Recommendation to approve expenditure of $10,000 as a reward for information to solve the murder of Fred Taft on July 21, 2018.
Communication from Mayor Garcia, Councilwoman Mongo, Vice Mayor Andrews and Councilmember Richardson recommendation to approve expenditures of $10,000 as a reward for information to solve the murder of Fred Taft on July 21st, 2018. He was going to he was going to say, you just thank you. Let me. Say sorry. Okay. There we go. Thank you very much. Thank you, Madam Court. And I do want to just begin by making some comments. I had a chance to make these comments earlier to the public and to the family as well, who I know is here. I'll repeat some of them because they are they are important. We know that the incredibly tragic murder that happened in our community has been horrible to watch and unfold in our community. We know that the Taft family is here today and they deserve justice and answers for the murder of Fred Taft, someone that was a son and a father, a family member, a friend. And from everything that I've heard from family members and the community, someone that was very joyous and loved life, we're we know that the entire community mourns this tragedy. We also know that we're doing everything that we can to bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice. In this case, we're also and continue to ask the public to please bring any information possible to help bring justice to the Taft family and healing for the community. We have been working with L.A. County, the county of Los Angeles, and Supervisor Janice Hahn to put together a reward for any information that would lead our department to the arrest of whoever did this heinous and horrific act of hate. We want to ensure that we get this individual off our streets. And we believe and we know that with these reward, this reward that we're putting forward today, we hope we can make that even a reality sooner. The sooner the better. We are matching today the $10,000 that the county is putting forward. We will also put forward $10,000 for a $20,000 reward on information that could be helpful for us to catch the person that killed Mr. Taft. I want to of course, I appreciate everyone that was there earlier today at the at the press event, especially the family. And I want to thank County Supervisor Janice Horne for her support. This would not be possible without her and of course, of the department and particularly the detectives who are working on this case. I just want to thank them and I hope that this helps bring some additional additional closure and justice to this case. And so the motion there is a motion and a second I want to I know we have some folks that want to make some comments. So Councilman Richardson, who's made the motion. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just want to take a moment and express my deep, deep condolences to the family, to the Taft family. This was, you know, across kitchen tables and living rooms all across the city. People were just shocked by this incident. And I you know, I have to tell you, you know, this isn't this isn't the Long Beach that we want to represent. We want to make sure everybody knows that our parks are safe for everybody no matter what. You know what your ethnic makeup is, no matter what side of town you are in, we have to make sure that we are very clear about that. And so if there was anything more that we could do, I offer my office, my support to you. I want to thank Supervisor Hahn for stepping up and offering this this reward. I want to acknowledge to our police officers who've kept the council up to speed on this, and they've been sort of leaning forward and doing everything they can. And I want to thank the mayor for stepping forward and suggesting that the city council offer this additional reward. So with that said, I offer my condolences and my support. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Councilman Austin. Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. And also, I'd like to express my deepest sympathy to the Taft family. I had an opportunity to speak with you all a little earlier today, and we'll let you know that that this this myself and I think this entire council is with your family. We want to make sure that we are doing everything we can do. We give our P.D. all the tools and resources they have. They they need to work to bring this this monster who is currently on our streets to justice. These types of acts in public restrooms are violent. Acts are not, will not and cannot be tolerated in our city in any way. And I know there's been some some controversy over, you know, how we classify what happened. I can tell you that anybody who can, you know, use a firearm and take an innocent life in a public restroom has nothing but evil and hate in their hearts. And so. This individual has to be brought to justice. And so to the public, if anybody has any sort of information whatsoever, hopefully you're listening at home. Your conscience is is pulling on you. Please give our Long Beach PD a call. If you with any information you can to help solve this case. I'll be supporting this item enthusiastically. