Sunday Safety Update: 02/21/2016 to 02/27/2016

The map above shows little change from early trends. There are thefts along PCH and Orange heading into the neighborhood and then up. There is a rise in assaults at the east end of the neighborhood, please be very careful as there was a shooting in that area recently.

02/09/2016: LBPD Public Information Officer Sgt. Bradley Johnson says that at about 12:25 a.m. on Feb. 9, officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 2200 block of Spaulding St. and found a man shot. Sgt. Johnson says the victim was uncooperative with police; LBFD transported him to a hospital with non-life-threatening wounds. 

There is a trend of auto thefts and property crime, just south of us at the west end of the AOC7 heading north towards the neighborhood. The property crime tends to foreshadow worse things to come, so be cautious around 11th/ 10th between Orange and Gundry. There is also a week trend of auto thefts along Rotary Centennial Park. Auto theft is down here overall. We still have two wheel clubs ready for one Wrigley and one MacArthur Park resident willing to take the Neighborhood Pledge. It's a nice gift for agreeing to keep your neighborhood clean.

Break in the  Alicia Faith Todd Case

I am also grateful to announce there was an arrest made in the shooting of Alicia Faith Todd of Signal Hill. Police say they've arrested a man in connection to the case of a young woman shot dead in an alley in Long Beach last summer. Following an investigation, police arrested Tremaine Lewis, 24, of Long Beach, last Thursday. Police said Lewis was in a domestic relationship with Todd and the two were together on the night of the murder. If you have any information about this case, you're urged to contact Long Beach Police Department homicide detectives at (562) 570-7244.

Take the Neighborhood Pledge

There was also an arrest in the December shooting of North Long Beach resident on 02/22/2016. Keonte Runell Jones, 23, who is also known as “Blue Dawg,” pleaded not guilty Jan. 22 to one count of murder with allegations that he used a handgun and committed the crime in association with a street gang, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. He is accused of shooting Roosevelt Newton at Orange Avenue and East Washington Street in Long Beach on Dec. 10.

Washington Neighborhood Shooting

There was another shooting on Thursday in the Washington Neighborhood.Officers were dispatched to the 300 block of West 14th Street at 11:05PM on Thursday, February 25 regarding a possible shooting, Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) spokesman Brad Johnson said. “Upon arrival, officers found evidence that a bullet had struck the house but did not enter and no one was injured,” he added. We already attacked the gang element by doing a Go Long Beach Run and reporting all gang related tagging on Cedar, We'll do it again ASAP..

Sunday Safety Update: 10/25/2015 - 11/07/2015

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 map of last week is on the bottom; this week is on the top.

There was a a trend of residential burglaries on the streets just north of 15th last week. They begin around Sherman and 15th on Sunday and trend both east and west into this week. 

Afterwards, they trended west and north. Also note there is a pattern of burglaries on the other side of Rotary Centennial Park this week and last week there was a trend of auto thefts trending up, in about the same place. 

Please read up on preventing burglaries, since they are clearly up. 

This week assaults are up beginning at Cherry and trending towards MacArthur Park. From there, they end as auto thefts pick up and begin trending north towards PCH. From PCH, those  crimes trends back to it's starting place. In other words, keep your eye open everywhere. 

In case you would like to help put an end to this there are some upcoming Community Watch Meetings.

Community Watch Workshops 
Beginning Next Week

Washington Neighborhood
Wednesday, November 11th
6 – 8 pm 
The Guidance Center
1301 Pine Ave

Willmore Neighborhood
Thursday, November 19th
7 – 9 pm
Drake Park Community Room
951 Maine Ave

Linden-Roosevelt Neighborhood
Monday, December 7th
7 – 9 pm
Location To Be Determined

Shootings Outside Our Neighborhood: 

An early Saturday morning shooting in central Long Beach left one man dead.
Officers were called at 3:26 a.m. Saturday to the 1000 block of Olive Avenue on reports of a shooting, according to the Long Beach Police Department. When officers arrived, they found a man who had been struck by gunfire. Long Beach Fire Department paramedics responded and transported to a local hospital. - Full Story

There will soon be a page here to collect information on all shootings, make victims into names instead of numbers and make it incredibly difficult for anyone who does something so cowardly to count on their actions being forgotten.

* Within MacArthur Park: There have been less shootings, but crime is still up. Please keep an eye out for your neighbors. The MacArthur Park Community Association will be paroling at the least twice during the week and once during the weekend. Any suspicious activity will immediately be reported to police. Also until 15th street clears up, there will be morning patrols to look after the pathways to school.

There was a West Division forum on Human Trafficking and a Public Safety meeting by the first district. A separate write up is coming soon. I will have links to the write ups soon. Sorry for the delay.

Sunday Safety Update: 10/18/2015 to 10/24/2015

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.  

We are beginning a series of community walks through the MacArthur Park Neighborhood. They will take place after 10pm and focus on those areas that currently need the most attention. There will be at least three community walks a week, two during the weekdays and one on the weekend.Tonight's walk saw reduced loitering in the alley behind Anaheim, but the plaza at Walnut and Anaheim is still an issue.

First, neighborhood crime has tapered down, but not far enough. The pattern this week was varied and unpredictable. It does seem robberies, thefts and property crime are trending down the streets of Gaviota and Walbut. Please be extra careful in this area, especially since the police saw fit to put cameras at 14th and Gaviota; clearly something is happening in that area. 

Moreover, police are also investigating a non-injury shooting that happened on Long Beach’s Eastside neighborhood Wednesday night.

