Hellman District Named One of Long Beach's Top Five Neighborhoods

The Hellman Street Craftsman Historic District was recently named by Moveto as one of Long Beach's Top Five Neighborhoods. The Hellman neighborhood is just south of the MacArthur Park Neighborhood within the south west end of the AOC7. The Hellman Neighborhood has always been known for it's Craftsman Style Bungalows. But this is one of the first times it has been named an excellent place to move to while citing low crime and great schools. The same list also includes Naples, Bellmont Heights and Bixby Knolls as three of great neighborhoods side-by-side with the Hellman District and East Village.

Sunday Safety Update: 08/23/2015 - 08/29/2015

Sorry, I'm a day late.

Disclaimer: Please note these maps are meant to show which direction crime is trending, areas to keep an extra eye on and places to remain vigilant in order for Central Long Beach residents to remain safe. That said, previous trends don't guarantee future trends will repeat in the same direction and patterns. Also, an absence of crime in one area, does not guarantee an absence in that same area later on. as well.

The first thing you should notice is there is a trend of car thefts east of Rotary Centennial Park and Orizaba Park. From each park, the thefts trend along Old Zaferia Way, west and towards the center. If this pattern continues, this map will look very similar next week, except the car thefts will be on the west side of Old Zaferia Way. Please reread how to protect yourself from car thefts, if you live in that affected area. This trend was predicted last week.

There is also a trend of of various criminal activity from the south east corner of Anaheim and Junipero leading north west. This pattern is much less concrete, but please keep eyes open along Sherman and 14th as well of all of Spaulding Street just in case.

Finally, there is a trend of thefts and robberies that lead along the Northern end of MacArthur Park and trend South East towards the AOC7 and Mahanna. Always keep your eyes open along the south end of MacArthur Park as it is consistently a problem area. Also notice there is a trend of assaults that starts at the alleyway just north of Anaheim Street and Walnut then trends South West. Because there is a tremendous amount of loitering at that plaza south of that alley, please keep your eyes open in that area and be safe.

Neighborhood Expansion is still on, for another week due to the following shooting. Police on Monday investigated the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of a 23-year-old man in Long Beach. The man, identified by coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter as 23-year-old Long Beach resident Andre Berero, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Read the full write up here. As part of that expansion, we sent in 28 Go Long Beach Requests for the area, patrolled the area at night and cleaned up 11th Street from Walnut to Cerritos.

The following major incident took place well outside our borders, but everyone should be aware of it. Long Beach police are investigating a nonfatal shooting in Willmore City and stabbing in Downtown Long Beach that occurred last Friday. Police think the shooting and stabbing might be related. The shooting was at the 1000 block of Virginia Court; the stabbing was at the 1000 block of Pine. Both of these addresses are about at tenth street and less than a third of a mile from each other. 

Read the Press Telegram write up here. 

Also don't forget. we're trying to identify this person of interest in a June homicide of Iran Maese.

St. Louis/ Dawson Clean: 14th to Anaheim St

There was an announced clean up of St. Louis Street that followed 14th Street to Anaheim. While originally we intended to get St. Louis, Dawson and Raymond, in the end it was just a little too hot to get all three. We were able to get Dawson from 14th to Anaheim and 14th Street again from St. Louis to Dawson.

Thanks to the neighbors who gave me the bottled water.  Thanks to the volunteers that helped make this cleaning go a little quicker. Because both streets were reasonably clean we were able to get some nasty weeds out of the Anaheim Corridor.

We may finish and get Raymond tomorrow; that kind of depends how hot it gets. We originally planned to get 15th Street, that will probably have to wait until a later weekend.

Update 08/31/2015: Raymond has been cleaned. It helped that the temperature was only 74 degrees today and the humidity was only 63%. That sounds terrible but last night the humidity was 83% and the temperature was 78.

Next Clean Up:08/29/2015: St Louis & 14th 10am

West Division Leadership Forum: Tonight's Topic Was Gangs

The West Division Leadership Forum is a bimonthly meeting for West Division residents of Long Beach. Each meeting centers on a different law-enforcement related topic. Because tonight's topic was gangs, it was rather well attended by around 100 or so West Division residents.

No gang name will be given any publicity here as I write up this meeting, which will be a general policy for this site.