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Vice Mayor Andrews? Yes. Thank you very much, Mayor. First of all, I'd like to thank the Taft family for being here today. This morning, I had an opportunity to speak to these individuals, and I'm hopeful that with the approval of this fund, some will come forward. This family needs comfort and closure. And while they may never heal completely, knowing that someone is being held responsible for this senseless killing may help. I will keep this family in my prayers. And if anyone knows someone, something or someone, please come forward. Because definitely that may help. And I want to let every one of you know that this is something that we cannot tolerate. And we will do everything we can to bring this individual individuals to justice. Thank you very much. VEGA Councilman. Councilmember Pearce I just want to echo the same sentiments of my council colleagues and say that my heart is with you and that we are prepared to make sure that our PD has all the tools they need to find who did this and to make sure that you all also know what we're fighting to find this person and bring them to justice. The city is here to help support you. We have a great health department with mental health services that really help you whenever you're going through times like this. I know how hard it can be. So, yes, I'm extremely happy that we are putting together the resources to be able to track this person down, but know that even after they are found, we are still your family and we are still here to help you through this hard time. So thank you. Thank you very much. Councilwoman, at this time is our public comment on this item, which is the reward. Kate, seeing no seeing no public comment on the. Yes, please come forward. Good evening. Thank you. My name's Mary Ann Drummond. I'm in their district. And as a Long Beach citizen. And I'd just like to make a few points. One, of course, I think we can all agree that nobody, no family. Should go through. Something like this. Right. There's just. There are no words for that. And we need to really be standing up for that. And I really appreciate. What folks have said about standing behind. The family and doing. Whatever can be done. And I also want to resist the urge to minimize what happened, the the context. Of who and how long and at what time of day and with what nonchalance this all happened, right? I think in today's society. It's all with today's noise. It's easy to maybe get exhausted or. Want or even want to to look at it in the face and say. That's a lot to look at. But I think that in understanding that. You know, this is a white man in the middle of the day. Within seconds of Frederick Taft walking into that. Restroom. Is effectively executed. And he saunters out. Right. So this is I mean, that's if. That's just. Excruciatingly disturbing. Right. And I don't want that to be lost on folks. I don't want to see that being minimized. I am just really grateful and urging for your support on this, on supporting this to do whatever we can. And I also want to mention that. You know, like white supremacy activity like that and we tend to look at Charlottesville. Charlottesville is not. It's the tip of the iceberg. Things like this, things like that. Have happened all over and including in the Southland, so including San Bernardino and Santa monica. And there have been a lot of so the kinds of things that are brewing in general out there. This is a scary thing to have had it happen and. And potentially inspiring some of that. Sort of. Thinking. So at any rate. Thank you so much. And for taking this deeply seriously. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. Esteemed Council. Members. Mayor Garcia. Hello, I'm Shelley Walther, and I'm a member of the Lakewood Village community in Long Beach. I'm here to ask you to support the $10,000 reward to help find the man who murdered Frederick Taft at Panama American Park on the afternoon of July 21st. When I first heard that someone had been murdered. In broad daylight. In our neighborhood park and the racial circumstances surrounding. Surrounding the crime, I didn't want to believe that. Such a horrific act had been committed. I'm deeply concerned with the Long Beach Police Department's lack of response regarding the murder in our community. It seems like our community is doing. Most of the work. My Lakewood Village neighbors are unifying to support the Taft family and to stand against white supremacist hate acts. We're collectively seeing and hearing. Comments made by Long Beach residents in response to the murder. Such as. They're keeping out the riff raff. And our city is being taken over more and more. Which tells you the extent of racism that exists in Long Beach. I want you to know. That the majority of our community is unifying in love. And doing what is right by calling out hate and hopefully drawing out information about the killer. Many residents have started putting out the sign as a as a as unity to fight. Against the hate that we feel is brewing. It's painful knowing to. Go to Pan-Am Park now, knowing that such a hateful act occurred there and the killer is at large. I feel like I'm going to vomit as I approach that restroom. I see children of color playing in the park. Do they know that? What happened there? Do they know that they're in danger? It's been over a month since Fred Taft was murdered. Why, if a murderer is among us. Are my white neighbors and I not more afraid? Could it possibly be because my skin is the right color? Resources need to be considered, including asking the. FBI to. Investigate this as a hate crime. And to bring forward information about the killer. Himself. I hope the. City and the Long Beach Police Department will step up and take action against hate in our community. We have to be honest about the judgments that surround this case and not allow them to continue or to proliferate. