Dozens of community members turned out Saturday for a protest calling for the end of violence at a Boyle Heights housing project after a firebomb attack that may have been racially motivated.
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The peace march was held at Ramona Gardens, where four apartments were damaged in the May attack.
Sgt. Ken Edwards of the LAPD’s Community Safety Partnership program said the attack does not reflect what the department has seen in the community since 2011.
“We’ve been here for three years, and … we’ve seen double-digit decreases in crimes and violence,” Edwards said.
Federal and local officials announced a $100,000 reward Wednesday in the case.
Officials also released a surveillance video showing what appears to be eight suspects entering the Boyle Heights complex and lighting four Molotov cocktails.
Four apartments were firebombed just after midnight May 12, and reports quickly circulated that the arsons were racially motivated. Three of the apartments were home to black families, and the fourth - occupied by a Latino family - was between the others.
No one was hurt.
Investigators said they were looking into the possibility the attack was racially motivated, but they did not rule out any possibilities, including gang involvement.
There are previously documented racial tensions in the housing project, including the 1992 firebombing of two apartments occupied by black families.
Anyone with information is asked to call 213-484-6700 or email rgtf@lapd.lacity.org.
