regions in the state. "It's an environment with rapid urbanization. The diversity and change that makes California such a great place also means … there are more potential flashpoints," he said.

This is a small mosque in a small town about as far as you can get — in more ways than one — from New York City. Its minaret rises between a car lot and a veterinary hospital on Road 26, a couple of miles north of town. There are nothing but wide-open fields across the street from the recently vandalized Madera Islamic Center. The men praying here on a recent night included a cardiologist and a pediatrician from Pakistan; two grocers from Yemen; a part-time farmer from Morocco; the owner of a trucking company who was born a McAllister, a member of a black family that arrived in Madera during the Dust Bowl; and a 77-year-old retired mechanical engineer from Syria who takes a shortcut through the fence to get from his house to the mosque.