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. Hello. My name is Vicky Yamashita. I am a 25 year resident of Lakewood Village and I live in the fifth District. I my home is about 100 yards away from Pan American Park. And from my driveway, I can actually see the restroom where Fred spent the last moments of his life. And like many Lakewood resident Lakewood Village residents, this is the place where. We. Very comfortably and without giving a second thought, took our kids to play, walked our dogs and taken even a late night stroll, feeling quite safe until very recently. And unfortunately, this park is never going to feel the same for those of us who have this relationship with them. But I don't want this to sound like it's about me, because this is not at all about my loss. This is about the loss of a family that is grieving and trying to grapple with what in the hell happened that day? On that day that was supposed to be a day of family celebration. I'm here tonight to ask the council to support the $1,000 reward. It sounds like I will be thanking you. It sounds like everyone is in support of this, but in hopes that this aids in the apprehension of this of this killer. I'm also here to. Ask people to. Go into. A place that's. Kind of uncomfortable, and that is to talk and think about race and how that affects all of us in our day to day lives. I'm asking for the Long Beach Police Department to provide as much transparency and information that they can without jeopardizing the case, of course, to support the Taaffe family and the residents of Lakewood Village and to assure us that all of the reported racist incidents that were surrounding this crime and the dates of the crime are taken into proper account. We're talking about some of the racist taunts that have been reported and some of the racist graffiti that has been documented there. Hate has no place in in Lakewood Village unless we let it. But what we need to do and be willing to do is to look at it really openly and transparently. And so to that end, I, too, have one of the signs that we have a smaller version and a lawn version sign. And this is a show of solidarity to the family and to the fellow residents to say that hate has no, no place here and that we want to look at this crime kind of with eyes wide open. In my closing statements, I'd like to say that if we're going to continue to grow as a community, everyone, the residents, the city officials and law enforcement must all be willing to lean in. Someone said that that phrase a few minutes earlier to talk to each other honestly and most of all to really listen to each other and even and especially when these conversations can make us uncomfortable, when we are talking around about topics such as race and white supremacy, I feel that this is the only way that a city like ours can have the full bragging rights for the diversity that so many of us cherish in the city of Long Beach. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good evening. Mayor and city council members. My name is Michael Swalwell, sir. I am the president of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach. I am a 30 year resident of Lakewood Village. I've passed through Pan American Park almost every day for the last eight years when I added a morning walk as part of my daily exercise . I walked before the sun came up, and every so often, late at night, I rarely worried about my safety. Then Fred tapped was murdered. Fred was a man. As am I. Fred was middle age. I am too. Fred was a grandfather. So am I. And I visit the park with my granddaughter. Fred was a responsible member of the community. I think the same of myself. But I feel no more afraid today than I did before Fred was murdered because that we have much in common. There is a crucial difference between Fred Taft and myself. Fred Taft was black and I'm white. If the reward being proposed is approved and it leads to the conviction of the white man seen leaving the murder scene, justice will not be fully served. That will only happen if the city takes meaningful actions to address the climate that encourages a hate crime such as this to occur. I'm not saying it's among everyone, but it is pervasive and it is present. And unless we think there isn't such a climate, I went to read a comment posted on the social media app Nextdoor in which people identify themselves. So this is not anonymous. It's a post that I find filled with misinformation and irrelevancy. I am all for fighting the killer. But putting up a tree or a plaque to commemorate the life of Fred Taft might be going a little too far. The year was that the family reunion was a blood family reunion. Did you see in the TV interview how the whole family was wearing red if he was an old gangbanger from years ago? I don't want to celebrate his life. I'm not trying to be mean. But I know he. Was because I know he was an innocent victim in this case. But how the gangs have destroyed every neighborhood