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: 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. 

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.

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.

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.

$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.... 

Sunday Safety Report: 07/20/2015 to 07/26/2015

This map shows a cluster of activity. I have added a new category vehicular loitering because a large number of trailers have begun parking on Orange and around MacArthur Park. In many cases, they are simply dumping their trash onto the street I would suggest that Long Beach City Council place the "No Parking: Vehicles Over Six Feet," around the park and on Orange.

There is also pedestrian loitering still at Anaheim and Walnut as well as to a slightly lesser degree on 17th street. I have followed through with a request to trim the trees around the street lights.  In case you're wondering why, I am including a pic of what is common place on 17th Street. The light you see here is at Gundry and 17th. Clearly it's not serving its purpose if it's so badly surrounded by tree branches.

Now, all the street lights between Gundry and Alamitos that have been obscured have been photographed and reported. Also, notice on the map above a trend of thefts from vehicles that had multiple incidents over multiple days. If you live by Stanley and 15th, please read about keeping your car safe.

The orange triangle just above 14th is a residence being operated as a casino. Like the loitering on 17th, this is common knowledge in the area, so just be aware of the extra traffic and safety issues that it creates.

Also notice that all activity clusters to the east and then trends in that direction. So most of the loitering is near the park, And then the thefts, thefts from cars, breaking and entering and assaults all seem to move east over the next few days. 

The above map is the worst the MacArthur Park Neighborhood has seen. And I think with the money, community organizations coming together and great people cleaning up central Long Beach it's a very good time to meet your neighbor, connect and start looking out for each other. 

We'll do an midweek update on Wednesday.

Brief Experiment: 

I wanted to try creating an animated Gif that might show a little better how crime is trending in the area. The one you see below shows it trending from Monday 07-12 to Sunday 07-18.

 

Safety Update: 24 Year Old Arrested In July 4th Stabbing

A 24-year-old Long Beach man was behind bars Tuesday 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.

Help bring the families of the victims closure/ and keep everyone safe.

There is a huge homeless encampment at Walnut and Anaheim nightly. I think the city should probably be on the look out for the safety of everyone there. Also Walnut from 14th down, much like 17th and Orange, has issues with juvenile loitering, competing tagging, trespassing, fireworks and higher than par assaults on the Crime Reports Website. When, passing close to Walnut and Anaheim, be extra cautious.

This arrest came on tips from the public. Please go here for the full story. Thank you to LBPD and to those tipsters that helped bring about the arrest.  Remember, we are still looking for information in the slayings of the following people, so if you know something, tell someone. I know in at least one case, someone does.

The following information reflects the fatal shootings in or near our neighborhood. Officer involved shootings are not included, neither are shootings were a suspect is in custody. This is simply so everyone in the neighborhood knows who was a victim and where it happened.

The arrest for the July 4th stabbing came on a tip. Let's jog some memories in the hopes of bringing on a few more.The tip links you can click on after reading any of these stories allow you to submit anonymously if needed. You can also use the http://www.crimestoppersusa.com/ website to the same effect.

17th an Alamitos Area:

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. 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. West side of the Alamitos and 17th intersection.

There is usually a tremendous amount of loitering at the area of 17th and Orange, so someone very likely knows something. Also, considering, what elements of our city government live very close to this intersection, it should be the safest intersection in Long Beach.

North of MacArthur Park/ Just South of Signal Hill

Alicia Faith Todd, a 21-year-old black woman, 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.

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.

The City Has Released This Press Release Regarding Crime

The City of Long Beach announced today the efforts underway from the Long Beach Public Safety Continuum in response to recent increases in crime. In 2014, the City achieved the lowest reported number of violent crimes in 42 years. However, over the past few months, overall crime has increased 5.3 percent when compared to the 5 year average through May 31, 2015.

“Every department in the city is working to address this summer spike in violence and to keep every community safe,” said Mayor Robert Garcia.

“We are very concerned about a recent spike in violent assaults,” said Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna. “We are working closely with City Departments on a public safety initiative, and increasing our efforts to enhance partnerships within the community. Keeping our city safe is everyone’s responsibility, and I look forward to working together to make an impact on crime.”

The Police Department continues to be proactive in efforts to combat crime. Officers are responding to high priority calls citywide in under five minutes, allowing for more opportunity to capture suspects and start investigations.

The City of Long Beach strongly encourages the community to be an active member in combating crime, and asks that “If you see something, say something.” All cities need the members of the public to come forward and provide information on what is happening in their community.

“Our police need our support so if you see a crime being committed, it needs to be reported so we can hold those who commit violent crimes accountable," said Mayor Garcia.

A CITYWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY EFFORT

The Police Department continues to partner with the City Prosecutor’s Office by enforcing Gang Court Orders, to suppress gangs from having control over our neighborhoods. Ninety-nine Gang Court Order arrests have been made so far this year, while 167 Gang Court Order arrests were made last year (2014).

With the support of City Council, $350,000 in non-recurring funding is currently being used to target residential property crime, allowing the Police Department to bolster efforts towards investigating and preventing burglaries. As of the end of May, the city has experienced 212 fewer residential burglaries for 2015, in comparison to May of last year, which is a 21.9 percent decrease.

Here’s a comparison of some categories of crime through May 2015, and compared to the five-year average (avg.): 

• Murder, down 27 percent; down 47 percent avg.
• Aggravated assault, up 33 percent; up 12 percent avg.
• Garage burglary, down 3 percent; down 9 percent avg.
• Auto burglary, up 5 percent; down 5 percent avg.
• Grand Theft Auto, up 6 percent; up 4 percent avg.
• Petty theft greater than $50, up 72 percent; up 8 percent avg.

The entire Long Beach community benefits from the City’s Public Safety Continuum, which augments Police and Fire services with the work of several other City Departments and services all contributing to making Long Beach a better, and safer, city, including Library Services; Parks, Recreation and Marine; Workforce Development; City Prosecutor’s Office; Code Enforcement; Homeless and other Health Services; Graffiti Removal; and Affordable Housing.

The City also reaches out and works extensively with our community partners, including neighborhood organizations, non-profit agencies, and other government agencies.

The City’s Violence Prevention Plan, known as Safe Long Beach, has been nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice, which provides an advantage in receiving federal grant awards to implement the plan.

Safe Long Beach is a comprehensive strategic plan for action to prevent violence in families, schools, and communities. Addressing a broad safety agenda, Safe Long Beach draws upon the City’s many existing assets. These include strong neighborhoods and neighborhood organizations, a thriving downtown, continuously emerging economic development opportunities, award winning schools, and stable leadership.

By forging relationships across disciplines, professions, and neighborhood boundaries, the Plan seeks to help provide victims with the protection and services they need to pursue safe and healthy lives.

The City will be planning an event in the area most affected by the recent increase in crime to offer services from the Public Safety Continuum, and engage youth in our community in a positive way.

For more news, pictures, videos and announcements of what’s happening in Long Beach, ‘Like’ us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CityofLongBeachCA

Recap: Meeting To Address The Social Media Threats of Violence

On June 25th rumors of violence against 150 African American and Asian woman from a gang began to surface on the internet. When these rumors started circulating, I had the choice of sharing or not sharing. It was actually not an easy choice. If I did publish it, I may be contributing to the culture of mistrust. And if those rumors are false that's exactly what the person who is spreading them wants. And if they are true, I have failed to protect those who truly need it. I chose not to for a simple reason, I knew nothing of the source. And publishing un-sourced information is akin to tabloid journalism.

Also something about the rumors felt off and the idea of publishing made me increasingly uncomfortable. So if you're wondering why I didn't share those social media threats, that was my reasoning.

There was a meeting tonight at Temple Baptist Church to address the increased violence in Long Beach over the month of June and those social media threats that accompanied them. The person giving that presentation was the East Division's Commander Robert Luman. There were somewhere around 100 people in attendance and the population was pretty diverse, overall a good representation of Central Long Beach's demographics.

In a nutshell, Luman calls the social media treats not credible. The reason cited was that targeting African American and Asian woman would not bolster the gang's reputation. Nor, would it help bring the gang any revenue. So from a practical perspective, the gang has nothing to gain by doing so. This information comes from current gang members, the LA Sheriff's Department and those working with the gang members in prison. One possible alternate explanation is another gang started the rumor to draw attention away from themselves.

What the meeting failed to explain was: "If the social media threats are not credible, why has there been so much more violence in June?" An additional question that remains unanswered was: "if there is no gang involvement, why are women, children and in quite a few cases the homeless being targeted in these crimes?" It was stated there will be additional town hall style meetings where residents of Central Long Beach will be able to ask these kinds of questions.

The community meeting also did very little to quell some people's concerns over recent officer involved shootings. When pressed on the issue Luman said answering questions about specific cases may jeopardize prosecution.

Back to the gang connection, Luman's did explain there is a difference between the crime being motivated by a gang and the crime involving a gang. The implication is of course that while gangs may be involved in some of these shootings, there isn't enough evidence to say that the gang is primary motivation for the shooting.

The end of the meeting involved the host asking members to share possible suggestions on how to bring an end to the violence. Those suggestions included more officers patrolling the sixth district, keeping community centers open later, more summer programs, more coordination between the city, the community and LBUSD, increased support for Long Beach's non profit groups which often intervene with the violence, trying harder to connect with your neighbors and their cultures, better community policing and introducing yourself to your neighborhood police before you need them so you have a better connection to them when you do.