The early part of the meeting centered on sharing with residents their resources for long term problem solving. Within West Division that is one of four resource officers that can be contacted through LBPDWest@LongBeach.Gov. The resident can use 911 or the police non emergency number, (562) 435-6711, to address the immediate problem. Then, if it's on going, they can ask their resource officer to address the core problem. Each resource officer is assigned to a different part of West Division, which encompasses Cherry to the end of Long Beach and the 405 to the beach.

The first speaker, Chris Rowe, was from the Fire Department and talked about grants through Homeland Security and CERT. Because I graduated from CERT, and am very familiar with the program, and I will write about that program at a later date. But very briefly CERT trains you in volunteer support for the Fire Department when major emergencies overwhelm their resources.

The majority of the meeting centered on gangs. Detective Hector Gutierrez of the GVC Department spoke about Long Beach gangs. Gutierrez  didn't address the crowd for very long before opening up the meeting to questions. The first question was if there had been an increase in gang activity since the Early Release Program.

Gutierrez did answer that question yes, but added the way gangs operate has changed significantly. In the past you could identify gangs by the colors they wore and signs they held up. Today most gang members try much harder to blend in. While they are still committing crimes, the underlying motive is money more often than violence. This keeps today's gangs active in drug sales, breaking and entering and newer crimes like identity theft.

Overall crime is down in the city/ state despite June trends

When asked how to stay safe, the officers reminded up because most of these gangs are into crimes of opportunity. Thus, the way to stay safe is to take their opportunities away. For instance, talking on your cell phone while walking down the street prevents you from paying attention to your surroundings, so wait until you get home to dial. Other suggestions like lock doors, keep valuables out of sight and let people know where you are were mostly common sense. 

Gutierrez estimates that Long Beach has 5,000 active gang members, and that accounts for about one percent of the population. However, be aware that number does not account for those gang members smart enough to keep their identity a secret or the fact that the concentration of gang members west of Cherry is probably somewhat higher than to the east of Cherry.

Many of the questions tonight centered on tagging and how it seemingly can go back up so quickly after its taken down. That question was never really ever answered. Another question asked was what is the practical purpose behind tagging in the first place. That was answered rather directly: to identify the gang's area, intimidate residents and warn other gang members to stay away.  

Lt. Mike Lewis did give a brief introduction to the Go Long Beach App, for residents who want to take that tagging down. Go Long Beach gives residents the opportunity to access City Hall, 24-hours a day from anywhere. It allows residents to quickly submit service requests for issues such as graffiti, potholes, illegal dumping, sidewalk repair and sign damage. You do not need to own or even live near the graffiti you report for it to be taken down; and removal is usually within 24-hours.Illegal dumping, while it will be addressed, is addressed in a much slower manner.

A good question was asked what gang intervention programs were being implemented. One very good example of an intervention program, Safe Passage, was used as an example of an intervention program being developed on Long Beach's West Side neighborhoods. The program is based on a Bay Area organization that uses volunteers to provide a safe route for children and youth as they walk home from school in San Francisco’s notorious Tenderloin neighborhood. Now, residents of the Santa Fe Corridor are creating a similar program, partially in response to stabbing of Keyshawn Brooks, a former Cabrillo student killed while walking home from school in March. The program will use volunteers, businesses and other stake holders to help provide West Side students with a safe passage home from school, in hopes that events like the Brooks' murder do not repeat again. 

Just throwing this out there: it sounds like a great idea for the Anaheim Corridor as well.

Update: 08/27/2015: Also I have added a list of nine gang intervention programs to the neighborhood resources map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z-3IaZ6r2iPM.kwHU-tG05JoM

11th Street Clean Up: Walnut to Mahanna

There was an unannounced clean up of 11th Street from Walnut to Mahanna to support our partners in the AOC7. While this clean up was originally intended to go to Alamitos, we ran out of room in the trash bag, and it was getting a little hot. The rest of 11th, from Mahanna to Alamitos will be tackled tomorrow.

The clean up also touched some areas of Hoffman relatively close to 11th Street.

This is part of this week's Neighborhood Expansion which so far has resulted in 19 additional Go Long Beach Requests and several Community Walks through the areas that have seen an increase in reported crime  The MacArthur Park Neighborhood will be doing this often when something serious happens in a neighborhood outside its boundaries.

