Activists to Hold March Against Gang Violence

Community activists gathered at the Wilmington Recreation Center on Tuesday to announce their intentions of taking back the streets from gangs that have contributed to a sharp rise in the local homicide rate.

Desiderio “D.C.” Chavez, organizer of the rally, said he and other activists hope to gather 1,000 people for a Nov. 1 march from Banning Park to support a campaign to end violence in the community.

“We don’t need gang violence. We don’t need the killing,” Chavez said. “We are calling on everyone to get involved in this march.”

So far this year, 42 murders have occurred in the Harbor area, which encompasses primarily San Pedro, Wilmington and Harbor City. There were 29 homicides in 1996, police officials said.

“The community far outnumbers the gangs,” said Los Angeles Police Officer Mario Cortez, who works in the Harbor Division. “One bad person on a block can terrorize the entire neighborhood . . . This is the problem we have here.”

After the Banning Park march, activists plan to meet with police officers and local officials to discuss what can be done to make the Harbor area safer.