Officers were dispatched to Walnut Avenue and Anaheim Street at about 9:45PM on Wednesday, October 21 in regards to a shots heard call, Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) spokeswoman Marlene Arrona said. Read the full story

Also notice assaults are trending down Cherry. Be especially careful on Cherry after 8pm and in both mentioned areas around 5am.

There is crime cluster south east of the MacArthur Park Neighborhood. Everything happening there is not trending in any particular direction, so be very cautious around Junipero and Anaheim where it leads into our neighborhood. A lot of the marks on the board above took place on a Sunday, especially the ones close to Rotary Centenial Park, so keep an extra eye open on Sundays.

Finally there were two other shootings out of our neighborhood. One was at MLK and 20th. The other was a fatal shooting at 20th and Magnolia. 

A man was shot to death early Monday morning in the 2000 block of Magnolia Avenue, authorities said.

Long Beach police said the victim, identified as 25-year-old William Tyshoen Davis, was wounded in the upper body.

Long Beach Fire Department paramedics responded and took Davis, who was in critical condition, to a local hospital where he later died, police said in a press release.Read the full story

MacArthur Park will be supporting the community of Wrigley in every manner possible. We will be reporting all tagging and dumped items a long 20th Street in response in an extra Go Long Beach run this weekend.

Community Meetings
  
There will be a community meeting for District Six on Tuesday October 27th at Mark Twain Neighborhood Library. 6pm. The topic will center on public safety including gang activity.

Robert Smith and his staff will host the West Division Leadership Forum Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 6:00pm. The new location will be 1129 Alamitos, at the Grant AME Church There will be a presentation on human trafficking and a Code Enforcement overview. 

Sunday Safety Update: 09/06/2015 to 09/12/2015

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. 

09/02/2015 - 09/12/2015: This update shows a very scattered pattern. The only big pattern, which isn't clear above, is a lot was going on Wednesday 09/09/2015; this is the same day as the fatal shooting at 2100 Pasadena listed below. 

Starting with the map itself there is a robbery on the Whittier Elementary Campus, the next day there is a theft in the same area. This would have been at 17th and Walnut where kids and adults cross to the school. These incidents happened between 7:43am, when school starts and noon, likely when kindergarten lets out. Just remain very observant in the area. 

Beginning at Cherry and Anaheim there is a robbery leading up into assaults at either end of Cherry and the Spaulding alley as well as Cherry and 17th. The first is likely a dark alley at night, the second is where the smog check/ and a somewhat less than uninviting hotel is situated at the corner of PCH and Cherry. I would be very careful in either of those areas, at all times. That hotel does not screen their guests, and that alley is a little dark and claustrophobic for my tastes.

There is a single theft from a car by Rotary Centennial Park, I expected a lot more; maybe the How To Prevent Car Thefts post is helping. There also looks like there might be some more car thefts converging around MacArthur Park. I think they're probably trending from the AOC7 towards MacArthur Park, but there isn't quite enough information to predict a trend yet. 

There was an officer involved shooting on Thursday. Neither the officer nor the suspect was hurt. No additional information has been released since I first reported what happened. Oddly, that shooting does not even appear on the Crime Reports map. Everyone I know, is simply grateful that neither the suspect nor the officer were hurt. It would be nice to see a few more stories end that way.

There were two fatal shootings outside our neighborhood:

2100 Block of Pasadena Avenue. 09/09/2015: Officers responded to a shooting call around 12:41 a.m. in the 2100 block of Pasadena Avenue, police said. They found an adult man on a sidewalk suffering at least one gunshot wound to the upper body. An officer began life saving measures until Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived. Paramedics transported him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later, police said.

400 Block of 5th Street: Officers were called around 9:51 p.m. to a shooting in the 400 block of West Fifth Street, according to information the Long Beach Police Department provided.
Officers found a male adult victim suffering gunshot wounds in the upper body, police said. Long Beach Fire Department paramedics responded and took the victim, in critical condition, to a hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

There was also a nonfatal shooting in the Wrigley area on Friday. A fatal shooting in the St. Mary's area, has resulted in an arrest. 

I am going to create a solved/ unsolved homicide page very soon. The goal is to keep the victims as names instead of statistics, I think that will make us a little more likely to keep perusing justice in their names. 

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.

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.... 

Sunday Safety Update: 06/14/2015 - 06/21/2015

Most of the activity in the MacArthur Park Neighborhood that got reported to the police included were either assaults or property damage. Just like in the past, these incidents trend north East as you get later in the week. This week there was also a lot of tagging along the south side of 15th street. This included the mailbox, light posts, walls and alleys from Gardenia all the way to Walnut. Then it continued down Walnut and showed up a little later on Peterson. All that tagging happened some time Friday evening after 11:30pm.

This is the exact same pattern from the last four maps. Starts central and then tends NE

There was also a problem with fireworks and loitering south of 14th on Walnut. There is a tremendous loitering problem there which tends to devolve into tagging at least every two weeks. When I say loitering, I mean an excess of often twenty people in the street doing things like setting off fireworks. For now keep an eye out on 15th between Gardenia and Walnut. Also keep an eye on Walnut south of 15th. Prediction: 1501 14th street will be the target of vandalism next, since it is usually tagged after Peterson and 15th get hit. There was also a trend of auto and bike thefts that begin just outside our neighborhood. 

The Sunday safety update, Be careful in the area of 15th to 14th and Gardenia to Walnut. This is where virtually all incidents, reported and unreported, center at. This is also the same pattern as the last three maps. There is a strong possibility that most of the neighborhood tagging starts on the east side of Walnut south of 14th.