Mothers Brigade Helps Keep an Eye Out on Schoolchildren

Armed with walkie-talkies and whistles, four mothers kept watch Wednesday over their brand new beat: middle-school children making their way home in western Long Beach.

The neighborhood-based Mothers Brigade program, suggested last year by worried parents and supported by a $5,000 city grant, relies on volunteers to stake out residential street corners in a part of Long Beach where parents have reported older youths intimidating and robbing children.

Organizers say the brigade is scheduled to expand from four street corners to 10 or more next month when classes begin at Edison Elementary.

Neighborhood Watch activists conducted training sessions throughout the summer for about 45 volunteers who have signed up for shifts on the afternoon vigils, program co-coordinator Carroll Goddard said.

She said the group is still seeking an additional 100 volunteers.