SEAL BEACH : Residents Fear Gangs Hanging Out at Pier

On a recent Saturday, just before dusk, three young men in black Raiders jackets and caps gathered near the beach tossing bits of a plastic foam cup at birds that dared land within pelting distance.

The sight was not out of the ordinary, but passersby gave the group a wide berth and tried conspicuously not to make eye contact.

“The jackets make them stand out like a sore thumb,” said Alex Holowitz, a Rossmoor resident who frequents the pier area with his two sons. “I am not saying they are gang members, but they are certainly not surfers, and that makes me nervous.”

Holowitz is not alone in his concern that a spot where he once brought his family to enjoy the sun and surf is becoming a hangout for gang members. Seal Beach officials said there is a growing amount of gang-related activity in the city, but it is the result of gang members traveling through the city, not taking root there.

“Our biggest problem is that we are pretty much surrounded by gang areas and they are coming into Seal Beach to enjoy the beach,” said Officer Charlie Castagna, who has worked with police and schools in neighboring communities to help thwart gang activity. He said Seal Beach has no gangs of its own.

Police reports for the last three months, however, show several incidents in which alleged gang members did more than play in the sand. In March, a couple was robbed while taking an evening stroll along the pier. Weeks later, another couple with their young child was approached by alleged gang members, but managed to avoid being robbed or assaulted. Last week, a woman was shot with a paint gun, allegedly by a gang member cruising by, as she walked down Main Street.

Graffiti, usually the work of gang members or “taggers” who like to paint their names for recognition, are also beginning to appear sporadically throughout the city, officials said.

“I think gangs are looking for a new area to terrorize,” said Councilwoman Marilyn Bruce Hastings, who has been sounding the gang alarm for several months. “When you see them standing around in their gang regalia, that is very intimidating,” she added.

Hastings said she would like to see the city add a canine unit to the police force that could be used to patrol the pier area, where much of the gang-related activity has occurred.

Police Lt. Kenny Mollohan said it is unlikely that the city would invest in a canine unit because of the cost--about $60,000 a year--and because the alleged gang activity is not as menacing as Hastings and other residents suggest.

“The issues of gangs is heightened tremendously because of activity that goes on in L.A,” said Mollohan. He said there have been no rival gang altercations in Seal Beach, or any indication that gangs are staking turf in the city.

Not all Seal Beach residents are worried. Judy Brower: “I don’t see why everyone wants to run and hide if there are gang members in our midst. They are people, too, and we have to stop automatically treating them like murderers and thieves.”