PARTY CREWS WANT RESPECT, BLAME GANGS FOR PROBLEMS.

Byline: Jeannette DeSantis Daily News Staff Writer

They are too young to get into nightclubs, so they create their own on weekends.

One teen-ager offers his parents' house. Another produces hundreds of eye-popping fliers on her computer. Others pool money to rent the hottest disc jockey around.

Their goal: the ultimate party. A reputation-making, bone-rattling event for teens involved in the party crew scene.

``Everyone does it for the fame,'' said Jose Herrera, known as ``Happy'' to his friends in the crew. ``It's a way to get to know everybody and for everybody to know you.''

But they are far beyond innocent fun.

While party crews and offshoot dance crews have been around for years, police are beginning to more closely track parties staged throughout the San Fernando Valley for what they often attract - drugs, alcohol and gangs.

``It's these open parties that are the problem,'' said LAPD Sgt. Jim Brady of the Foothill Division. ``We know from past experience that gangs are attracted to this type of atmosphere.''

About a dozen violent incidents in Los Angeles and Orange counties have been linked to party crews in recent years. In Brady's division, police still are investigating an unsolved murder that occurred last year at an Arleta crew party.

Young people participating in the dance crew scene acknowledge the problems, but they say dance crews are not gangs - they're only teens looking for a good time, competing for prestige and reputation through nonviolent ``battle dancing.''

Teens whose crews are known by catchy titles like One Big Posse, In The Mood and Spectrum.

Teens who dial up voice-mail lines to find party locations.

On a recent night, behind a Sun Valley home, deep house music provided the deafening backdrop for a dance crew party attracting about 100 people.

Girls, dressed in short skirts and high platform shoes, ground against their dance partners, while couples held each other near giant speakers. Whiffs of marijuana smoke filled the air. Partygoers talked, watched and drank until late into the night.

Party crew members acknowledge their events often attract gangsters, but they say they are not one in the same.

``Crews are not like a gang thing,'' said 17-year-old Arminda Martinez, who goes by the name ``Giggles'' in the party scene. ``The (gang members) come and mess it up for all of us. We have no control over it.''

Martinez said she knows of some party crews who walk the line between gang and crew, and others who carry guns and knives to parties, but said that is not what true party crews are about.

``There are good and bad things about party crews,'' Herrera said. ``But what can we do about it? Everybody is invited to have fun.''

Word about parties often is spread on school campuses.

But some school officials fear that regardless of the crews' goals to party peacefully with hundreds of teens crammed into homes, halls or clubs, the crews are nothing more than ``social gangs.''

``They hang out, dance, party at these functions that attract other more serious gangs, and that creates a dangerous environment,'' said Scott Marshall, dean of discipline at Alemany High School.

Crews were banned at the Mission Hills catholic school when school officials noticed the correlation between crews and gangs.

Several months ago, 14 students from Alemany were given an ultimatum: Quit their ``crew'' or face expulsion. Ten male students were expelled, and four girls signed contracts with the school stating that they would no longer associate with crews.

At the LAPD's Foothill station, a task force of seven officers was created recently to respond solely to dance crew parties in the northeast San Fernando Valley.

They cite youths for curfew violations or disturbing the peace and underage drinking, Brady said.

At a party organized by the Straight Pimp Crew earlier this month in San Fernando, teens started to gather outside a private home at 8:30 p.m. Soon the street was filled with honking cars, girls in tight dresses and boys drinking beer.

Police soon arrived, and the party, which cost the crew an estimated $200 to organize, was broken up within an hour. They told the host, Adrian Tobar, 18, that it would be a $1,000 fine for disturbing the peace if they had to return.

The gangs ``make us look bad,'' Tobar said. ``We just wanted to have clean fun.''

He admits that some teens use drugs or drink alcohol at these parties but said, ``That's everywhere, not just at our parties.''

Other party crews are about making money.

``This isn't just some kids in a party crew,'' said Justin Rivas, 16. ``We are promoters. It's a business to us.''

These party crews heavily promote their parties. They hold them at dance clubs they rent and can usually double their initial investment of $150 through ticket sales.

``We also don't do things like break our name down to initials,'' said 17-year-old Eric Owens, who attends Polytechnic High School, adding that it would give the crew more of a gang flavor.

Crews who use clubs have a bigger overhead, including renting a club, paying $30 for a one-day liquor license and hiring their own security.

Other teens said they will attend the parties thrown by crews but won't join the crews themselves.

``I think they are stupid to label themselves,'' said Veronica Lopez, 17, a senior at Sylmar. ``We just come to party like regular people.''

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PHOTO A partygoer is searched by Total Confusion party crew members.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News