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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What was left out of this story:

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

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

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

Sunday Safety Watch: 03/13/2016 - 03/19/2016

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

Here are this week's trends in the MacArthur Park Neighborhood. 


Keep an eye along PCH. There were auto thefts that trended west and breaking and enterings that trended East. Also keep your eyes open on Alamitos. Though Alamitos may quiet down when the bike lanes are done. There is increased property damage on Peterson. And there was property damage at Gaviota and Anaheim. The encampment that used to be at Walnut and Anaheim is now there in the alley north of Anaheim. Also notice a trend of thefts at Redondo and PCH. Note virtually everything in that circle took place on Friday.

There was a very suspicious van at Cherry Donuts. Read the details here.

There were three recent shootings outside our neighborhood. Two were officer involved shootings.

The first incident began about 6:30 p.m last Thursday., when officers spotted a vehicle that was "acting in a suspicious and evasive manner" near 68th Street and Long Beach Boulevard, said Marlene Arrona, a spokeswoman for the police department. The car stopped in the middle of Long Beach Boulevard, and a man inside left the car and fled on foot away from police, Arrona said. Officers chased the man about two blocks to an alley near 68th Street and Orcutt Avenue. In the alley, the man allegedly brandished a firearm and did not drop it, Arrona said. After the man was shot, officers provided medical aid and he was later taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. His identity was not released.

A man was killed during a shooting in the city’s West Side early Saturday morning, Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) officials said. Officers were dispatched to the 2300 block of Cameron Street at 2:25AM on Saturday, March 19 regarding a shots heard call, LBPD spokesman Brad Johnson said.  “While responding to the scene they were advised that there was a subject down in the street,” he added. Arriving officers found a man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the upper torso, according to officials.

The final shooting was not officer involved: Police are investigating a shooting in North Long Beach that left a woman injured just after midnight Friday, authorities said. An officer was dispatched to a Downey hospital at 1:13AM on Friday, March 18 regarding a gunshot victim who was shot on the 6800 block of Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) spokesman Brad Johnson said.

MacArthur Park's 1st City Wide Breakfast: Updated

Thank you to We Love Long Beach for the kind donations, the neighbors who came out, Wrigley Community Neighborhood Groupp for the help organizing and Tania Morales for the additional support in the MacArthur Park Neighborhood's first City Wide Breakfast.

It's hard to read but hear were the suggestions: 

• A neighborhood grocery store
• Shuttles for seniors - People with no cars
• More neighborhood events
• Speed bumps for cars turning off PCH
• Neighborhood cleaning
• Neighborhood watch
• Game day 
• Board game pot lucks 
• Neighborhood Olympics.

Neighborhood Expansion: Watching Over Wrigley

Neighborhood Expansion is when this site/ MacArthur Park will be doing three things to look out for neighboring communities including: mapping crime trends, aiding in clean ups and doing Go Long Beach Runs for that neighborhood. As of today it moves from being a response This week MacArthur Park is keeping an eye on Wrigley in support of Josephine A Villaseñor and her Wrigley Community Watch Page.

This map shows some crime trends in the Wrigley area last week. We are focusing on South Wrigley, Central Wrigley and Wrigley Heights. We also included the other side of Pacific all the way to Atlantic, because that's where some of the trends begin.

Clearly there are a lot of thefts and robberies trending towards Veteran's Memorial Park. They seem to converge around 27th Street and Pine. Please keep an eye around the Park, Pine and on 27th Street. There were several incidents where the arrow converges on Sunday, so be extra vigilant over the weekend.

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#SupportJosephine

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It appears a trend of breaking and enterings is moving up Oregon Avenue towards Wrigley Heights. There is also a trend of thefts from cars and burglaries along Hill Street and Magnolia that moves East. A similar trend starts at Oregon and PCH and moves North East. So far, this week the map [from Sunday to Wednesday] looks good. But based on what I am seeing here the four places to keep your eyes on are Oregon Avenue, just south of Veteran's Memorial Park, Hill Street and PCH. 

