The Long Beach City Council unanimously voted to dedicate $8.63 million to deal with crime arising from the pandemic at their Tuesday, July 20 meeting.
“The city of Long Beach has had a significant increase in violent crime, especially crime around gun violence. This is a national issue not just a local Long Beach issue and it stems from economic distress, unemployment and societal stresses,” City Manager Tom Modica said.
The newly-passed Long Beach Safety Recovery Plan lays out how a previously committed $3.63 million in federal relief money will be used, as decided by the Long Beach Recovery Act.
Besides the money set aside by the Long Beach Recovery Act, the Long Beach Safety Recovery Plan allocates an additional $5 million in general fund money to address crime and public safety.
The general fund is replenished by taxpayer dollars.
Over half of the money from the Long Beach Safety Recovery Plan will go towards the police, with the rest going to community programs that aim to reduce violence.
$1 million from the plan will be used to maintain the size of the Long Beach Police Department which is expected to lose 30 officers to retirement this year, Councilmember Stacy Mungo said.
Council looks to address increasing gun violence
The Long Beach Safety Recovery Plan focuses on addressing gun violence in the city.
According to a presentation by the City, there was a significant increase in gun violence in Long Beach at the beginning of 2021.
Across the United States, gun sales were up 64% in 2021.
The City presentation also said that firearm seizures by LBPD during the first half of this year were up by 51% compared to the same period last year.
According to the City, as of July 13, 2021, firearm assaults in Long Beach were up 60% compared to the same time of year in 2020.
$75,000 from the Long Beach Safety Recovery Plan will be used to fund a Gun Buyback Program, where the City will exchange gift cards for unwanted firearms in order to reduce the number of guns on the street.
$1.75 million out of the $8.63 million will go towards LBPD’s Coordinated Response Team (CRT), which investigates firearm assaults.
According to Assistant City Manager Linda Tatum, the CRT team is made up of sworn officers as well as civilian staff.
The team will use “crime analysis and intelligence techniques” to investigate gun crimes, according to Tatum.
Community calls on council to dedicate more resources to alternative modes of violence prevention
During public comment, multiple people criticized the amount of funding the police department received when compared to other programs.
LBPD received over $4.57 million out of the $8.63 million allocated in the Long Beach Safety Recovery Plan.
Community members and local nonprofits told the city council that they wanted additional funding for programs that prevent violence before it occurs.
“We’re not investing enough into our local youth. We’re not investing enough into violence prevention, what really works. I’m a Washington neighborhood youth, I’m a Washington neighborhood emerging adult. Our youth are crying for help. Our young men, specifically, are crying for help in that neighborhood. And we need to actually start supporting them,” said David McGill Soriano, founder of the youth-centered nonprofit Books & Buckets.
Soriano said that violence has persisted in the Washington neighborhood where he lives despite the police department’s implementation of the Neighborhood Walks Program— referencing the recent homicide of 22-year-old Rafael Ortiz Araiza on June 24.
Organizer Jordan Wynne told the city council that they were misrepresenting the increase in gun violence in 2021 when compared to 2020, saying that it should be expected since many people were stuck at home for the majority of 2020.
Wynne noted that rates of violent crime in 2021 were still lower than they had been in previous years.
“You’re telling me that crimes involving firearms have increased 60% compared to last year, 2020, a year when almost all people, every one, stayed constantly isolated inside their homes? That doesn’t surprise me,” Wynne said. “Crime is still down compared to where we were 10 years ago, even five years ago, even three years ago, and we can’t use that as a justification to go back on our promise to commit to our communities.”
Both violent crime and property crime occur at a lower rate than they did at the same point in time five years ago.
Three years ago, in 2018, there was a higher rate of violent crimes by this point in the year, but less property crimes.
“I’m not convinced that the police needs this money,” Wynne said.
City council members thanked those who gave public comments and agreed that community programs that prevent violence are important, but did not allocate any additional funding or opt to change the way funds would be dispersed.
A full breakdown of funding for the Long Beach Safety Recovery Plan can be read online.
