Long Beach Gang Violence As "One" City

by Doug Haubert
Long Beach City Prosecutor

In contrast, statistics in Long Beach look better. Long Beach has historical gang problems, but LBPD and community groups have worked hard to fight and prevent gang violence. In 2010, gang-related shootings dropped 14% and gang-related murders dropped 54%. When local statistics are released for 2011, Long Beach will almost certainly show even more progress.

Statistics, as we all know, do not always tell the entire story. LBReport.com and other media outlets remind us there is still plenty of gang violence (and violence unrelated to gangs), so we have a lot of work to do. But from where I sit, and as the City Prosecutor heading one of the most active gang injunction programs in the state I sit pretty close to the issue, our police department’s gang prevention and suppression efforts should be applauded.

Our officers, however, will be the first to say it is not enough. More importantly, they cannot do it alone. There are too many gangs in Long Beach (and too few police officers) for law enforcement alone to control the problem.

I want to illustrate my point with a story from a few months ago. I went on a ride-along with LBPD West Division officers and we came in contact with a young gang member named Bryan Soriano-Gutierrez. Just 18 years old, he impressed me as a smart kid -- the kind of kid who might have a future if he could put the gang life behind him.

Four weeks after I met Bryan Soriano-Gutierrez, he was murdered. He was shot at close range and left to die around midnight on a Linden Avenue sidewalk near Pacific Coast Highway. Since Soriano-Gutierrez, who went by the street name "Digital," was a well-known gang member who also used and sold drugs, it is possible his gang life caught up with him or his death resulted from a drug deal gone bad. Police do not yet know who killed him or why.

In 2009 a more publicized murder occurred in Long Beach. High school student Melody Ross was shot down in East Long Beach by a gang member who fired into a crowd after a homecoming football game.

Tom Vinson, another 18-year-old gang member, was convicted of murdering Melody Ross as he aimed for someone he says he believed was from a rival Long Beach gang. He did not hit his intended target, but he did hit an innocent girl, Ross, whose family and friends will mourn her loss for many years. Vinson was sentenced this week to serve 155 years to life in state prison.

Vinson and Soriano-Gutierrez are gang members from different gangs and completely different backgrounds, but each chose the "Gang Life." The Gang Life is destructive to those who join. In virtually every case gang members die on the streets, like Soriano-Gutierrez, or behind bars, as will be the case with Tom Vinson.

Gang violence does not just affect those who participate, it affects all of us. Sure, there are blighted areas where gang crime is higher, but it’s like pouring a glass of water into your cupped hand -- your hand fills quickly then water spills over and through your fingers. The Gang Life kills indiscriminately and takes innocent lives. It can affect all of us.

Some people believe gang violence only affects some neighborhoods, but those people need to remember the murder of innocent, young Ms. Ross, who was killed far outside what is normally considered gang territory. The sentencing of her killer is not the end of a story, but a powerful reminder that Long Beach still has a lot of work.

Since my election last year, I have been looking critically at what we as a city are doing to curb the influence of gangs. I know gang injunctions are helping control our gang problem, and working with LBPD, schools, and community groups I know that creative solutions to keeping kids out of gangs will help even more, before the next tragedy like Melody Ross’ murder happens. We have actually made a lot of progress, but it is not enough.

If we act like one city and close in on the blighted, gang-filled neighborhoods we can reduce the deadly impact of gangs. In contrast, if we ignore those areas the "Gang Life" will perpetuate itself -- and grow. Gangs are not someone else’s problem. This is our city. It is our problem.

Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert was elected in 2010. He has been a city attorney and prosecutor for over 12 years.