There will be two more phases for this week's Neighborhood Expansion. Tomorrow, Josie and I will do a Go Long Beach Run and a Patrol through Wrigley. We will be cataloging all the tagging and dumped items for future reference. The tagging is a good clue of where things are about to go bad. This coming Sunday we will host a small clean up from 23rd Street and Chestnut, which will move up towards PCH. That clean up will begin at 8am. Everyone is welcome to join in. 

Next week, on Wednesday we start the same three steps that we did this week for Wrigley for another neighborhood, within District Six. #SupportJosephine

Sunday Safety Update 11/28/2015 to 12/05/2015

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 the future.

The darker the arrow, the stronger the trend.

There is increased gang tagging in the neighborhood, it will be reported the day it appears. There are also increased dumped items along 17th Street and 15th. On the bright side, the trees have all been trimmed on 17th, 15th and 14th leading to a much brighter neighborhood. We'll be pressuring the city to do the vertical streets next.

So this week, in the MacArthur Park Neighborhood, there was a continued drop off in crime.The pattern hasn;t changed much from the midweek report. There were a trend of breaking and entering around Walnut and PCH trending south west. These have stopped. Most of the crimes we are seeing are car thefts or thefts from cars. 

So now is a real good time to keep your cars locked and safe.

The patterns to be concerned about are right outside the neighborhood. There is a trend of car thefts that move south east towards Alamitos and 15th. Keep cars locked on Alamitos Avenue between PCH and Anaheim. Also, just below us to the south east there is a lot of car thefts in Cerritos Village around Lincoln Elementary. The trend is week but appears to start out at Alamitos and branch out both north east and north west. That same pattern repeats around a block up. 

Right outside Orizaba park there is also a trend of car thefts that is working its way down to the corner of our neighborhood at Anaheim and Junipero. These thefts are definitely moving towards Cambodia Town East, as defined by Next Door.

The Neighborhood Coalition & Community Watch Program
This Sunday: 12/13/2015 @ Fox Coffee House
437 W Willow St, Long Beach, California 90806

Josie and I We're are bringing together as many Central Long Beach neighborhoods together as possible to discuss bringing Safe Passage to more of LBUSD, a better & more structured format for community watches and some basic safety tips. Community Watch Start up packets will be available for all who attend. We will also be talking about Holiday safety, gang related issues, events going on in Wrigley and to get to know each other. Everyone is Welcome here  

We'll be giving away starter kits, flash lights, pocket guides for homeless services in Long Beach as well as a lot of valuable information. When you arrive tell Josie, "MacArthur Park Rules."

Events Page

https://www.facebook.com/events/1517150488582460/

Sunday Safety Update: 11/15/2015 to 11/21/2015

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

Within the borders of the MacArthur Park Neighborhood not much is happening. It's been very quiet around the park itself. And thanks to our neighborhood resource officers, the park itself and the alleys are spotless. When I passed by for today's clean up, the other side of 14th was worse than the park itself.

There is a weak trend of assaults at PCH and Alamitos heading northwest towards fifteen, where a slightly stronger trend of unrelated crimes dips south back into the neighborhood. Be vigilant around PCH and Alamitos by the college and by Alamitos and 15th. Also be very careful if you're in the north end of the neighborhood just to the east of us.

There is a weak trend of car thefts heading from the AOC7 around Hoffman and 11th heading North East towards Gaviota an Anaheim. In that same neighborhood last night at around 10th and Vina, the streets were blocked off and a police helicopter was in the area.  I know due to neighborhood contacts, I have not yet learned the reason. I will share as soon as I do.

Within pour neighborhood there is a lot of activity around Junipero that starts with strong trends heading East or West and weaker trends heading South East or North West. If you're in the area around Anaheim and Junipero, please keep your items locked. There have been increased breaking and enterings, which will get worse as we approach the holidays. Also, there is a strong trend of different kinds of crime around Spaulding Street. Anywhere on Spaulding west of Junipero keep an eye out for your friends and neighbors.