Update 08/27/2015: So our goal was to get to Alamitos today. Unfortunately, by the time we got to Cerritos we had another 32 gallons of trash, so we didn't quite make it there today. However, being the stubborn people that we are we will try again tomorrow at 9am to get that last little stretch of the neighborhood bordering AOC7 a little cleaner by noon. This was our 41st clean up this year.

By the way,whoever issued the heat warning for today, understated how hot it would be. At least Arizona was a dry heat.

Business Review: El Paisa Restaraunt

The El Paisa Colombian Food restaurant is located at the intersection of 17th Street and Alamitos. It does have a private parking lot that I believe it shares with a small laundry mat; that's important because street parking in the area is limited. Overall, this is one of the best restaurants I've visited in the MacArthur Park Neighborhood though I did find it a little over priced.

I think I ordered the Bandeja Paisa, upon the recommendation of the waiter. First for the good news: The food is rather good and tastes very authentic. The steak, chicharrón, which I can only describe as deep fried fat from a pork chop and side dishes were all excellent. The beans and biscuit were a little bland. But clearly they have an serious eye on the quality of the food as even the hot sauce and water stood out. Additionally the variety of food you get on one plate is rather impressive.

The venue itself is very clean and tastefully decorated with Colombian memorabilia. There is more than enough seating and the seating itself is spread out. Even at maximum capacity which is 48, it wouldn't feel crowded. The service was very good. The food arrived quickly, and was still thoroughly cooked. The only place I wasn't happy was the price. Credit cards require a minimum of a $10 purchase, which is a little expensive for lunch. My lunch came to about $16.

So overall, the El Paisa is a little overpriced, costing it about a half a star. Regardless, it's one of the better restaurants I've eaten at in the MacArthur Park Neighborhood, and I would definitely recommend it as a dinner destination.
  
El Paisa
1640 Orange Ave
(562) 333-811

Midweek Safety Update: Crime Up Significantly

This is an early entry into the crime updates. There is increased activity between Walnut and Rose south of 14th Street. The loitering at 1335 Walnut and homeless encampment at Walnut and Anaheim is increased. This coincides with car thefts, assaults and robberies. Please be very cautious on Walnut, Gaviota or Rose south of 14th Street.

There are also a lot of incidents along 11th Street from Cherry all the way to Alamitos. This includes a cluster of burglaries along Alamitos and assortment of incidents that trend west starting at Cherry. We will be adding 11th Street to our Tonight's: Community Watch Route. And if we See Something, we will be Saying Something. Also notice that last week we predicted car thefts would start this week along Rotary Centennial Park, and that's exactly what's happening.

A large percentage of the incidents that you see on the map happened on Sunday 08/23/2015, the same day as the shooting on Pine and PCH. Please familiarize yourself with that shooting so the victim is a name instead of a statistic. Neighborhood Expansion has resulted in 17 additional Go Long Beach requests so far.

Safety Alert: Fatal Shooting Sunday: Pine & PCH

One Miles West of Neighborhood Boundaries: Police on Monday investigated the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of a 23-year-old man in Long Beach. The man, identified by coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter as 23-year-old Long Beach resident Andre Berero, was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

 Anyone with information should contact LBPD Homicide Detectives Malcolm Evans and Mark Bigel Guarino at 562.570.7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling 1.800.222.tips (8477), texting TIPLA plus your tip to crimes or (274637), or by visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Join Healthy Active Long Beach at MLK Park Next Saturday

New Home For Sale: 15th and Gaviota

1500 Gaviota, Long Beach 90813:  Great starter home. Ready to move In! Corner lot. Recently Remodeled 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, living room, formal dining room/den. Remodeled kitchen, central heat, updated electrical & electrical box. This house has been remodeled. It's rather basic, but pretty cozy. I did walk through on open house and there was a nice open feel to the home. There is also a one car garage where you can hook up a washing machine. In all, it looks pretty good for the price..

The refrigerator, microwave and range are included in the sale. The house also features laminate flooring, nice kitchen tile and plenty of cabinet space inside the kitchen. You can follow the link above for more detailed photos before deciding if you want to visit. At $315,000 the listing is priced under the Zillow estimate and the median price range for the neighborhood .  - New Listing

Check the for rent/ sale in the neighborhood for older listings. All the information there was updated today 

May already be sold.

