‘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.”