What's up with all the gunfire in Santa Monica?

Five gang-related shooting incidents in a month in the Pico neighborhood of Santa Monica (with no one hit) inspired a rally and march by residents, the Santa Monica Daily Press reports. Rivalry between the Graveyard Crips and the Santa Monica 17th Street gang is blamed by the paper. Surf Santa Monica is also following the gunplay. The neighborhood is Santa Monica's poorest, and no, that's not an oxymoron. As I wrote recently in Los Angeles magazine, despite Santa Monica's image for wealth the median household income ranks below Culver City. Oh, the rich are there, north of Wilshire Boulevard, but their affluence is offset in the stats by longtime, low-income renters who have been able to stay because of rent control. Also skewing the income stats some is that half of Santa Monicans live alone, and a majority of them are female. Santa Monica has the highest concentration of single women of anywhere in L.A. county.

Yesterday's issue of the Daily Press [self described as "a paper with issues"] also covers the start of the murder trial for a Pico Boulevard auto shop owner. Police say he fired six shots from a .357 at a violent ex-convict during a clash in front of the garage. The shopkeeper, who claims self defense, is being held on $2 million bail.