Sunday Safety Update: 08/16/2015 - 08/23/2015

Disclaimer: Please note these maps are meant to show which direction crime is trending, areas to keep an extra eye on and places to remain vigilant in order for Central Long Beach residents to remain safe. That said, previous trends don't guarantee future trends will repeat in the same direction and patterns. Also, an absence of crime in one area, does not guarantee an absence in that same area later on. as well. 

The first thing you will notice about this map is a homicide just outside AOC7 boundaries on Tuesday 08/18/2015 at around 9:15pm. While this is out of the MacArthur Park Neighborhood, it's close enough that we are going to look at it. This was a fight that erupted into someone being struck fatally with a bottle. A 50-year-old suspect, Enrique Pina Carillo, is in custody. If you look at the previous week's map, always available on the neighborhood safety page, you will see crime was trending that direction before this homicide took place.

Neighborhood Expansion is On. That means in addition to reporting any tagging, dumping or suspicious behavior in MacArthur Park, our own neighborhood, we will also be keeping an eye on AOC7 for the few weeks, as well as an area to the west of the AOC7. It looks like activity in that area is trending west. Activity along 17th and Cerritos is trending southwest and converging in about the same area.For that reason, we're going to keep an eye on exactly that area, especially after 9:00pm.

Earlier news was that police had released footage of a person of interest in the June 28th homicide of Iran Maese. You can reread that release. We embedded all the videos and even captured a picture of the person in the video to enlarge it.

In the MacArthur Park Neighborhood, there are car thefts starting around Anaheim and Peterson trending up towards Gaviota and 17th and then towards Sherman and PCH. I am going to go out on a limb and say the lack of car thefts around Rotary Centennial Park will not continue into next week. Please reread the following article to help keep your car and belongings safe. 

Just to the east of our neighborhood it looks like some car thefts are trending southwest and then back up northwest where they trend back into out neighborhood. Because of this, be very cautious around Anaheim and Dawson. Also anyone who lives south of the neighborhood keep a close eye on 11th Street from Walnut as far east as Templel. There were a lot of things happening on 11th, including two robberies, starting at Gardenia and 11th that then also trend northwest back towards the MacArthur Park Neighborhood.

Early warning this week. Keep safe around Peterson and 15th as well as on PCH between Gardenia and Cherry.

16th Street Clean: Gaviota to Orange

There was an announced cleaning of 16th Street today from Gaviota to Orange Street. Because 16th is actually one of the cleanest streets in the neighborhood. there are no before and after pictures this time. I am including a picture of the 64 gallons of trash, that was removed from the street. Whenever a street is that clean, it gives me a chance to get things I normally miss like fallen leaves.

I'd also like to take the time to thank the neighbors I met along 16th street like Teodoro. Every time I have seen him, he has been helping keep the neighborhood clean. Additionally, there is some very beautiful architecture along 16th Street. Hopefully soon, the rest of the neighborhood follows suit. 

Sunday cleanings are not normally announced, but tomorrow we'll be cleaning Rosa Park's Park at 8am. This is mostly because there have been no clean ups over the last two weeks and we're making up for lost time.

Update: 08/23/2015: Rosa Park's Park has been cleaned as well. Orange was cleaned this morning up to 17th Street, actually a little past it. Barcelona was cleaned as well.

Help Identify Person of Interest in the Iran Francisco Maese Homicide

Iran Francisco Maese, a 35-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Sunday, June 28, in the 700 block of Linden Avenue in Long Beach, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. Detectives have obtained surveillance video that shows a "subject of interest" whom they want the public's help identifying. The video shows the man walking on Frontenac Court near 7th Street around the time of the killing. The man was wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and long, dark-colored shorts. 

 On Sunday, June 28, 2015, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Long Beach Police responded to an apartment complex in the 700 block of Linden Avenue regarding a shooting victim. When officers arrived they located the victim on an apartment staircase who had been struck in the upper body by gunfire and pronounced deceased at the scene.The video above shows the person walking towards the camera.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, at the recommendation of Supervisor Don Knabe, has issued a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the June murder of 35-year-old Iran Maese of Long Beach. The video above shows the person of interest walking away from the camera.. 

