About 20 high-caliber bullets struck a South Berkeley house during the early morning of June 7. Two young girls were caught in the line of fire, asleep in a neighborhood that is no stranger to violence.

In response, nearly 100 concerned community members and a handful of city officials gathered Thursday to address the shooting.

Neighbors voiced their concerns about what many see as a disconnect between the city and community after Berkeley Police Department officers addressed recent homicides and shootings-many of which, they said, can be traced to an ongoing feud between groups in North Oakland and South and West Berkeley.

"We completely recognize that (the shooting) is a danger for everyone involved," said Berkeley police Lt. Andrew Greenwood at the meeting, adding that the community was at risk even though the shooting was not random.

When asked by community members why the house was targeted in the shooting, Greenwood said the incident-in which the girls sustained non-life-threatening injuries-was under investigation and that sharing details might compromise police efforts.

But Jim Smith, vice president of the Berkeley Safe Neighborhoods Organization, said "problem houses," like the one where the girls were shot, bring violence to neighborhoods in South and West Berkeley.

"Almost in all of these cases where you have these shootings you can trace it to some problematic households that are in that community," said Smith, who has been working in West and South Berkeley for over 30 years.

The History of a "Problem House"

Despite the fact that police cannot disclose why the house, currently rented by Jorja Mosley, was targeted in the shooting, city officials and police said it has a history of community complaints and code violations.

"(It has) been historically a house that we get a lot of feedback from the community about there being a lot of drug activity," said Berkeley police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss.

Mosley declined to comment.

While police have been to the house "on numerous occasions in recent years," Kusmiss said the department could not identify it as a "drug house."

A resident who lives near the house and requested to remain anonymous for fear of retribution said the house has been in Mosley's family for over 50 years and has become a nuisance.

"The SWAT team has been there a number of times," he said. "To my knowledge this is the first time there has been a shooting there before, but police are there all the time."

Mosley is currently facing eviction by the Deutsche Bank National Trust Company-which foreclosed the property and signed Mosley as a tenant-in Alameda County Superior Court in a case scheduled to continue Tuesday.

The eviction case was brought by the bank after the city found numerous code violations with the house, according to Angela Gallegos-Castillo, assistant to the city manager, who said her office pressures banks and homeowners to address violations.

"This particular property had housing violations that included everything from broken windows, lack of smoke detectors, the use of extension cords extensively, electrical service damage (and a rotted floor)," Gallegos-Castillo said.

In the Neighborhood

Despite concerns about narcotics activity and blight in and around the house, officials said other houses in the area have posed a greater concern with regard to drug activity.

The residence at 1610 Oregon Street, a block away from Mosley's house, has a history of "crime problems" that have expended "an enormous amount of police and other city resources" for more than 30 years, according to a 2006 Alameda County Superior Court memorandum of a decision issued in response to litigation against Lenora Moore, the home's owner.

In July 2008, an Alameda County Civil Grand Jury issued a report alleging that the City of Berkeley "failed to follow through with all possible measures to eliminate this drug house problem."

Addressing Problem Properties

Former Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean, who has testified in court against Moore, said shutting down problem houses used to be a top priority for city government.

"They used to have pictures of (the Moore family) in the police department," she said.

Smith, with the Safe Neighborhoods Organization, said communication between city government, the police department and community members has deteriorated in recent years.

"If the city, No. 1, would focus more on the troubled households, but would in the process include the people in the area ... a lot of this could end up being prevented," he said.

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said although the process for abating homes is slow and often frustrating, the city has done its best to address the issue.

"We have a pretty good record of turning around a number of properties," he said. "I think we're doing more than almost any city in America."

Records show 167 Berkeley houses were closed in 2008-2009, according to Gallegos-Castillo.

Councilmember Maxwell Anderson, whose district includes the Mosley and Moore houses, said increased crime accompanies a poor economy.

"We certainly want to assure that the community at large is protected from the effects of what may be spilling over from the house into the community," he said, adding that he plans to hold a larger community meeting soon.

But neighbors expressed mixed opinions about safety in the community, with many living near the targeted house saying they feel safe.

"The neighborhood seems calmer since I moved here," said Stacy Waters, who has lived near the Mosley house since 2003, adding that she feels safe in her home.

But some community leaders said they expect violence to continue.

"(The June 7 shooting) is the real indicator of deep problems that are plaguing both South and West Berkeley ... (and) that are getting worse," Dean said. "You got people who were shot at and there's probably going to be a retaliation and it's just going to keep going back and forth."

Tags: SOUTH BERKELEY, BERKELEY POLICE DEPARTMENT