I have to admit, it is those type of comments or lack of that make me upset. I have always taken pride in Monrovia, purchasing my home here, when there were many houses in neighboring cities. I like Monrovia, but for the last year or little more, I have seen a decrease in the care given by the city offices. We have called different departments(not all for complaints) and we are given the "run around", we have tried to address the trash, the shopping carts, and even accidents and to no resolve things don't change. As a resident, tax payer, parent I am upset that this particular thing has been swept under the rug. The students at the high school are a buzz about it, yet the district just says we're increasing security at all schools. I have not seen any at any schools (and I visit 3 daily).. The police say nothing. And Dick Singer said in the Monrovia weekly "It is not a Monrovia thing, it is a regional thing". I won't bore you on this blog as I have already spoken my mind on another, but I encourage people to read it and pass it on, I have told everyone I know to read it look it up on the web if you have to. He references "DOWN THERE" as the area where the recent problems have occured, yet Cypress as I know it runs behind Rite Aid, Taco Bell and Smart and Final, that really isn't too DOWN THERE. Students and families at Santa Fe or Plymouth don't say I have to go to school "down there". Nor are the new homes centrally located on Duarte Rd/California Rd Down there, that will not be the selling point if the realtor tries to use it. Again, I don't live in that area and I am offended that the city continues to use the verbage Down there and unincorperated area. We know where the area is, you can use descriptive words such as 1 block south of Huntington, or 3 blocks south of Duarte. If the victims attend MONROVIA SCHOOLS, if the victim had a MONROVIA address then it is a Monrovia problem. If you can't help fix it (which I know is not an instant fix) but if you believe it is not a Monrovia problem to fix and you can't help be part of the desired results than please step down from your city position so that someone that can... will.

Don't really agree that the results were due to a particular city council tossing money at a problem. Can guarantee you that any jurisdiction is going to pay the needed OT to cover a significant investigation like this. Be it Diamond Bar or Monrovia. The conclusion to this case was the result of hard work and good follow-up investigation by officers/deputies from different agencies. You acknowledge that toward the end of the piece. Monrovia and Duarte are working toward the same goal.

MidMonrovia there are 2 "monrovia's" whether you want to acknowledge it or not. It bothers me we have to spend our tax money to correct the problems in the unincorporated county part using "monrovia" as a mailing address to suit the Postal Service. It has to be done as the county has bigger problems elsewhere. It has to be done to get what goes on within the city limits back in check.

The bigger problem is that we are spending THOUSANDS of dollars on redevelopment and consultants to the redevelopment. Don't forget land acquisition...some 20 properties have "offers out" as discussed in the last council meeting. All that money would be better spent resolve our crime problems before we increase our population close to 50%.

Spend the money on education, gang prevention and of course better staffing our police department. Until we do that our police department will continue to be outgunned, out numbered and underpaid.

Please get off the Dick Singer kick already. He's just a paid employee, not an elected official. All he does is write up the news city hall wants you to see with the spin they want on it.

Work with the rest of us frustrated with how city hall, especially the elected officials, to speak up and get things changed. Apathy is what the current regime counts on and we need to be activists.

I agree with you on a few points however, though you want to believe we have 2 Monrovia's I have students with peers across the city limits, so to many as they enter the ONE and only high school no cares which Monrovia you are from. If there are 2 Monrovia's one North of Foothill and the rest. I as I state am in Mid Monrovia, so I don't know which one according to you, I would belong to. And Singer while a paid employee, as we all are for our jobs, takes the fall with the administration, that is the way it works, sad but true. The Bush and Co. have failed (911 commission, katrina) and someone has to take the fall and if the fearless leaders don't admit failure than their paid employee's do. That's how it works.

There are two monrovia's.

One is the incorporated within the city limits that we through our elected officials are responsible for. Check out a Thomas guide or some other source what is incorporated and what is not.

The unincorporated part is county responbility. From what I see and read we are even have to spend money there on problems that are not in our city limits to keep it from spreading and festering within our city limits. Sad state of affairs when we have to do the county job instead of spending money within our own city limits.

Think about that time we have to vote for county supervisors...are they doing their job with the county residents outside our boundary?

