I first visited Legends Sports Bar at Long Beach’s iconic Belmont Shore about 15 years ago.
The place was as advertised: walls of televisions showing local and out-of-town games, inexpensive drinks, sports memorabilia, a lively crowd and a buzzing atmosphere.
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It was the kind of place a Chicago Bears fan like myself could plunge into a beef dip to drown my sorrows after another 20-point defeat.
I remember thinking at the time how fun the locale and general Belmont Shore were. Safety and crime weren’t even a consideration.
That is not the case today, according to residents, business owners and politicians who say it’s a different scene in Belmont Shore, particularly along its 2nd Street thoroughfare.
In response to a city of Long Beach effort to tackle what residents are saying is an increase in crime, drunkenness and unregulated vending in Belmont Shore, four bars that normally operate until 2 a.m., including the popular eatery Legends, agreed to close at midnight.
I explored what’s going on and what solutions are being proposed in my latest article. Let’s dive into some of my notes.
Bloodshed on the shore
Jeremy Andrew Spears, 32, was shot and killed in Belmont Shore on Oct. 25. Police said Spears, the father of a 9-year-old boy, was involved in an altercation with other bar patrons, left the bar and was shot around 1:30 a.m.
The killing was the third homicide on 2nd Street in less than 18 months.
“His death was preventable because a year ago we had already seen two violent deaths related to 2nd Street bars and safer times were promised,” Belmont Shore resident Brian Cochrane said at a Nov. 11 City Council meeting.
Jeffrey Cozart, principal partner at the Belmont Athletic Club, said that “it’s pretty obvious what’s changed,” referring to the lack of police patrols in Belmont Shore.
“I’m not saying this in a negative way, I know there’s a shortage of policemen,” he said at the meeting. “Just please do whatever you can to get us more help.”
The changing Belmont Shore scene
Matt Peterson, the co-owner of Legends and president of the Belmont Shore Business Assn., put some of the blame on rogue buskers, or street performers, along with street vendors who are bringing in a “late-night component that really has nothing to do with the businesses.”
“They’re taking it to another level,” Peterson said. “They use amps and speakers, and they’re attracting people traveling through the district.”
Peterson said too many visitors don’t patronize the Belmont Shore bars and restaurants and instead get food and entertainment on the streets.
“They can stop by for food, music and can even buy booze at liquor stores and hang out for hours without any repercussions,” he said.
Is crime really on the rise?
Belmont Shore residents are angry over what they see as growing violence, but Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish said such crime fears are not backed by stats.
Hebeish said homicides and shootings were down 30% and 35%, respectively, from last year.
Spears’ slaying marked the first homicide in Belmont Shore this year and the second in the police’s larger East Patrol Division, a 24-square-mile area that covers about 46% of the city along with Belmont Shore, according to Hebeish.
He said there were seven such homicides in the division last year.
The next steps
The City Council has directed the city manager and city attorney to establish formal operating requirements for businesses along Belmont Shore, collect community feedback on the problem and create a late-night safety plan. The council directed staff to complete the tasks within 45 days.
Part of that plan includes determining the feasibility of reestablishing police walking beats and reopening the Belmont Shore substation.
The City Council is also asking for enhanced DUI checkpoints, more targeted late-night enforcement against buskers and vendors and a crime hot spot report from the city manager within 45 days that examines where the crimes are being committed in the area.
Time will tell if such efforts make a change along Belmont Shore. As for now, check out the full article here.
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