Sunday Safety Update: 03/20/2016 - 03/27/2016

Disclaimer: So, first I apologize for how long it's taken to get this up, The Crime Reports Website was down for much of January. I did talk to the director of Media Relations at a public safety meeting and tell our neighborhood resource officer, they weren't aware it wasn't updating. Just a reminder these are trends, and the presence of crime in one area in the past doesn't guarantee it will reappear in that area in the future.

Here are this week's trends in the MacArthur Park Neighborhood. 
 
The biggest story is the one the map doesn't tell.

There is a marked increase in thefts and auto thefts within the neighborhood. Just South of MacArthur Park there is a cluster that induces drugs, assault, breaking and entering and kidnapping. This would be east of Orange and West of Alamitos, south of Anaheim. If you are close to that area keep am eye out. There is no neighborhood association in the area. The closest is AOC7 and Craftsman Historic District which operates east of Orange. The kidnapping was on Thursday at about 3pm.

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We support the LBPD but are very concerned how much violence is not making the news

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Within our neighborhood auto thefts begin around MacArthur Park and trend North East towards 15th Street. There are also thefts that begin at Cherry and 17th and then trend South West to 15th and Rose. You'll want to keep eyes on Gardenia, Rose, Gaviota and 15th, which is where both trends converge.

The big story the map doesn't tell is actually three stories combined

This closure was the day after the shooting, no word on why it happens

There are three major things that are not making this map. 

#1: Last Monday there was a shooting at Walnut and 15th. Here is the article confirming it. 

Police are investigating a non-injury drive-by shooting that happened near Long Beach's Lincoln neighborhood Monday afternoon, authorities said. Officers responded to a shooting call at 2:40PM on Monday, March 21 on the 1400 block of East 14th Street,

Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) spokesman Brad Johnson said."Officers arrived on scene and found that 2 male adults in a vehicle drove up to a parked car with 3 to 4 subjects inside," said Johnson. "The parties exchanged words, and then there was an exchange of gunfire and both parties fled the scene."

 A few notes, this article incorrectly identifies the neighborhood. The 14 block of East 14th Street is actually the MacArthur Park Neighborhood. But that's just the beginning of some sloppy journalism all around. 

#2: The second example comes the next day when several streets in the same area were shut down as another shooting had occurred around  10 in the morning the next day. Alleys, streets and major arteries were shut down. It was almost impossible to get from 17th Street to Anahiem if you were between Cherry and Orange. Somehow, what caused the shut down never made the news. The only way you know about this was if you saw it.  If it was connected to the earlier shooting, it's really odd this closure would have occurred an entire day later.

#3: Wednesday it gets worse, a lot worse: Thursday, 03/25/16, this story broke: 

Long Beach police are investigating a possible gang-related shooting near the Signal Hill border Wednesday night that involved at least two suspects exchanging gunfire, according to authorities. Officers were dispatched to Walnut Avenue and East Pacific Coast Highway at 8:06pm on Wednesday, March 23 regarding a shots heard call, Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) spokesman Brad Johnson said. 

What was left out of this story:

• There were at least thirty shots fired. It could have been as many as fifty.
• There were a lot of calls on this shooting so information wasn't sketchy.
• There were also shots fired around Falcon and 11th.
• This was at least the second shooting in the area that week.
• There were likely crime scenes at MLK Park and the LBCC West Campus
• MLK Park has a reputation as a very dangerous gang hang out
• We did three community walks that week, so we were keeping an eye on things

The fact that nearly thirty shots may have been fired should have been the lead. There were enough details, I am sure the police knew this. There was also no warning for residents even though the two suspects continued to drive through the neighborhood after the shooting took place. What's even odder is the article on this shooting is almost entirely impossible to find when searching recent news on Long Beach area shootings. Usually, when you do a keyword search cross referencing Long Beach with shooting, the most recent appears.. When I do the same here, this shooting isn't on the first few pages of the search. If I add the date or location, I still have trouble finding it. 

We're about to do a Go Long Beach Run and get the dumping and tagging for this week taken care of. I can tell you it's down. But based on that information please keep all eyes open. Keep an eye on your neighborhood and watch out for your neighbors.