Because I have a few off days, there will be extra neighborhood walks, Go Long Beach Requests, and Josephine A Villaseñor and I are going to work on a more structured version of a Community Watch that would allow better communication between neighborhoods and better training on conflict deescalation, disaster preparedness and and self defense.

Sunday Safety Update: 11/08/2015 to 11/14/2015

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 has a slightly new feature. The darker the red arrow, the more predictive the trend.

This safety update has some bad news. Unfortunately, on Tuesday 11/10/2015 at about 9:10pm there was a homicide at Gundry and 14th Street. There is a string of assaults trending that direction. There is a suspect in custody. Thank you to the Long Beach Police. Here is the original article on the shooting.

A 19-year-old man was shot and killed in North Long Beach late Monday, police said today. The shooting was reported at 11:02 p.m. Monday in the 1200 block of East 52nd Street, near Orange Avenue, Long Beach Police Department Lt. David Faris said. - Read the Full Story.

The victim's father identified him as 26-year-old Jeffery Keo, a Poly High School graduate. The family came to the United States from Cambodia in 1984, living in the Bay Area and Southern California. This is a link to the Go Fund Me, for help with the family pay for their son's funeral. Please support them.

There's also a string of auto thefts trending towards the south end of MacArthur Park. Also the auto thefts around Rotary Centennial Park are moving towards 17th Street. The auto thefts starting at Orizaba Park trend the same direction. Please reread how to protect yourself from car theft if you reside near either park.

Also, in the attack on France that killed 300, people a CSLB student was killed. The university will hold a vigil at 4 pm on Sunday to mourn Gonzalez’s passing and to grieve for all the victims of the atrocious attack. More information about the vigil will be shared as details are finalized.

Update 11/15/2015: Major tagging last night. 15th and Walnut, south east side of the intersection on 15th. Also, the north end of Fire Station Ten was tagged. The taggers used green paint, and went all the way from the north end of the building to south along the fense, behind some trees. They would have needed to spend some time there. It likely happened after 9pm. Keep a community watchful eye on 15th to Anaheim and Rose to Peterson. If you see tagging in process call 911.

The Next Community Watch Meetings Are On:

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

Linden-Roosevelt Neighborhood
Monday, December 7th
7 – 9 pm
Roosevelt Elementary Room A101
1574 Linden Ave  

There Will Likely Be Four Candidates Running For 6th District

Midweeek Safety Map: 11/11/2015

There seems to have been a shooting tonight. I know the helicopters were over Anaheim/ Hoffman/ Walnut and 10th. Here are early trends. There will be a Go Long Beach Run tomorrow. All dumped items will be reported and all tagging will be removed. 

There was also a homicide in North Long Beach last night at Orange and 52nd that left a 19 year old murdered. Here are the details.  And here are details including the sketch of a suspect in a 1975 homicide of a Long Beach police officer. 

Here's the update on last night's shooting at 14th and Gundry. While Swat closed down the intersections of Walnut to the south and Gundry to the north, no suspect is yet in custody. Go Long Beach Runs have started as far east as the Washington Neighborhood to MacArthur Park. Keep your eyes open on Anaheim and Ceda,/ Locust and 16th, Pine and 16th and Long Beach Blvd and 16trh. More details to come as I learn them

Also, we will be getting out park rangers back. If City Council can afford a billion dollar pool in Bellmont Heights you can afford to keep Central Long Beach safe. 

Community Watch meetings start today.

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
Roosevelt Elementary Room A101
1574 Linden Ave 

Sunday Safety Update: 09/27/2015 to 10/03/2015

This week's map shows that inside the MacArthur Park Neighborhood we saw a nice improvements this week. There were only three reported incidents inside our borders and two them were a stolen care being found. One was an assault on the north end of MacArthur Park itself. There was a build up of tagging along Anaheim trending West. It will all be dealt with within the next two days. Because there is another clean up scheduled for the east end of our neighborhood on Saturday, we will also do an extensive Go Long Beach run for all of the MacArthur Park Neighborhood before that clean up begins.