they have been involved in, with all the drugs and the murders and the extortion and everything else they do. I'm just saying, before you put up a plaque, make sure the man was never part of all that. All right. A concert. Just what I want you to make sure. Mr. Good. Here's our last public speaker. I'm going to close the speakers list on this item. Okay. So, Mr. Jeans and then and then that's the final public speaker. I'm going to close the speakers list. I just want to be for Mr. Spencer. It's just to the just to the three folks that just spoke. I just want to thank you for coming forward and saying what you said, but most importantly, for standing up within your own community and saying what you said and being vocal about it within your neighborhood. That is not something that a lot of people choose to do. And I'm aware of the types of comments that are put on on that site and have read things equal to or worse. In some ways, that disgusts me, and I'm sure a lot of people should feel the same way. But but to the three folks that just spoke. You know, allies and people that support these types of conversations are so important and the work can't always be left to a community. And I think that that allyship is really, really important. And so I just wanted to thank those folks for come. And that was, I can tell, your passion there. So thank you. Mr.. Good to you. Larry Good. You. I've lived in Long Beach since 1977. And in all candor, I don't think I don't think I've ever set foot in that park or much of the northern parts of Council District eight or nine. But a few months ago and I forget what the crime was. It triggered by thinking on this. There was another crime. It was either in the eighth or ninth District and. The only time I would traverse through those areas would be on the blue line. And when you go up on the blue line, you're generally looking at your newspaper or reading and don't pay that much attention to what what's on either side of you. About it was about 18 maybe excuse me, about two and a half months ago when they had that MTA bus debacle from Artesia up to Rosa Parks, which stopped at every single corner, every red light, every intersection there was for three to 5 to 8 minutes and so forth in some cases . And as it is looking out there, I think it's the Mingus Hills area and so forth. And I had been reading about some crimes, and it occurred to me that the thought process is what would those people live up there? Be safer and be better off if they fell under the EGIS and protection. Of the county or whoever it is that is taking care of Dillinger's hills and those surrounding the surrounding areas. I don't know the extent of all the crimes up there, but I do know our police department is stretched thin, notwithstanding some very good management now. And so I think it's worthwhile taking a look. To see what how the best interests of the public that live there and have to deal with what's going on can be best served. And I think we should ask the city needs to ask itself some hard questions and would they be better with the better served? By. Having the Long Beach, the the county patrol, that area or some other paradigm. Other than Long Beach. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good evening, Diane. The jeans. I fully support this effort to. Put forward a word. It's about time. I absolutely support it. And I. Would invite you. The. Next time. If anyone has a criticism. Of the football. Players or whoever decides to sit or kneel during the National Anthem or the Pledge of Allegiance to Remember. This type of. Incident they're bringing. They're not being disrespectful. They're trying to bring attention to. This type of situation. It's horrendous. I can't even imagine how the family must feel. Not just. That he was murdered, but he was he was murdered. Because of his the color of his skin. And so when. I see these people. In fact, I. Personally. Normally do not stand. I continue my work and I sit because when the Pledge of Allegiance says, end justice, liberty and justice for all. And that was stolen from this gentleman. So every time any time you ever anyone that's watching this. Before you. Criticize someone sitting or kneeling. Remember, this is the type of incident that is the surrenders type of incident. That they are protesting. So please think think about it. And I absolutely support what you're doing. Thank you very much. Thank you, Miss Logins. There's there's a there's a motion and a second. I have some some councilmembers here. So, Councilmember Pierce. Thank you. And we want to thank everybody for showing up. And thank you for those that spoke today. And also want to apologize for, you know, the agenda item today was around the $10,000. And we have a long agenda will likely be here. So who knows when one or two. And so we just kind of plow through and say, okay, this is what we want to do. But part of the work that I care deeply about on this council, I know my council colleagues care deeply about is around governing, not just for equity, but for racial equity. And that we as a council have struggled with how do we talk about these conversations? How do we make sure that it's not just us up here, but that we are implementing a culture and a process that allows us to pause and talk about the one thing that I firmly believe if we govern for