To seperate between north of foothill and south is idiotic. Look at North Primrose those folks have literally had to stand on their heads and create a media circus to get heard. They still have only managed to get a little of what they want to fix their problems.

MHS and MUSD absorbs kids from outside the city limits. So what, we get tax money from the state to do that. Doesn't make them citizens of Monrovia, but in many cases, great MHS and MUSD students. At that point it matters not one wit where they reside as they are part of the student body that MUSD get's state funding for.

The more important thing is that people stand up and go to city council meetings and speak up on what they feel is an imporant issue. I have. Can you say the same?

This was taken from the Editorial Blog "Monrovia residents get City Hall's attention
North Primose Avenue residents had a meeting with city officials about speeders on their street. Mayor Rob Hammond showed, and action and promises were made. Resident Robert Parry views the meeting's results as positive, and includes a picture of the ramped up enforcement."
Now I see why "South" Monrovians think MPD can't handle the gang violence. Good job Mayor & Chief Johnson.

I agree! I live just south of Foothill and since the Beautifully scaped Colorado Commons have errected so have many one way and stop signs on Primrose. Now, every car and please dont respond no they dont.. Every car that needs to get to Foothill during AM/PM traffic takes Magnolia and or Alta Vista. There is an accident (check the police logs) monthly. I have witnessed and assisted in accidents, animals being ran over, and kids nearly hit. Alta Vista is also the one corner near Monroe Elementary School that does not have a crossing gaurd. Don't get me wrong, I applaud those N Primrose folks for doing what they need to do, however if WE ALL did that we would have a circus all the time. Perhaps, the mayor, city planners, and police need to reassess ALL areas of Monrovia to better fit our 42,000 going on 100,000 population. (In other words they want us to grow up faster than we are ready!) Sounds like kids stuff.

I was at the last council meeting where the mayor and chief addressed the gang issue and did it well.

In the mean time other issues also have to be dealt with and are. They might not be right about everything and the gang issued should have been publicly addressed way sooner, but they are giving it their attention now.

Local Boy

I was at the last meeting at city hall and both the mayor and police chief made very passionate speeches to get involved and help them solve the problems. The committed whatever was needed to resolve the gang problem.

It would have been nice to have some specificity to those resources being allocated so we knew more precisely what is going to be done and how long we will be under siege.

What are Monrovia's demographics? I'm southeast of Monrovia and always (maybe mistakenly) thought it to be a city with a higher percentage of white and asian residents (compared to other SGV cities).

I mention this because I'm impressed by the amount of civic involvement. I wonder if Monrovia is one of the last cities standing?

Help me understand.

Usagain: according to zipskinny.com Monrovia is 47% white, 35% hispanic,8% black and 7% asian. I don't know what that has to do with a couple of fringe groups going to battle over race but there you go.

Frazgo:

What intrigues me is the civic response to the problem. Sadly, many other SGV cities lack the same type of civic participation. This can be partially understood in terms of depth of cultural engagement and other related social indicators (e.g., education level, income level, homeownership, etc.).

While presumably equally frustrated, I wonder if any racial group has been more visibly vocal about the need to crack down?

Is there Latino leadership in the neighborhood? Latino Preachers and Priests with some suasion in the community? Or has the response been mostly from white community members?

I think these are questions worth asking, no?

I agree with you and sadly I believe the white people are scared to speak out due to retaliation. I also think the demographics are broken down by area Ie.. above Foothill, they are not really speaking out about the gang or crime in our city, they are concerned with traffic on thier otherwise quiet streets.

First of all, I also live in "Mid-Monrovia." Since my kids went to Santa Fe, we've gotten to know lots of great families in the unincorporated part of Monrovia. Some of those people actually have Arcadia addresses and their children still attend Monrovia schools. But, who cares? Why are are we getting into that at all? Frankly, I don't care where the kids getting shot at live. I don't even care whether or not they are affiliated with a gang or not. I just care that children are getting shot. That's the problem we have to fix. How do we keep all kids from getting lured into gangs, not just our own kids. I have seen so many good kids turn into problem kids and it speaks volumes about our society and the future of our country. This is the issue we need to start talking about. We need to start by educating not just the kids, but the parents who really don't know any better about gangs and the strong pull a sense of belonging can be to an adolescent.