L.A. Chronicle/March 9th, 2006

From Los Angeles Wiki

[edit] COMMUNE VANISHES; SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE CONFUSES FAMILIES

(Los Angeles County, CA) - Three days ago, the small village that housed the Pacifican Commune was a bustling location, with dozens of members living, working, and praying in its midst.

In one night, all of that seems to have changed. For the Pacifican Commune appears to be deserted, and that sudden disappearance has confused family members who had loved ones at the community.

On Wednesday night, somewhere between dusk and dawn, it appears that all of the people at the Pacifican Commune vanished. Concerned calls to the police that members could not be contacted prompted the police to check out the community.

What they found, according to police reports, is both simple and confusing. There was no sign of violence or foul play (a positive note after continued unconfimed reports of the minister of the Commune causing some in previous months). There were no cars at the Commune, and some houses still had food sitting on the tables. In fact, most houses still had clothes in the closets, and even the church still had its candles and bibles inside.

"It's almost as if they were simply swallowed up," said one policeman who wished to maintain anonymity. "You hear stories about things like the Marie Celeste and you don't believe them. But here you are--and suddenly it don't seem so unreal anymore."

"The lack of cars is the crucial piece of information," said George Glass, sociologist at USC. "They were a religious commune--an offshoot of quote "normal" unquote religious society, and they lost their leader. They've simply picked up stakes and moved elsewhere. It's unusual, but not unheard of--we'll hear about them in a week or so, when they've moved to a new location."

The only other unusual aspecst of the scene are the destruction of one house, which seems to have fallen in on itself, and the filling of the well in the middle of the town. "Well, I've been told that the house that collapsed was that of the Minister," Glass said, "and it's entirely possible that the other members of the commune did that as a statement against his teachings--whch I have heard were pretty unusual. As for the filling of the well, they probably simply felt it was better to maintain whatever water remained there."

Unsubstantiated rumors, however, speak that the way the well was filled was somewhat unusual, although at printing time there was no better information as to what 'unusual' means.

The Pacificans were first brought to our attention when...

[edit] "SATAN'S SEVEN" GANG IN LOS ANGELES VALLEY GAINING PROMINENCE

(West Hollywood, CA) - In a brief announcement today, police warned the citizens of the main Los Angeles valley of the presence of a new gang in the area, who call themselves "Satan's Seven". This gang, comprised of members of apparently most if not all major races, runs counter to the common gangs of Los Angeles, who are mostly racially-based. Instead, Satan's Seven, or "SS" as they call themselves based on the tattoos they wear on their right shoulder, appear to be interested in taking territory at whatever cost. Although they have only been a gang for a month, according to police, they have already carved out a section of Los Angeles south of Hollywood and gained several new members.

"While it is still too early to be certain of their strategy, we believe it works like this," said the police report. "They appear to be more interested in how much territory they can own then they are what the race or economic makeup of their members are. They created their first territory by swarming into the area, and promising 'equal power' to any of the gang of that territory if they joined them. Those who agreed to join were immediately made part of the gang, while those who refused were exterminated. Within 48 hours, they had replaced all the graffiti of the previous gang with their own and had control of the area."

Surprisingly, the gang appears to have actually started with seven members, and their are rumors--so far unsubstantiated by police--that the seven gang members came to Los Angeles from somewhere else. When asked how seven individuals could overwhelm an entire several block area so quickly, the police refused comment.

The police did, however, mention that the gang has so far been careful to avoid antagonizing the general populace, other than their strong efforts at tagging their area with their design. "This does not mean, however, that the citizens of Los Angeles should not be concerned. We are, as the police, and we intend to continue working to eradicate this and all gang behavior."

Further information about the gang includes their rules regarding behavior from one race to another within the gang, as well as how they choose leaders by...

[edit] EGYPTIAN CLOSED FOR RENOVATION

(Hollywood, CA) - After the strange (and suddenly stopped) legal attack on AFI, the owners of the Egyptian Theatre, the managers of the Egyptian have announced plans to close the Egyptian for up to three months in order to renovate the entire building.

"The Egyptian has been a classic since Hollywood's Golden Era," announced the press release, "and while we were able to renovate large portions of it several years ago, there remains some work to be done. The original facade has been tarnished over the years, as well as part of it being removed for a Coffee Bean store. We intend to restore it to its original design. The interior courtyard needs to have new and better plumbing placed into it, as when it rains the courtyard becomes a standing pool that is problematic for our guests. Even some of the heiroglyphics on the walls were changed over the years. Fortunately, a recent discovery of pictures of the original walls have given us the chance to restore them as well. All together, we believe it important to return the Egyptian to the glory of its heyday and to give Los Angeles citizens--and guests throughout the world--the glimpse of one of the greatest movie theaters of the 30's and 40's. We intend to do just that, with your help." The press release finishes with the announcement that although there are enough funds to complete the work, tax-deductible donations are welcome and can be given at the box office or through PayPal.

The Egyptian Theater was built by Sid Graumann, the same gentleman who built Graumann's Chinese...