racial equity, everything else thrives, that if we govern for those that have been impacted by the police system, by hate crimes, by violence, by drugs, by all of that, that our entire city is going to be better for it. So I really want to thank you for having us pause. And I want to ask staff, I know that, you know, Councilmember Rex Richardson helped lead the Office of equity and I wanted to ask staff have just some follow up can be done in the community around facilitating some meetings around some of the hate crimes. I know that I've had hate crimes in my district in the past, but some process with the Office of Equity and maybe our Human Relations Commission where we can talk about a space for both of the communities to come together and identify, maybe there's just a little bit of a process that we could put in place there so that we can we can figure out outside of tracking down this person, are there some community events, some? I like your signs. I like the idea of signs that say Long Beach isn't a place for hate. You know, like just have us have that conversation so we don't let this moment pass us by without us taking the opportunity to talk about race a little bit more. My question. Thank you. Thank you. Councilmember a Councilmember Richardson. Thanks, Mr. Mayor. Just the just the question. Mr. WEST. So we've done rewards in the past. What were the levels on the rewards? The you know, in the in recent history. I believe we've matched what the county has done. The county's done. I believe that one reward at 25, one reward at 20. I believe. So. And then we match those. Yes. We basically took the lead from the county. Okay. I would say I remember a number of those and they just seemed higher. And and I do appreciate the county offering $10,000 for not limit it to stop at $10,000. If we wanted to offer a $25,000 reward, something like that. We have the ability to do so. Correct. Okay. Well, that said, I think that we should be very clear that we're not you know, it's a tricky assigning a value associated with someone's life is very tricky. So I think we should begin to talk about a standard when we issue a reward or a match for reward, you think about a standard. So what was the what was the amount on the last one? I'd like to get to that level. It was 25,000. It was 22 individuals. Okay. So if the council were like, I'm going to amend my motion to make our match 20,000 instead of ten. And we'll we'll go ahead we'll go ahead and accept that. I think what we've and I support that we've done traditionally, of course, is the county will tell us the number and then we'll match the county. But it's absolutely appropriate for the council to decide a number. And I think that that's a maybe a practice that we've done in the past. It should be change moving forward as well. Absolutely. So that so that just we make sure I have the motion on the floor. Councilmember it's. Did you say 20? Is it. From 22? From 10. To 20. Okay, perfect. Thank you very much. So we have the new motion on the floor, which is 20,000. See no other no other speakers. Councilman Mongo. Thank you. I want to appreciate my colleagues, both Mayor Andrews and Councilman Austin and Councilmember Richardson, for supporting this item with me. And I appreciate the idea of bringing the total reward up to 30,000. So 20 plus the ten. This has been a very, very trying time for the community. I appreciate those of you who have stayed engaged. I know that it has been a long process, but I want you to know that there is no limit to the amount of police investigative resources that have been put forward. At no time has anyone in detectives bureau been told they cannot do overtime if there's any lead that they have. Commander Herzog even updated me on Friday when I was at Memorial. That they were authorizing additional overtime for investigations that were necessary. And I know he's even put in some of his time out of another division. So the day we find this person will not come soon enough. Thank you for your continued efforts and keeping this at the forefront. Okay. Well, thank you very much. We have a we have a motion in a second for a $20,000 reward that will be match with what the county did earlier today. Please go ahead, members, and cast your vote. Motion carries. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. And again, I particularly want to thank the Taft family who I know is here, family and friends. So thank you again. I know you were with us earlier and we appreciate you being here again today. I know it's very taxing and we appreciate it greatly. So thank you. Let me go ahead and move on with with the regular agenda now. We do have, of course, before we start our hour meeting, we do have a continuation of the budget hearing. And so today for the budget hearing, we have harbor department, we have the water department, and then we will have further discussions on the budget. Obviously, the budget can be adopted tonight. It could also be adopted at the deadline, which would be next week. And so that would be the the option of the council that they'll be discussing a little bit later today. So we do have some for presentations and I know questions as well. And so we will begin with our harbor department presentation and then we'll go into a wider department presentation and we'll go into questions on on those