‘I just keep walking’
Andrew Glazer & Greg Risling
* EDITOR’S NOTE: The names of the children quoted in this story have been
changed to protect the innocent.
COSTA MESA -- Twelve-year-old Joey knows there is a boundary on Shalimar
Drive.
So does Joey’s younger brother, Tony. He points to a mailbox halfway down
the street, near where Wallace Avenue ends.
“That’s where the gangbangers hang out,” he said as he pushed off on his
skateboard.
The children who live on Shalimar Drive imagine there is an invisible
line that exists on their street. On one side, south of Wallace, their
parents let them roam free in the streets during the day. Families share
tidbits about neighborhood gossip while children play games after school.
But on the other side of Wallace, the street is a haven for gang members,
residents said. Just this week, a 16-year-old boy hanging out in the area
was shot in the chest. Police have determined that the shooting was
gang-related and are looking for the gunman. The victim is recovering at
Hoag Hospital.
Some of the kids don’t mind talking about the “element” the city has
tried to reduce and eliminate. The city has attempted to curb gang
activity over the past 10 years -- cracking down on drug dealing,
creating neighborhood watch programs and erecting concrete bollards that
block off traffic.
Police say the efforts have paid off, although gang activity will
probably never be eradicated completely.
“Any gang crime on your street is too much,” said Costa Mesa police Sgt.
Clay Epperson, who heads the department’s gang unit. “Luckily, our city
never got into that spiral of violence that some other places
encountered.”
A number of gangs have become extinct, unable to operate effectively
within city limits, Epperson added. Police have also noticed a drop in
violent crime related to gangs.
However, there have been some notable events, albeit very few. There were
three shootings last year that were considered gang-related. One involved
the death of a 15-year-old girl and her unborn baby. The gunman,
18-year-old Eduardo Guerrero, blindly fired into the garage where the
victim lived with her family, police said. The teenage girl was killed
and her baby, which doctors tried to save, also perished. Guerrero is
awaiting trial.
The children who live on Shalimar understand that the gangs aren’t too
far away. Some speak openly about the neighborhood gangs and their
influence on the community.
But other kids take the Fifth.
Roberto, 14, watches a guy walk by in dark clothing. His hair is slicked
back. The two lock eyes for a moment.
“I don’t know anything about gangsters,” he said.
Seven-year-old Eddie says he occasionally hears gunshots piercing the
quiet of night, rustling him from his sleep. He says he has problems
falling back asleep.
But Eddie’s older brother stands proud and says he’s not worried about
gang members.
“I’m not scared,” he said. “They don’t bother me. I just keep walking.”
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