You might think of Atwater Village (if you think of Atwater Village at all) as a peacefully gentrifying neighborhood of modest homes, as the home of the most heinous Best Buy parking lot in L.A., or even as the site of the Beastie Boys' studio, circa Check Your Head.

Yes, you might think all of these things, but then, you would be missing the story of the real Atwater Village, the story of a neighborhood terrorized by a drunken tamale vendor.

For all the gory details, please follow this link to the Martini Republic. But be warned: this is disturbing stuff, an uncensored glimpse into the tortured soul of a neighborhood under siege.  ¶ 8:41 PM