UPDATE: Press Telegram's Article on This Meeting

Wednesday Safety Watch: 06/21/2015 - 06/24/2015

The neighborhood of Signal Hill South West as defined by Next Door contains a small part of Long Beach. That said, within the area the two cities are separated by a wall. And south of Hill street, the neighborhood, which is also south of that dividing line, the two neighborhoods are very different.

Today, I am including the Wednesday safety watch to include that neighborhood because of a homicide that happened last night. A teenager was found shot to death in an alleyway that runs parallel to 21st street and connects Orange and Lemon.

What this map shows is the two homicides closest to us are connected by the Orange/ Altimos Corridor. They also show a lot of unusual activity including property crimes and robberies tend to mark the areas where this is most likely.

Two other interesting characteristics of the neighborhood can be seen. Notice how almost nothing happens around MLK Park. With one exception, the tagging, robberies and car thefts have almost always been north or south of it.

Separating Signal Hill from Long Beach there is somewhat of a chasm of overgrown brush, trees, fences and walls that divide the two cities. While there was almost no tagging I found within the neighborhood, but once you get to that chasm north of the bike path and on the border of Signal Hill, it's all over the pace.

The black diamond is a clear fire code violation where there are four trailers on the same residence. It stands out because former students have told me there are houses in this neighborhood that are used to house un-houseable gang members. This black diamond is right next to the facilities at MLK Park that would make up for not having restrooms or showers.

The gang tagging is limited to streets like Salt Lake and Orange just north of the alley where the shooting took place. The reported property crime is in about the same place. The picture to the left shows the chasm that divides Long Beach and Signal Hill. It also clearly shows that gangs have used the that wall to mark their territory.

This chasm is also just north of a bike path, that curves into a blind spot along Orange. You can see that bike path and the blind spot that curves toward the alleyway where the shooting took place in the picture below. In other words, be extra careful when taking that bike path east.

On the other side of this pic, the path is clear to MLK Blvd.

Notice the attention to detail this alley gets just north of the neighborhood where the shooting took place. The picture to the right is in Signal Hill. First of all, there is no parking in the alleyway. Residents who have Neighborhood Watches have made it clear the alleyway is still a part of the neighborhood. Additionally, the business along the corner has set up cameras so anyone entering the alleyway is on film. 

Any one of these would have lessened the likelihood of the shooting on Orange and 21st taking place.

Now for our neighborhood: In MacArthur Park it has been relatively quiet. Most all of the gang tagging from last week has been taken down. The main exception is the Carneceria at 1732 15th that only takes tagging down when it is pushed to do so. You will notice a string of thefts, both car and personal along PCH. They really don't trend in either direction though which is why the arrow goes both ways. Because there was property crime just north of that on Chittick field keep a close eye around PCH and Walnut to PCH and Rose.

Also always keep an eye on the black square in the center of the map, as that's where the tagging, loitering and fireworks usually begins.

Shooting List/ And Stories Related

• 06/24/2015: 1:13. 21st and Orange. Alicia Faith Todd. 21: Updated
• 06/22/2015: 9:45am: Cedar and 8th: Douglas Wilson, 37.
• 06/05/2015: 10pm: 17th and Altimos: Anthony Holston. 20.

I am adding these links. Each has the numbers and websites you can send tips to. Also, regarding the shooting last night, it was reported the residents heard the shots at midnight but nobody called until 1am, when someone came home from work. If you hear gun shots, call 911 ASAP. You may well save somebody's life by helping get medical attention to the location a little quicker. I have tried to find pictures and updates of earlier stories, but in most cases, they are just not available.

How Long Beach Lost Its Anti Gang Unit

This is taken verbatim from the bottom of the following link [the news stories about the recent murders in Long Beach]: http://www.lbreport.com/news/jun15/187alam.htm

In Sept. 2014, a Council majority approved without dissent, a FY15 (current) budget (recommended by both current Mayor Garcia and exiting Mayor Foster) that no longer funds LBPD's now-former field anti-gang unit. 

The field anti-gang unit previously deployed twenty officers plus two sergeants in gang impacted areas where they could interact with residents and gather intelligence. LBPD continues to maintain a conventional gang unit (often working indoors on investigations and the like) but L.A. County's second largest city no longer has the field anti-gang unit that LB taxpayers had until September 2012 (chronology below.) 

In August 2012, then-Mayor Bob Foster recommended a FY13 budget that proposed to eliminate the unit, and then-Vice Mayor Robert Garcia, chosen by Foster to chair the Council's Public Safety Committee, held no hearings on the public safety aspects of the Foster proposed budget. However the Council balked and voted to fund half of the field anti-gang unit using "one time" funds for a year.