Now, on the other side of Old Zaferia Way there is a serious build up of auto thefts that are clearly trending out way. This is a very clear pattern, and there have been almost no car thefts on the west end of Old Zaferia Way for almost three weeks. Please keep cars locked and safe anywhere near Orizaba Park and Rotary Centennial Park. In the mean time, reread How to Keep Your Car Safe, as the constant reminders seem to helping bring down overall car thefts. 

In what is defined as Cambodia Town East on Next Door there is a serious build up. In order to help quash it, I am declaring Neighborhood Expansion and temporarily placing Cambodia Town East within our borders for the next two weeks. Because of this, a Go Long Beach Run will be done in the area to get all tagging and dumped items out of the area. 

That kind of attention to detail, does seem to help settle things down quickly. 

There were shootings on 09/29/2015 and 10/06/2015 outside our neighborhoods.  Here are the details

2600 Delta Street. A barrage of bullets and people scrambling for cover is how witnesses described a Long Beach shooting that they say left two innocent bystanders critically injured. Witnesses said they heard as many as twenty shots just as McCraw, riding his bike, stopped to chat with a friend on this street corner. Investigators are not releasing many details, but gang detectives are on the case. Two men (adults) were shot tonight (Sept. 29) in West Long Beach in the 2600 block of Delta Ave. (just north of Willow St. between the 710 freeway and Santa Fe. Ave., 7th Council district.)  More detail

1900 Caspian Ave: A man was hospitalized in critical condition today after a Long Beach shooting that may have been gang-related, police said. The shooting occurred in the 1900 block of Caspian Avenue around 9:45 p.m. Monday, said Long Beach police Lt. Dave Faris. The victim was shot once in the lower torso.

Be safe West Long Beach. 

We may do an additional Go Long Beach Run in that area, providing we have the time. If you haven't already joined Next Door to connect with your neighbors, please consider it. it's a great way to use social media to bring your neighborhood together for good.

Sunday Safety Update: 08/30/2015 - 09/05/2015

You will notice that there are assaults and thefts that start at 14th and Gaviota and trend South West. While there isn't a lot happening in our neighborhood, that assault was a big incident. It happened on Thursday: 09/03/2015 at 5:47am. 

Long Beach police are investigating a possibly gang-related shooting in the MacArthur Park neighborhood early Thursday. Officers responded to a call of shots fired around 5:47 a.m. near 1400 Gaviota Avenue. Officers learned that a man was driving in the area when he was shot at by male suspects who were on foot on the street, Pratt said. The victim’s vehicle was hit by gunfire but he was not struck. There were no reports of any injuries. The case is being investigated as possibly gang-related. - Read the article

This shooting was not fatal. That said, after it happened we made plans to clean Gaviota south of 15th Street this week. We are currently half done. This is the second shooting in Long Beach this week, the first happened two days earlier St. Mary's two days earlier. A subject is in custody.

One thing I have noticed is increased activity in the neighborhood both at night and during the day. Please keep an eye on all of Gaviota from Anaheim to PCH; there was a lot of loitering, even at the north end of Gaviota last night, I have not seen in the past. Also notice, the car thefts around Orizaba and Rotary Centennial Park haven't restarted yet, but be prepared. 

Also, keep a close eye around 10th and Alamitos. There was a shooting very close to that area a few weeks ago, and there is still a lot of activity in that area, as we speak. We have also asked for no loitering signs, where there is excessive amounts of evening activity that may be unsafe as well as No Parking Over 6' on streets, like Orange and Gundry. that are currently overrun by trailers leaving their trash in the streets.

We've gotten some of the no loitering signs put up and are waiting on the parking signs. 

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.

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:

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.