Inequity By The Numbers: Thus Far In December 2019 (12/1-12/19), LB's 6th Dist. & 1st Plus 6th Dist Combined Had More Shootings <i>Per Capita</i> Than Chicago

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Inequity By The Numbers: Thus Far In December 2019 (12/1-12/19), LB's 6th Dist. & 1st Plus 6th Dist Combined Had More Shootings Per Capita Than Chicago

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(December 21, 2019) -- LBREPORT.com has repeatedly called it LB's worst inequity, a "tale of two cities." And it's visible (again) by the numbers:

From December 1 through Dec. 19, Long Beach's 6th Council district, and LB's 1st and 6th Council districts combined, had more non-fatal shootings per capita than Chicago.

The 1st and 6th districts stretch from West LB through northern downtown LB and into Cenrtal LB and Cambodia Town. They are disproportionately working class areas with historically disadvantaged populations.

We used rounded figures sufficient to illustrate relative proportions. Each LB Council district has roughly 50,000 residents. Chicago has roughly 2.7 million residents. That makes Chicago 54 times larger than the 6th district and roughly 27 times larger than the 1st and 6th districts cokmbined.

From Dec. 1 through Dec. 20, Chicago had 86 people shot/wounded. (Source: Chicago's independent HeyJackass.com website.)

From Dec. 1 through Dec. 19, LB's 6th Council district had three non-fatal shootings and LB's 1st Council district had one non-fatal shooting:

Dec. 1: Man shot/wounded 1800 block Cedar Ave. (6th dist. near 1st dist. border)

Dec. 1: Man shot/wounded, Pasadena Ave/25th St. (6th dist)

Dec. 19: Man shot/wounded. 1300 block E. Anaheim St. (6th dist.)

Dec. 19: Man shot/wounded, 900 block E. 7th St. (1st dist.)

6th dist:: 3 x 54 = 162. 162 > 86.

1st dist.+ 6th dist combined. 4 x 27 = 108. 108 > 86.

(Calculation notes: During this period, one of the 6th dist. shootings above may have been domestic-violence related (not random or gang related), but even if excluded the 6th dist. per capita number still exceeds Chicago (2 x 54 = 108; 108 > 86.) LB's 1st dist had four "no person hit" shootings: two random or possibly gang related in the 1500 block of Chestnut and 1700 block Pine, two others that may have been domestic violence related; we excluded all four our calculation since we don't have figures for "no person hit" Chicago shootings.)

As also previously reported by LBREPORT.com, from November 1 through Dec. 1, 2019, Council districts 1 + 6 combined had shootings per capita approaching that of Chicago.

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In recent months, LB Mayor Robert Garcia has told audiences that LB crime is at "record lows" and "down" from previous years. The Mayor's metric sidesteps acknowledging the visible inequity: even if shootings citywide are "down" or at "record lows," they continue to disproportionately impact mainly working class/historically disadvantaged LB neighborhoods; their residents and businesses experience shootings crimes at a rate nearly inconceivable to residents/businesses in other parts of LB.

The maps below show cumulated fatal, non-fatal and no-person hit shootings. The top map shows shootings cumulated from Jan. 1, 2018 to Dec, 19, 2019 For context, the second map shows shootings cumulated from Jan. 1, 2014 through Dec. 31, 2017.

Jan 1, 2018 to date: Red Xs=homicides; Blue Xs= shootings, person wounded; Brown Xs=shots fired at victim(s), not hit; Purple Xs=shots at occupied residence/vehicle; Green Xs= shots at unoccupied vehicle/residence; Grey Xs=shots fired (no hit, no target identified); Orange X's=non-fatal stabbings; Blue * asterisk=victim hit, police unable to locate crime scene. Map is unofficial.

Sponsor

On Nov. 5, 1st Council district elected a new Councilmember. She was endorsed by Mayor Garcia and by the leadership of the LB Police Officers Ass'n PAC (both of which expended sizable sums to urge voters to elect her.) The 6th Council distrcit will have an election in March 2020 in which Mayor Garcia and the Police Officers Ass'n PAC have endorsed the incumbent.

Sponsor

Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.