Anyone who recognizes the individual in the video or has information related to the incident is urged to contact Long Beach police homicide Dets. Mark Bigel and Sean Irving at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling (800) 222-8477, texting TIPLA and your tip to CRIMES (274637), or going to lacrimestoppers.org. 

Here's the full story from the LA Times.

Business Review: Lily Kim Bakery

While the outside declares this a French Bakery, and there are a lot of breads, the main attraction is clearly the premade meals. Most of those meals, while not necessarily Cambodian, are of an Asian flavor. Know in advance the Lily Kim Bakery does not accept credit cards, so you will have to bring cash. $10 is more than enough for a decent meal here.

Generally speaking within the Aspara Plaza on Alamitos and Anahiem, the Lily Kim Bakery is probably the most popular attraction. The family owned store features a counter of plates of pre-made meals to go, neatly wrapped in saran wrap. The prices of the food range from $2.50 to a high of about $6.50, and $6.50 gets you a lot of food. They also have all the usual drinks you would find at a 7-11, an equally expansive rack of chips and an impressive smoothie menu that will run you about $2.50.

The food, is good, I wouldn't rate it as exceptional. Here's the main reason: everything is served cold. That means, the Lily Kim Restaurant is probably better suited as a take out store, than it suits dining in. .That is reinforced by the fact there are only two tables and no outside seating. I was there at a time that wasn't busy and you had to join an occupied table to sit down.

The restaurant itself is usually pretty packed around breakfast and lunch time, but since most everything is made in advance service is still very quick. And the person behind the counter was very friendly and helpful when I asked about different dishes. Cleanliness could have used a little work, but I think that was partly because I showed up later in the day. The venue could add a star just by giving customers access to a microwave to heat the food up when you're eating in. 

 In terms of overall expectations, quality may not be up to par, but it's about the best you will get in the area at that price. I haven't seen an entire meal for $2.50 in years. Three stars seems unfair, since they clearly are trying to make the best impression on their customers; and four is too generous because there are some very simple issues, that could very easily be cleaned up.

The Lily Kim Bakery
1171 E Anaheim St
(562) 218-7818 

Crossing Cultures: Learning Khmer: Part One

Because MacArthur Park is a very diverse neighborhood, I wanted to share with everyone something they may not, but probably should know. One of the great things about Youtube is its educational value. You sit in entire courses from some of the most prestigious universities in the world. You can also learn just about any language you would care to learn. Watching Youtube, you can find playlists on learning just about any language you want, including Khmer. Here's one of the simpler play lists I found for beginners, which starts with the Khmer alphabet itself.

Lesson One: Background Information

Lesson Two: Vowels

Lesson Three: Consonants

To view the entire playlist:  

Visit this link

Break Down Of Tonight's Community Meeting On Starting Neighborhood Watches

There was an hour and a half meeting today at the Mark Twain Library centered on starting a neighborhood watch. Community watches are started when a small group of neighbors get together. One of those members attends there Division Leadership Forums, which take place bimonthly, and passes on what they learn to other community members within their watch. The next Leadership Forum is Wednesday 08/26/2015 and the topic will be gangs.

The questions at the meeting about starting meetings centered around what to do when neighbors do not get along and how to handle communication difficulties when neighbors speak different languages. First remember sometimes reaching out to your neighbors is how these issues are best dealt with. And if your common ground includes a safer neighborhood, there's a good chance that some of those differences will seem less important in the long run. When trying to meet your neighbors for the first time, it's recommended to start small like reaching out to your own apartment complex first, before reaching out to a greater network of neighbors. 

Neighborhoods can use events like National Night Out as an opportunity to meet more neighbors. National Night Out is a community-police awareness-raising event in the United States, held the first Tuesday of August. Texas and Florida have the option to use the alternate date of the first Tuesday in October to avoid hot weather While National Night Out has passed this year, those speaking at the meeting remind us it's really easy to hold a free event, like the potlucks that often take place in Wrigley, and use that as an opportunity to say hello to the people living next door.

What do you do if you and your neighbors don't speak the same language?

