WASHINGTON IS FACING VIOLENCE
Problems: Neighborhood experiences some of city’s highest rates of gun-based violence Solutions: Police are meeting residents, while Health Department expands youth programs
Iris Ornelas felt unsafe growing up in Long Beach’s Washington neighborhood. ¶ Drug dealers and prostitutes occasionally wandered about, she recalled. Sometimes strangers watched her from the alley that bordered her backyard, where she and her younger brother played soccer. She didn’t like walking to the store or elsewhere by herself. ¶ Still, the 34-year-old Ornelas said, she doesn’t remember much violence. ¶ But now she often hears gunshots, she said, and sees headlines about people getting hurt or killed near her home. ¶ She’s afraid to go out front to water her lawn. ¶ “In addition to the gang violence, there’s just a lot going on in our neighborhood,” Ornelas said. “Which is sad, because it’s a great place to live; we could thrive. We have a nice park, but kids don’t feel safe there — they can’t go to the middle school feeling safe, they can’t go for walks.”
Police say Washington has one of the city’s highest rates of firearm assaults — partially because of gangs.
In response to the violence, in a pilot program called Neighborhood Walks, police officers strolled the streets and talked to residents to improve relationships, from early March until May 1. Several officers, most who regularly patrol Washington, took a couple of hours during shifts or worked overtime to walk the streets.
Officers switched up the times and days of the week to try to reach more people. The city’s Long Beach Activating Safe Communities, run by the Health Department, kicked off in Washington, too, aiming to increase youth programs and connect residents with social services. The goal: Reduce gun violence by 20%.
“My heart drops every single time that I hear (gunshots) through my window,” said Councilwoman Mary Zendejas, who represents the neighborhood and lives just
south of it in Willmore.
“Historically, there’s always been violent crimes in the district, and there’s always been an opportunity to try to stop it,” the councilwoman said. “But we don’t know why it’s still continuing to happen — we need to continue bringing forward programs that we think will help.
“I believe youth have had to choose a life of violent crime because there was no other opportunity presented to them,” Zendejas said. “I’m hoping that through programming and other things, like providing resources to this neighborhood, we can provide opportunities.”
Washington is bordered by the Los Angeles River channel, Long Beach Boulevard, Pacific Coast Highway and Anaheim Street. About 9,000 people live here, according to the U.S. Census.
Washington is largely two-story apartment complexes and single-family homes with some eateries, gas stations and liquor stores on the thoroughfares that border it. Some warehouses and other businesses cluster to the western edge. A couple of parks are scattered about, with Washington Middle School sitting near the middle.
Troy Ruff, 57, lives here. Graffiti, he said, is usually a precursor to hearing gunshots within days.
“The people (committing crimes) don’t live here, they don’t even live in the vicinity, but I guess they claim it as their gang area,” he said. “So they come to shoot and don’t respect anyone who lives here.”
Some of his neighbors’ cars have been struck by gunfire. He hopes for a strong police presence that would deter crime.
“It’s really needed, because a lot of the young people in this community believe in handling everything themselves,” he said. “Everything with a gun, over nothing.”
On a recent day, a couple of dozen youngsters rode in the skatepark on 14th Street while a handful of smaller children played at a playground nearby. A few people washed cars, took out the trash or walked about.
The median level of household income is $28,700 — nearly half that of the rest of the city, said Ana Lopez, a community impact officer for Long Beach’s Health Department.
In 2020, violent crime increased overall in the city, perhaps in part because of the pandemic, with aggravated assaults jumping 19% compared to 2019. In Washington, it was worse: 81 reported aggravated assaults, which included shootings, up from 57 — a 42% bump.
There were three Washington homicides in 2018 and again the next year and five in 2020. During the same period, in all of Long Beach — 51 times larger than Washington — the average annual number of homicides was 33.
“During our normal shifts, it’s more like responding to crime, going call to call because this is a very busy area,” said Officer E. Alvarez, whose patrol beat includes Washington, during a Neighborhood Walks stroll. “This is an opportunity for us to slow down, not exactly handle crimes in progress but just talk to the community.”
Residents and officers talked about such issues as graffiti and homelessness, she said, “instead of just reacting.”
“In the past, we’ve had issues where they don’t want to talk to us or tell us what happened or give us a statement if they witnessed a crime,” Alvarez said. “Just because they’re scared.”
From March 5, when the program started, to mid-April, Washington’s reported number of shootings dropped 40%, Chief Robert Luna said (That was the most updated statistic available).
When Neighborhood Walks ended in Washington on May 1, it moved on to North Long Beach until August. Afterward, the Police Department will consider Neighborhood Walks’ future.
Robin Garcia rents out a fourplex on Magnolia Avenue and lived in the building in 2018. She’s part of the neighborhood association and comes to her building often to do maintenance.
“It was livable, it’s nice,” she said. “The ice cream truck would come by, families would be out, kids would be playing. I really didn’t have a lot of issues until the guns stuff.”
She said she’s witnessed three shootings. One person was shot and killed in her driveway a couple of years ago — she didn’t see that one.
“I can’t say I’ve directly seen the direct benefits from these programs, but I know these things take time,” she said. “Personally, I think it’s disappointing that we don’t have a clear plan, because it is going to take time — we should have had something in place yesterday. …
“This isn’t an overnight problem,” she said. “This is generations upon generations of gang-infused problems. … Nobody deserves to live like this, with bullet holes in buildings and cars.
“I think it’s a wonderful community, filled with some hardworking people who are just trying to enjoy some peace. I always try to think of the missing link to push this community — but it just seems like the city puts a lot of resources in place, like it’s a Band-Aid. But we have systemic issues that need addressing with long-term plans — I don’t know what the answer is, and that’s where we’re at.”
Yes, the police’s Neighborhood Walks is gone, at least for now, but the Health Department’s program has stayed put. It wants to get troubled children together with counselors or life coaches, and partners with Pacific Gateway, an employment agency in Long Beach, to help people find jobs.
The program, Activating Safe Communities, hopes to dig into the community a bit as well.
“What often happens is if an individual gets shot, they go to the hospital but we don’t know what happens after that,” said Lopez, the community impact officer. “(Now), we will see what’s going on in their family, learn how to support them, and the outreach team will try to deescalate (any tension).”
The Washington Neighborhood Association’s membership has swelled. There have been community cleanups and other events, with the easing of the coronavirus pandemic offering more opportunity.
“We can’t stop a bullet,” said Ornelas, the 34-yearold who grew up here in Washington. “There’s more to it than just the act of cleanups, (but) that has helped in a way to just kind of counterbalance that negativity of crime.
“It’s about showing that there are also good things and trying to keep spirits up.”