A year later in September 2013, again with no hearings by Garcia's Public Safety Committee on the proposed budget, the Council failed to budget additional sums for the field anti-gang unit, which LBPD scrambled to maintain at a further reduced level by drawing officers from patrol and backfilling with overtime. 

In July 2014, exiting Mayor Foster and entering Mayor Garcia both recommended a FY15 budget without funding for the field anti-gang unit. The Council's Public Safety Committee, now headed by Councilwoman Suzie Price (chosen by as chair by Garcia and endorsed for office by Foster) held no hearings on public safety aspects of the Garcia-Foster proposed FY15 budget (saying such an action would be "unprecedented.") 

In September 2014, the Council voted without dissent to adopt a FY15 budget that provided no funding for LBPD's field anti-gang unit. 

 Coincidentally, violent crime is up in Long Beach.

In Response To The Press Telegram About The Deadly 90813 Zip Code

The Press Telegram recently ran an article about the 90813 zip code being Long Beach's deadliest zip code. The problem is they are using statistics from ten years ago. In order to be useful to residents of the area, you need to see how things are changing, be it for the better or the worse.

Breakdown of what the numbers say

1. The amount of homicides in Long Beach has declined 76% over 15 years. 
2. The number of homicides in 90813 has decreased over the last three years
3. A map of those homicides shows a heavier cluster south of Anaheim Street.
4. The percentage that represents of Long Beach homicides has fluctuated as the number of homicides in Long Beach has went up and  down since 2011.
5. The number of homicides so far in 2015 in the 90813 zip code was zero as of February 28th, 2015.

The article for the Press Telegram states there have been 110 homicides in the 90813 zip [Central Long Beach], second only to the 90805 zip code, which serves long beach. 

The 90813 gets a worse rap because  because 56 - 58% remain unsolved. In Long Beach overall, about 38% of all homicides go unsolved. A twenty two percent higher unsolved murder rate for the 90813 zip code does look exceptionally bad.

An objective look at three years of numbers:

Long Beach Police have detailed statistics going back around three years. They have less detailed statistics for the last 15. 

Over the last 15 years the murder rate in Long Beach is down by 76%. Violent crime is down by 51% and property crime is down 51%. That said, if homicides are down 76% over 15 years, it's reasonable to infer they are down for every zip code in Long Beach. So overall, that's positive news for Long Beach and inconclusive news/ but probably positive news for the 90813 zip code.

Now, over the last three years, I can break it down crime stats by zip code. And if you look at 90813 over the last three years, there are some bright spots and there are also some patterns. 

Understanding The Homicide Map Above

The above map tracks homicides in from 2012 until 2014. If you see a green dot there was a homicide in 2014. If you see a blue dot, a homicide took place there in 2013. If you see a red dot, a homicide took place in 2012. 

No homicides were mapped above PCH or below 7th street, as that would be out of the 90813 zip code. 

In 2014, there were a total of 23 homicides in Long Beach; The 90813 experienced about 26% of those homicides as there are 6 blue dots. While the city as a whole did experience less murders, 90813 did not. That's neutral news as the city itself saw an overall decrease, but 90813 didn't do any better than last year.

In 2013. the city experienced 33 homicides.  The 90813 zip code experienced 6. That was approximately 18% of all the homicides in Long Beach. While Long Beach's homicide rate was up, the homicide rate in the 90813 murder rate was 25% less than the previous year. That is positive news for the 90813 zip code overall.

In 2012, there were a total of 30 homicides. The 90813 zip code experienced 8. That was about 26% of all homicides in Long Beach that year. That's seems negative because 2012 saw 20% more homicides than the previous year. This doesn't tell you anything about 2012 except it experienced more homicides in the 90813 zip code than the year that followed. Stats for the previous year are not available to compare to 2012.

What Do These Numbers Really Say

Overall, that's an inconclusive analysis of the last three years at best. You really can't even tell from the map if the problem is clustering in certain blocks because there are almost as many single dots as there are clusters. All you can say for certain is the numbers are going down and the occurrences seem to be evenly spread. There is one place where there is some very good news. If you're wondering about the homicide rate in 2015. So far it's two as of February 28th and neither took place in the 90813 zip code.

Update. As of 04/01/2015, the numbers are not yet published for March. However, this morning I saw this bad news in the Long Beach Website feed.  I believe this will fall in the 292 reporting grid. Since this is three years in a row for that grid, you fight this by starting neighborhood watches in that area and taking your neighborhood back.

2nd Update: Based on conversations with police, this was not a shooting, it appears it was a homeless man who died from alcohol poisoning.