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ឧទ្យាន បិទ នៅពេលព្រលប

Do you know what this says? If Google Translator is correct, it's "The park closes at dusk," in Khmer. It was correctly pointed out at the meeting because all the signs in MacArthur Park are exclusively in English a good portion of MacArthur Park/ Whittier residents would not know the park's closing time. In other words, be sensitive to the fact that language barriers may prevent others from having the same information you do, especially when reaching out to your neighbors.

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On a more general level, the attending police did remind everyone that the West Division is the largest division in Long Beach with 225 officers assigned to the area. There are four resource officers that can handle more long term problems such as nuisance buildings. Additionally, there are two Quality of Life officers who spend a great deal of time helping the neighborhood homeless residents to get back on their feet. For anyone west of Cherry and South of the 405 you would get a hold of one of those resource officers by emailing LBPBWest@LongBeach.Gov. Since part of this neighborhood, as defined by NextDoor is east of Cherry, you would simply change the word "West" in that email address to east and then send the same mail.

$10,000 Reward Now Offered for Info on one of the June Homicides

Iran Francisco Maese, a 35-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Sunday, June 28, in the 700 block of Linden Avenue in Long Beach, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

There is now a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.

The Board of Supervisors agreed today to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever shot and killed a 35-year-old man near downtown Long Beach.

Supervisor Don Knabe, who recommended the reward, said investigators thought it might prompt witnesses to come forward.

About 11:30 p.m. June 28, Long Beach police responding to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon found Iran Maese lying face-down and bleeding from the head on a staircase in the back of an apartment complex at 727 Linden Ave. Read the full article.

Because I have talked to neighbors in the area at length, I know somebody knows something. Please do the right thing. 

Anyone with information was asked to call Long Beach homicide Detectives Mark Bigel Guarino or Sean Irving at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips can be provided to Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or by texting TIPLA, plus the tip, to 274637.

Sunday Safety Update: 08/08/2015 to 08/16/2015

Disclaimer: Please note these maps are meant to show which direction crime is trending, areas to keep an extra eye on and places to remain vigilant in order for Central Long Beach residents to remain safe. That said, previous trends don't guarantee future trends in the same direction.  

Okay there's some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the MacArthur Park Neighborhood was nearly crime free this week.

Th bad news, on Monday I had a text from friends in the AOC7, that there had been a shooting. While this shooting wasn't fatal, it left three people injured and a juvenile in critical condition. It also happened outside a residence well known for criminal activity.

Now if you follow the map Crime Reports gives for the current week you will notice the assaults trend North five days later. There are three assaults at virtually the same street, except further north, just past Anaheim.

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Attend Next Tuesday's [08/18/2015] Start A Community Watch Meeting

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Also, look at the vehicle recoveries just outside our neighborhood. Notice that they follow Old Zaferia Way which connects Rotary Centenial Park and Orizaba Park. If past trends repeat, the car thefts will trend up that old street north west towards PCH and around Rotary Centenial Park Again.

You will notice a very similar pattern on the outskirts of our neighborhood three other places. Be aware there are a series of car thefts trending towards the loitering on 17th and Orange. Because there have been two shootings in that area, both fatal, on each side of Orange, be very careful on 17th street. There is also an assault/ property crime that is trending up towards MacArthur Park. Several of the last maps showed multiple assaults in exactly that area, so be very cautious around MacArthur Park, especially the south end.

Also be cautious around Dawson and Anaheim, as a combination of thefts from cars and assaults seems to trend that way. 

Now Onto Some Better News:

Police arrested 26-year-old Long Beach resident Jorge Luis Cruz Saturday. It’s the first arrest of five June murders. On Saturday, officers investigating a vehicle in the 1300 block of Ohio Avenue around 5:50 p.m. recognized the passenger, Cruz, because there was a warrant out for his arrest, according to information the department provided. Cruz fled the scene and police set up a containment zone to try to capture him with the help of helicopters and service dogs.

June’s four other shootings — involving victims Anthony Holston, Ruben Barrera, Alicia Todd and Iran Maese — are still open cases. 

A stabbing which took place on July 4th, has also been solved. A 24-year-old Long Beach man was behind bars on suspicion of fatally stabbing his former roommate during an argument. Norman Mathew Perdon was jailed Friday on suspicion of stabbing 38-year- old Allen Estes of Long Beach on July 4, according to Long Beach police. Estes was found around 5:30 a.m. by police near the intersection of East Anaheim Street and Dawson Avenue. He died at the scene.

