Incident worries some owners

Weeks after a shooting at Habibi Café, some Westwood
business owners and residents are reflecting on possible effects of
the incident on commerce in the Village.

In the early morning of Dec. 25, 2005, 36-year-old Fouad Salik
was struck in the head by a stray bullet, fired from outside Habibi
Café, where Salik was dining with friends. Salik remains in
critical condition after the incident, and police have charged one
man in connection with the shooting.

For some, the incident brought to mind a similar shooting which
occurred a block away from the Habibi Café more than 15 years
before.

In 1988, a Long Beach woman was killed as a result of crossfire
from a gang shootout.

That shooting marked what some saw as the beginning of a decline
in the popularity of Westwood. Around the same time, new commercial
centers sprouted throughout the West Side ““ such as Third
Street Promenade in Santa Monica and Old Pasadena ““ and
increased in popularity, while Westwood saw a decline in
businesses.

Several Westwood business owners said they didn’t believe
the recent shooting would have a negative impact on business in the
Village.

Kristina Wolf, one of four owners of the Rocky Mountain Ice
Cream Factory, said the 1988 gang violence “killed
Westwood,” citing a decline of Westwood businesses in the
aftermath of the incident.

Wolf said she has not seen the same effects on businesses in the
Village so far after the Dec. 25, 2005, shooting compared to the
1988 shooting.

Clinton Schudy, Oakley’s Barber Shop manager and future
owner, said he does not believe the shooting will negatively impact
business.

“I don’t think it’s good for Westwood, but it
shouldn’t affect business,” Schudy said.

Phil Gabriel, owner of Scrubs Unlimited, said the shooting is
not typical of Westwood, but believes this incident will not have
the same long-term effects as the one in 1988.

Gabriel said the two incidents were very different, in that one
involved gang violence while another involved an isolated argument
between restaurant patrons.

But Saad Fathi, owner of the Habibi Café, where the
shooting occurred, believes the incident has negatively affected
his business.

Fathi said he has seen crowds across the street at other
businesses and believes the incident has resulted in a decrease of
business at the cafe.

Some community leaders are also concerned about the perception
of the Village after the shooting.

Carole Maghuson of the Westwood Hills Property Owners
Association said she is most concerned over the safety of Westwood
residents as well as the thousands of UCLA students and staff that
visit the Village every day.

Sandy Brown, president of the Holmy-Westwood Homeowners
Association, said she is hopeful the incident will not adversely
affect Westwood’s image.