Glendale, Salt Lake City, Utah
Encyclopedia
Glendale is a neighborhood on the West side of Salt Lake City, Utah
. Glendale is situated South of the Rose Park and Fair Park neighborhoods. The neighborhood was originally developed as Glendale Gardens which is where Glendale Middle School derives its name. Mountain View Elementary (which is situated next to Glendale Middle School) was originally named Glendale Elementary. Glendale, and neighboring Poplar Grove, Fair Park & Rose Park enjoy a vibrant multi ethnic environment.
In 1996 the Salt Lake area rap group Ghetto Mentality released a song titled "Glendale 2 Midvale" and cited the Glendale boundaries as follows: "From the I-15 to the Redwood Road, South Temple to 21st South we roll". This description of the neighborhood would indeed encompass Poplar Grove as well.
Glendale Boundaries as described by the Glendale Community Council
Prior to the 1990s, many who did not live on Salt Lake City's West Side referred to the entire area as the West Side. In fact, many residents simply called themselves "West Siders". Although there has long been a rivalry between Glendale and Rose Park and at times there were gang-related conflicts, the rivalry was mostly friendly and centered around the high schools South High (which served Glendale and was closed in 1988) and West High (which serves Rose Park and the surrounding areas to this day). The Glendale area became part of the East High boundaries after South High was shut down.
In the late 1980s some Crip gangs and Surenos gangs (both of which wear blue as a trademark) moved into the Glendale area. As a result, many local gangs took up Crip or Surenos affiliations. Not long after, a number of gangs also began wearing red and took on Blood and eventually Nortenos identities. While QVO'S wher around but did not get along with any other neighborhood. QVO was cosidered a renegade gang which stands for independent. As the situation evolved, the Glendale/Poplar Grove area on the South side came to be thought of as a predominantly blue area, while Rose Park/Fair Park on the North side have come to be known as predominantly red and brown pride neighborhoods, though there are exceptions in both circumstances. This polarization of color affiliation has transformed a formerly friendly rivalry into a deadly one which has contributed greatly to the violent crime rate of the affected areas.
Many Salt Lake residents did not realize the extent of Utah gang activity until the early 1990s. On Sept. 1, 1993, 17-year-old Aaron Chapman was shot and killed while leaving a concert at the Triad Center Amphitheatre, less than one block away from West High School. Asi Mohi, a 17-year-old football star at West, was arrested and eventually convicted of the murder.
Just two weeks later on Sept. 15, 1993, a 20-year-old man was shot at the Utah State Fair. The victim survived. Two 16-year-old boys, one already known as a gang member and the other known to associate with gangs, were arrested. Suddenly, quiet Salt Lake City, where serious gang problems were only heard about in the headlines of newspapers of other states, was now facing what some were calling a gang crisis.
Utah leaders jumped on the bandwagon. After the state fair shooting, then-Salt Lake Police Chief Ruben Ortega announced he would be cracking down on gangs before they became a major problem. The next day, Gov. Mike Leavitt announced that during an upcoming special session of the Legislature, he would request lawmakers to address the gang issue. Former Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini proposed several new city ordinances to curb gun violence. Gang activity decreased until 2002, when there was a sudden upturn.
Metro Gang Unit Detective Rick Simonelli says he has seen things worsen just over the past few years. Even with gang education programs in schools and communities, he says it's not enough. "I came five years ago. We used to run only four days a week; last couple years, we work seven days a week, even on holidays," Simonelli said.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Glendale is situated South of the Rose Park and Fair Park neighborhoods. The neighborhood was originally developed as Glendale Gardens which is where Glendale Middle School derives its name. Mountain View Elementary (which is situated next to Glendale Middle School) was originally named Glendale Elementary. Glendale, and neighboring Poplar Grove, Fair Park & Rose Park enjoy a vibrant multi ethnic environment.
