He said outline he tried sports arena recalls to locate the original carousel but learned that the few horses that had survived were on merry-go-rounds in San Francisco and Griffith Park. Then Reyes discovered an available carousel that had been used in a Long Beach shopping mall until it closed a few years ago. At the city's request, carousel owner Don Gustavson refurbished it and, along with his brother Ralph, plans to operate it for a three-year trial period. At $1 a ride, the carousel will run every day during the summer and on weekends and school holidays during the rest of the year. "This is what our community should be doing for our kids," Reyes said. "We have to start filling the void we create with the absence of things -- no jobs, no recreation. Otherwise, gangs will fill that void very easily. "As family-friendly park activity increased, crime in the area began to drop significantly. Lincoln Heights has recorded a 14% decline in violent crime from January to October this year compared with a similar period last year, the city's second-largest drop, according to Los Angeles Police Department Capt Blake Chow of the Hollenbeck area. He credited new strategies that more effectively analyze developing crime patterns so officers can respond to them. Inside the park itself, police say, gang, drug and homeless problems have dramatically declined.

A decade ago, three gangs claimed the park as their own, touching off frequent conflicts, said Austin Fernald, the LAPD's senior officer for Lincoln Heights . But most of the key gang leaders have been killed or imprisoned, calming the streets, he said George M Sullivan Sports Arena . Injunctions that allowed police to arrest gang members for publicly congregating have also been a powerful tool in keeping them from gathering in the park, Fernald said. In addition, Reyes and Fernald said, city officials have cut down many of the hillside hedges and trees that shielded gang members, and added outdoor lighting. But problems remain sullivan . George M Sullivan Sports Arena tickets A woman was killed in a park restroom a few years ago, and residents say graffiti still defaces too much of the neighborhood arena . But longtime resident Tammy Fierro, property manager for her family's historic Villa Rafael home, said she no longer hears the constant drone of police helicopters or gunfire George M Sullivan Sports Arena - sullivanarena . Art Gomez, director of the Lincoln Park recreational center, said the number of youths involved in baseball and basketball programs has tripled to more than 350 since 2000 arena seating chart . The after-school program has grown from five to more than 30 children. He said he expected more than 4,000 people to flock to today's festival. Vera Padilla, a Lincoln High School counselor and civic activist who has lived in Lincoln Heights for 58 of her 61 years, said the park's future has never looked brighter. "The park is at its best right now, and it's going to get even better," she said. --teresa George M Sullivan Sports Arena - sullivanarena . watanabe. Messing with a classic can be, well, messy .