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Within Past 30 Days, These Two Long Beach Council Districts Combined Had More Hit-Shootings Per Capita Than Chicago

"Tale of two cities" as three LB Council districts had no shootings w/in period


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(Oct. 20, 2015, 8:15 p.m.) -- LBREPORT.com calculates that within the past roughly 30 days (from Oct. 20), LB's 1st and 6th Council districts combined have had more hit shootings per capita than the city of Chicago.

Although our calculation uses unofficial figures and rounded numbers, they don't affect the essence of the outcome.

The Chicago Tribune provides a running total of shootings at this link.) Its most recent update on the morning of Oct. 20 indicates Chicago had 253 shootings between October 16 and September 19. [Reports on the Chicago Tribune's news pages indicate additional shootings through Oct. 19, which we haven't included for this story.] Chicago's population is roughly/rounded 2.7 million. Dividing 253 shootings by 2700 (number of 1,000-residents) produces a ratio of 253/2700 = 0.0937 hit shootings per thousand residents of Chicago.

Long Beach, CA (Los Angeles County's second largest city) has nine City Council districts, each with approximately 50,000 residents. Long Beach's 1st Council district has been represented by Lena Gonzalez since mid-July 2014. LB's 6th Council district has been represented by Councilman Dee Andrews since May 2007. Together, their districts would amount to the equivalent of a city of roughly 100,000 residents. LBREPORT.com applied shooting data, previously reported by us in routine news stories and confirmed by us with LBPD at the time the shootings occurred.

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During the past roughly 30 days (dating from Oct. 20), Long Beach's 1st and 6th Council districts combined had 11 "hit" shootings (including a 6th district homicide.) [Details: Within the past 30 days, the 6th district has had 5 shootings, including a homicide; the 1st district had 5 shootings; one shooting occurred on 1st-6th district border. The 1st district also had a "no hit" shooting and a shooting scene with no victim located; we're not including either of those two shootings in our calculation below to remain consistent with the Chicago Tribune's hit-shooting tally.]

11 hit shootings divided by 100 (number of 1,000-residents) produces a ratio of 11/100 = 0.11 shootings per thousand residents. 0.11 hit shootings per thousand residents (in Council districts 1+6 is greater than 0.0937 hit shootings per thousand residents of the City of Chicago. And LB's per capita shootings in those two districts are greater than Chicago by roughly over 18%.

Residents of Long Beach's two Council districts combined that basically surround downtown LB to the west, north and east, experienced more hit shootings per capita in the past 30 days than residents of the City of Chicago by a factor of 18.2%. (0.11-0.093 = 0.017; 0.017/0.093 = 0.182 = 18.2%)

At the same time, as LBREPORT.com has previously commented, Long Beach is a "tale of two cities." Large portions of Long Beach don't experience the conditions experienced by residents and businesses in parts of the 1st-6th districts. Council district 2 (LB's downtown area and eastward), plus districts 3 (SE LB/Belmont Shore) and 5 (ELB) had no shootings within the same period. ELB and SE LB districts 3 and 5 rarely if ever have shootings; most of disrict 4 (including Los Altos) had no shootings within the period.

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During the 30 day period:

LB's 7th district had two shootings (plus one no-hit shooting.)

LB's 9th district had two shootings (plus one no-hit shooting in which rounds hit a vehicle but missed its driver)

LB's 8th Council district had one shooting (a homicide)

LB's 8th-9th district border (major street separating the two districts) had one shooting

LB's 4th Council district (western end) had two shootings.

LB Council districts 2, 3 and 5 had no shootings.

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The map (below) is unofficial, prepared by LBREPORT.com, showing various types of shootings (and stabbings) cumulated from Jan. 2014 through Oct. 9, 2015.


Red Xs=2014 and 2015 murders to date; Blue Xs=2014 and 2015 shootings, person wounded; Brown Xs=shots fired at victim(s), not hit; Purple Xs=2014 shots at occupied residence/vehicle; Green Xs= 2014 and 2015 shots at unoccupied vehicle/residence; Grey Xs=shots fired (no hit, no target identified); Orange X's=non-fatal stabbings. Map is unofficial, compiled by LBREPORT.com Oct. 9, 2015.

On Sept. 22, the City Council's Public Safety Committee (chair Price, vice chair Supernaw, member Austin) heard an LBPD report on shootings but made no recommendations and didn't refer the matter to the full City Council.

On Sept 15 and 22, the Council voted (without dissent) for a FY16 budget, recommended by Mayor Robert Garcia, that failed to restore LBPD's former field anti-gang unit and leaves LB taxpayers with a budgeted police level for citywide deployment roughly equivalent per capita to what L.A. would have if L.A.'s Mayor and Council cut roughly 30% of LAPD's officers.

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On Oct. 13, Councilman Dee Andrews (dist. 6) joined by Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal (dist. 2) and Councilmembers Lena Gonzalez (dist. 1) and Daryl Supernaw (dist. 4) agendized an item proposing to create a "Dog Walker Watch" program in which volunteers walking their dogs would be trained to be observant and report suspicious activity. (The Council voted 9-0 to send the proposal to its Housing and Neighborhoods Committee, chaired by Councilman Andrews.) (LBREPORT.com coverage here.)



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