The Belmont Shore Business Association (BSBA) is calling on city officials to send more police, crack down on street-vending and noise problems, and better coordinate with business owners on Second Street after a deadly shooting on La Verne Avenue.
“I don’t think that there is one operator in The Shore that is content with the way things are right now,” said Matt Peterson, the BSBA president and co-owner of Legends Sports Bar.
Those frustrations came to a head recently in the wake of Oct. 25, when Long Beach resident Jeremy Spears, 32, was shot to death in the early morning hours after an altercation at a nearby bar.
Following Spears’ killing, which is the third in two years on or near Second Street, Councilmember Kristina Duggan suggested a midnight curfew for nearby bars and more DUI checkpoints around the area.
For members of the BSBA, like Candified’s co-owner Amy Mason, this isn’t enough.
“A curfew is only a partial solution to a broader issue,” Mason said.
In a statement put out by the BSBA last week, the board of directors “loudly and clearly” called for an increased police presence in the neighborhood and consistent enforcement of city ordinances, including open container violations, unpermitted food vending and excessive amplified music.
The lack of enforcement of these ordinances in the area is “allowing activity in Belmont Shore, later at night, especially on the weekends, that promotes an environment that just brings so much lawlessness,” said Peterson.
Increased police presence and enforcement of laws would not only mitigate disruptive late-night activities but also help address issues of homelessness and shoplifting in Belmont Shore, according to Peterson.
Duggan appears to have heard the feedback from the BSBA and others. In a City Council item she’ll present Tuesday, she goes beyond suggesting a curfew.
“Hundreds of residents have contacted my office with detailed accounts of late-night disturbances, public intoxication, and unsafe conditions. This feedback makes it clear that the situation in Belmont Shore is not limited to a few isolated incidents,” Duggan writes in the item.
In addition to crafting rules for a mandated midnight closure for bars, Duggan wants the city manager to see how much it would cost for the Long Beach Police Department to re-establish a substation in Belmont Shore and re-institute walking beats. The plan, she writes, should also include more DUI enforcement and a crackdown on public drinking, illegal street vending and other “nuisance issues” she argues are contributing to a volatile situation.
For example, Duggan says, something needs to be done about the trend of street vendors and sidewalk restaurants popping up outside bars, often after last call, when people leaving crowd around for something to eat.
“This has resulted in unmanaged crowds of intoxicated people in public spaces for extended periods, creating opportunities for conflict and further straining limited police resources,” she writes.
If a majority of City Council members back Duggan’s request at their meeting Tuesday, the city manager would have 45 days to come up with a “late-night public safety plan” for Second Street.
Mason, of Candified, said she also wants the city to collaborate better with the community. She suggested a coalition made up of city officials, business owners and residents.
“We all have to come together,” she said. “We all want to be a part of the solution.”
Mason wants police patrolling the area all the time, not just for a few weeks following an incident.
She also requested a comprehensive report from the police on crime along Second Street detailing when and where incidents have occurred over the past three to five years. When she requested these reports on Oct. 31, she was told she would get the information in a week, but that deadline was blown.
“We need enforcement that cares about this community like this community cares for Long Beach,” Mason said.
At the end of their statement, the BSBA board of directors said they don’t just want a safer Second Street; they want to make Long Beach, in general, safer.
“From uptown to downtown, from the west side to the east side, every community deserves to feel safe and supported. All nine council districts deserve walkable, vibrant neighborhoods that are welcoming and secure for residents, businesses, and visitors alike,” the statement said. “The association believes safety should not be a neighborhood-by-neighborhood debate — it should be a baseline expectation throughout our city.”