North Side Longos Go To Jail

The Long Beach Police Department’s (LBPD) North Patrol Division has arrested 17 members of the North Side Longos gang since this past May, they announced Friday. According to a release, North Patrol Division Directed Enforcement Team (North DET) gathered information linking the gang to a “violent crime spree” earlier this year, and spent the past few months identifying individuals associated with the gang who were responsible for the crimes. 

And The Search For Justice Continues

The Remaining Unsolved Homicide Cases June/ July

17th and Alamitos Area 

The area of 17th street and Orange is an area of persistent loitering. It is the home of Ritchie's Liquor Store, which has in the past defended and encouraged the loitering. Some of those, often more than twenty people a night, hanging out at the intersection do not reside in Central Long Beach. This intersection has been described as "a mess," by almost everyone except the current city council representative for District Six. There have been two shootings on either side of this intersection, one in June and one in July. 

Remember the names Anthony Holston and Tomas Palmas.

Also be aware 17th Street is the darkest street at night of any street in the MacArthur Park Neighborhood. While the city was told about this a month ago, not one tree along 17th has been trimmed. Some like this one, are now falling, blocking the street and in danger of hurting someone.

Virtually Every Light on 17th Street is Obscured

The names and information are shared because these are real people. In the past 90813 has been a zip code famous for unsolved homicides. The more their names are repeated, the less likely their killer is to walk away free. We've gotten two of them, Anthony, Thomas, Alicia and Iran and their families still need justice.

Anthony Holston III, a 20-year-old black man, was shot and killed Friday, June 5, near the intersection of East 17th Street and Alamitos Avenue in Long Beach, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records. I have looked for other information to make Anthony more of a person and less of a statistic, but so far haven't found any yet. East side of the Alamitos and 17th intersection.

Tomas Palmas, a 42-year-old Latino, was shot and killed July 10 in the 1700 block of Cerritos Avenue in Long Beach, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. There is a Facebook Page related to this shooting that will tell you more about Tomas. dedicated to his memory. West side of the Alamitos and 17th intersection.

North of MacArthur Park/ Just South of Signal Hill

Alicia Faith Todd, a 21-year-old black woman, Alicia Faith Todd, was shot and killed Wednesday, June 24, in the 1100 block of East 21st Street in Long Beach, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. Todd was a former Milikan High School Student. From Todd's memorial fund page, "Alicia was an intelligent, strong, vibrant young woman whose life was stolen from her by a random act of gun violence. Our hearts break for a family devastated, for a beautiful girl's life taken way too early, for a mother who has to do the unthinkable and bury her child, and for a broken society that doesn't value human life."

Close To Downtown

Iran Francisco Maese, a 35-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Sunday, June 28, in the 700 block of Linden Avenue in Long Beach, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

Douglas Jerome Wilson, a 37-year-old black man, was shot and killed Monday, June 22, in the 800 block of Chestnut Avenue in Long Beach, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. 

Two down; four to go.... 

This Makes Six Months of Cleaning up MacArthur Park

Today makes six months that we have been working to make the MacArthur Park Neighborhood a better place; the very first clean up was six months ago from this Saturday om 15th Street. We intend to spend it where this began, helping our neighbors in the AOC7.

Tomorrow: Join Our Neighborhood Partners In The AOC7

Meeting on Starting a Community Watch Next Tuesday

Long Beach residents are invited to the MacArthur Park/Whittier School Neighborhood monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 18, 2015, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Mark Twain Neighborhood Library located at 1401 E. Anaheim St. in the Community Room. Free parking is available at the library parking lot.

The City of Long Beach Neighborhood Services Bureau in conjunction with the Long Beach Police Department will be holding an informative forum on the importance of and how to form a community watch program. This session will provide residents and community leaders alike an overview of a community watch program including the benefits vital to maintaining a safe community.

Long Beach residents are invited to the MacArthur Park/Whittier School Neighborhood monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 18, 2015, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Mark Twain Neighborhood Library located at 1401 E. Anaheim St. in the Community Room. Free parking is available at the library parking lot.

The City of Long Beach Neighborhood Services Bureau in conjunction with the Long Beach Police Department will be holding an informative forum on the importance of and how to form a community watch program. This session will provide residents and community leaders alike an overview of a community watch program including the benefits vital to maintaining a safe community.