Boundaries
Glendale and Poplar Grove sit on the city's Southwest side. The Glendale area is roughly considered to be the area from Interstate 15 to the east to Redwood Road to the west. Glendale borders the City of South Salt Lake at SR-201 and extends to Indiana Avenue. Just to the north of Glendale is Poplar Grove. However, many residents of Poplar Grove refer to the community as Glendale, and many Glendale residents consider Poplar Grove synonymous with Glendale as well. Indeed, on some old maps Poplar Grove is referred to as North Glendale Gardens.In 1996 the Salt Lake area rap group Ghetto Mentality released a song titled "Glendale 2 Midvale" and cited the Glendale boundaries as follows: "From the I-15 to the Redwood Road, South Temple to 21st South we roll". This description of the neighborhood would indeed encompass Poplar Grove as well.
Glendale Boundaries as described by the Glendale Community Council
- East — Interstate 15Interstate 15 in UtahIn the U.S. state of Utah, Interstate 15 runs north–south through the southwestern and central portions of the state, passing through many of the population centers of that state, including St. George, Provo, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, the latter three being part of the urban area known as...
- West — Salt Lake City limits
- South — State Route 201
- North — 950 South
Neighborhood
Glendale is a neighborhood full of diversity. There are more than 17 different languages spoken in Glendale.Crime
Going back as far as the 1970s, Glendale has had a reputation as one of the most crime-ridden areas in Salt Lake City and has long been considered the hub of gang activity in the Salt Lake metropolitan area.Prior to the 1990s, many who did not live on Salt Lake City's West Side referred to the entire area as the West Side. In fact, many residents simply called themselves "West Siders". Although there has long been a rivalry between Glendale and Rose Park and at times there were gang-related conflicts, the rivalry was mostly friendly and centered around the high schools South High (which served Glendale and was closed in 1988) and West High (which serves Rose Park and the surrounding areas to this day). The Glendale area became part of the East High boundaries after South High was shut down.
In the late 1980s some Crip gangs and Surenos gangs (both of which wear blue as a trademark) moved into the Glendale area. As a result, many local gangs took up Crip or Surenos affiliations. Not long after, a number of gangs also began wearing red and took on Blood and eventually Nortenos identities. While QVO'S wher around but did not get along with any other neighborhood. QVO was cosidered a renegade gang which stands for independent. As the situation evolved, the Glendale/Poplar Grove area on the South side came to be thought of as a predominantly blue area, while Rose Park/Fair Park on the North side have come to be known as predominantly red and brown pride neighborhoods, though there are exceptions in both circumstances. This polarization of color affiliation has transformed a formerly friendly rivalry into a deadly one which has contributed greatly to the violent crime rate of the affected areas.
Many Salt Lake residents did not realize the extent of Utah gang activity until the early 1990s. On Sept. 1, 1993, 17-year-old Aaron Chapman was shot and killed while leaving a concert at the Triad Center Amphitheatre, less than one block away from West High School. Asi Mohi, a 17-year-old football star at West, was arrested and eventually convicted of the murder.
Just two weeks later on Sept. 15, 1993, a 20-year-old man was shot at the Utah State Fair. The victim survived. Two 16-year-old boys, one already known as a gang member and the other known to associate with gangs, were arrested. Suddenly, quiet Salt Lake City, where serious gang problems were only heard about in the headlines of newspapers of other states, was now facing what some were calling a gang crisis.
Utah leaders jumped on the bandwagon. After the state fair shooting, then-Salt Lake Police Chief Ruben Ortega announced he would be cracking down on gangs before they became a major problem. The next day, Gov. Mike Leavitt announced that during an upcoming special session of the Legislature, he would request lawmakers to address the gang issue. Former Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini proposed several new city ordinances to curb gun violence. Gang activity decreased until 2002, when there was a sudden upturn.
Metro Gang Unit Detective Rick Simonelli says he has seen things worsen just over the past few years. Even with gang education programs in schools and communities, he says it's not enough. "I came five years ago. We used to run only four days a week; last couple years, we work seven days a week, even on holidays," Simonelli said.