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Long Beach Press Telegram Trouble spot in Long Beach Four gangs operate in West Side apartment complex By Wendy Thomas Russell Staff writer Saturday, November 15, 2003 - If the West Coast Crips gang had a headquarters, it would probably be here, at the Springdale West apartments on Spring Street. The 410-unit compound, surrounded by concrete walls and a security gate, is home to dozens of gang members and their families. When Long Beach passed an injunction against 21 members of the West Coast Crips gang six years ago, most of them lived here. Jason Noble, Springdale's 44- year-old program director, clearly remembers when the injunction took effect and was one of many who appreciated the effort. "We definitely knew it was going on,' he says. "It did help Springdale quite a bit. It dispersed quite a few groups.' Noble says gang members didn't stop causing trouble, but that their activities became more concealed. "It kept them from being visible,' he says. "A lot of people either moved on or just said, 'I gotta be low-key.' ' Sitting at his desk in Springdale's main office, Noble glances to his left, where a floor-to-ceiling window overlooks the complex's front courtyard. Outside, an argument between two women has escalated, and one is following closely behind the other, yelling angrily. Noble shakes his head and smiles. "We call this 'The Big Screen,'' he says. Indeed, Springdale has been the site of hundreds of shootings, robberies and assaults over the years. Situated where Spring Street meets the Union Pacific Railroad, the low-income housing complex, made up of dozens of pastel-colored buildings, is home to some 2,600 people. While Noble says crime has dropped in the last year, it's still a breeding ground for gangs. No fewer than four gangs operate within these walls, he says. Some of those named in gang injunctions are still here, too. On this day, a 26-year-old man named Shawn Lewis is visiting family at Springdale. He was one of three Lewises named in the '97 West Coast Crips injunction. His twin brother, Shaundray, and his cousin, Ira, also earned spots on the list of trouble-makers. When asked about the injunction, Shawn Lewis laughs. "Everyone was just throwing the paperwork around,' he recalls, adding that no one seemed to take it seriously. He says he doesn't believe injunctions stopped anyone's gang activities, whether selling drugs or shooting rival gang members. People who left the gang did so for their own reasons, he says, not because of the court order. "You get tired of losing people,' he says. "You get tired of going to jail. You get tired of seeing the same damn people.' Yet, it's clear that injunctions have become a permanent part of Springdale's lexicon. Eddie Sanchez, the site supervisor for Platte Security, which monitors Springdale's front gates, say his officers are constantly trying to keep rival gangs from getting in and resident gangs from starting trouble. He says Platte takes plenty of heat, and gang members are fond of saying: "The Crips have an injunction against Platte.' Noble, who has worked at Springdale for 10 years, walks a fine line. Some call him the Godfather, the Mayor and Uncle Jason. But he's also called the Snitch, the Insider. When he's not coaching varsity basketball part-time at Cabrillo High School, he's trying to get the complex's children involved in sports and interested in studying. He figures if he can keep them occupied after school, they'll be less likely to get involved in gangs, less likely to drop out of school. But it's an uphill battle. There's only one of him, and there are 950 children between the ages of 1 and 18 at Springdale. Most live in single- parent households. Many have gang ties the moment they're born. Noble says he tries to be a father figure to as many as possible, but he knows when to let go. When a boy crosses over to the gang life, Noble must sever the tie and focus on the children who haven't. It's the most painful part of the job, he says. As he looks over a list of the men on the West Coast Crips injunction, he recognizes many names. One has moved away, started a family and is doing well, Noble says. Another is still around, doing low-grade property crimes. A third, he says, had a chance to play baseball for the Oakland A's but blew his chances by dropping out of school and losing interest in baseball. "He's doing nothing now,' Noble says, with a tinge of bitterness. "He's doing zero." News Topics | Home | Research | History | Blood Gangs | Crip Gangs | People| Life in a Gang | Gallery | Iraqi Cards | Memorial | Migration | Graffiti | Resume| Injunctions Homicides | Maps | California Prisons | Contact

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