Community watch programs not only allow for the empowerment of residents in safeguarding their communities, but it also assists in building a stronger bond between residents. Community watch programs also afford residents the opportunity to share experiences, and collaborate ideas and preventive measures for a safer community.

Your attendance and involvement is greatly encouraged. Attendees will have the opportunity to exchange information directly with law enforcement personnel. Your shared concerns and input can be valuable in developing a more comprehensive approach to community safety. Please come join us:

District 6,7 Budget Summit Summary & Central Long Beach

According to a budget summit held for Long Beach's District Six and Seven on 08/10/2015, Long Beach currently faces the last of three years of budget peace. The surplus we currently have is expected to turn into a $7.5 million deficit over the next two years. The reason the city cited for less revenue was a decrease in revenue from utility taxes and parking citations. The parking citations will probably become significantly less as the city is planning to narrow the no parking times for street sweeping. Another reason for the deficit will be the pensions as city workers retire.

Most information was broad and about Mayor Garcia's budget overall. Of all available funds, only the destination of the general fund is being debated. That general fund is $412 million out of Long Beach's entire $2.7 million budget. Almost two thirds of those funds are going to fund the police and fire departments. Despite those numbers, there is an overall reduction in the amount of policemen and firemen currently on staff. About 9 percent has been allocated for Public Works and 8 percent to parks and recreation. The city has also prioritized some capital improvement projects including transportation, public facilities, storm drains, beaches, the marina and the airport.

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Want to make your own budget: The Long Beach City Budget Challenge

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While it does not appear in the budget, the City did recently approve the creation of the Cambodia Town Business Improvement District. The City Council approved a resolution to turn the business corridor into a business improvement district this Tuesday night after 79.53-percent of property owners voted in favor of the proposal. This move came after three town hall meetings convened to help the community give those business owners some feedback about how those improvements should be implemented; one of the biggest challenges was incorporating everyone's suggestions in a neighborhood that is incredibly diverse. Those meetings, dubbed the Anaheim Corridor Re-visioning Project, concluded on July 25th, 2015.

Marry Simmons from AOC7 asked Parks and Rec if there would be money left over to repair the bathrooms at MacArthur Park after the playground, library and community center were done. While a spokesperson from Parks and Recreation did say yes, there have been different answers in the past. Also the amount being staked on MacArthur Park is entirely being put up by the state, so far the City has pledged no support. Also that repair of the bathroom will not be ground up and will not involve changing any plumbing. Though it was not discussed at the meeting, according to Sixth District City Councilman Dee Andrews the Night Market will commence early next year after the construction at MacArthur Park has been completed. I received this email from Tonya Martin, the Legislative Analyst for the office of Dee Andrews, "After careful consideration, it has been rescheduled due to the construction at MacArthur Park that will start in August and lead into the fall." Later emails implied a target date of around March, 2016.

A vast majority of the budget is going to build a new two tower Civic Center that will house City Hall. It will also go to building a new world class library in North Long Beach. Sometime afterwards, the City also plans to either replace or renovate the main branch on Pacific. While there is no plan to resurrect the Field Anti-Gang Unit, $2.2 million has been set aside for crime prevention. That Crime Prevention does include detectives focused on gang activity who use officers on patrol in place of the former field Anti-Gang Unit. Commander Robert Luna said making that $2.2 million flexible allows the police department to more easily direct the funds where they are needed most. We also apparently only have the funds for two park rangers, and they tend to focus exclusively on El Dorado Park, due to its size. Mayor Garcia is also pushing to change all the old street lights into more energy efficient LED.

* Note, I have asked the office of Dee Andrews for the slide from the re-visioning project that shows how much the city has invested in each neighborhood. I want to share it because it will show the incredible lack of attention that Central Long Beach has received over the years. I will publish that slide as soon as I find it buried in my old emails. In a nut shell, it says that if you own any house in Central Long Beach, you've invested more in your neighborhood than the City of Long Beach has. Also, as several people have pointed out, it's ridiculous that MacArthur Park would have to fight to upgrade to a safe/ crime free bathroom in a single park, when the city somehow finds $1 billion for a pool in Belmont Plaza.