Canceled picnic costs Long Beach good will - Long Beach Press-Telegram

LONG BEACH - Residents of the Central Area who were heading to Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Sept.3 were greeted by a large sign that read "LB Com Picnic Cancelled."

For those who came expecting live music, bounce houses, clowns, facepainting, free haircuts, school supplies, celebrity guests, dancers, a softball game and the "tons more" promised on fliers posted around town and on Facebook, it was quite a letdown.

People such as Jeanetta Wolfe, who was looking forward to bringing her son Daniel to the Saturday event to play and have his face painted.

Wolfe said she saw the sign saying the event was canceled and kept driving, disappointed.

"I've been to (the picnics) in the past, but I didn't have a child," she said. "Now I do, so I was looking forward to that."

Lee Ann Segan and her sister Carrine Moore had planned to set up a booth and hand out resource material to families of kids with special needs. They are co-owners of a company called the Behavioral Consultant Network, and Segan said they are always eager to attend community events where they can offer help and advice to parents and families.

But Segan says, "When we arrived there was too much going on with police and stuff."

Like Wolfe, the sisters kept on driving.

Whether this was a police and city crackdown, or an event with good intentions gone awry, depends on to whom you talk.

What seems certain is that communication was poor

For four years Billy Brown and his "extended family" have held increasingly popular Long Beach Community Picnics at El Dorado Park in the Willow Grove area, and it has become a popular summer gathering event for Central Area residents.

As Brown tells it, the event has always been geared toward kids and intended to promote family values and togetherness. In past years, it included entertainment on the stage there.

As the fifth celebration approached, Brown says Councilman Dee Andrews told him "it's time to bring it to King Park."

"I said, `No, problem."' Brown recalls.

As it turned out, the problems were just beginning.

Andrews said he certainly supports the idea of picnics at the park and particularly giveaways of school supplies to children. What he said he didn't realize, was the scope of Brown's vision.

"It was a misunderstanding," Andrews says. "(Organizers) put the cart before the horse."

Brown hotly denies this, saying he explained to Andrews' office exactly what he wanted to do.

He says they told him they had made a special request for the music.

Although Brown was granted a permit, city officials say what he needed for a big event with live music and an anticipated large crowd was a "special events permit."

And that, with required police presence and city services, adds thousands of dollars to the bottom line.

Brown says he wasn't told about any of this until he received a call on the evening of Sept. 1, from George Chapjian, the director of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine, telling him the permit wasn't valid.

"His permit said it was for a family picnic, but he was going to have a live band and a DJ," Chapjian said. "Because of the nature and size of the event, he needed a special events permit."

Chapjian said the amplified music and expected number of attendees would have an impact on the overall park and community in general, triggering the "special events permit."

Brown says he is mystified why this was never brought up until the eleventh hour.

"They kept comparing it to (the annual celebration that follows the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade)," Brown said. "It's nothing like that."

Chapjian said he offered Brown the contact number to obtain the permit and had a staffer ready to assist.

Brown says he called and learned that even if he had the money required, there was no way he could go through the complicated process required.

"It was a no-win situation all the way around," Brown said.

The director of parks also said the police had told him they had concerns about safety because of the involvement of a Long Beach rap group, P.E. Boyz, who was among the sponsors of the event and displayed on the posters promoting the event.

"If the police say we have a concern, then I'm going to listen to them," Chapjian said, adding that they didn't ask him to cancel.

Brown says he suspects that was the real reason for the heightened concern and the raising of the special events permit.

The P.E. Boyz are a local rap group that is popular and prominent on YouTube and purportedly has ties to the Baby Insane Crips gang.

With the event occurring in the shadow of an ongoing murder trial in which a member of the Baby Insanes is accused of killing an innocent bystander in a gang dispute, it is speculated that police may be particularly wary.

Martin Luther King Jr. Park has been the site of gang altercations in the past, although residents say tensions have eased.

Brown, who is himself a parent, says the notion of danger is ridiculous and that he would never put children, particularly his own, in harm's way.

"You say people are going to come and hurt their own?" Brown said. "That's ridiculous. Nothing negative has ever happened, but they decided to come along and p--- on this parade. That's wrong."

Kelvin Anderson, owner of VIP Records, which just happens to provide the background for some P.E. Boyz videos, also scoffed as the public safety concerns.

"They need to quit that," Anderson said of the police. He said that he hasn't seen violence following the P.E. Boyz.

Andrews said that while gang violence may be down, there are still others looking for trouble.

Brown said the band was only going to be at the event to hand out school supplies.

As it turned out, members of the group came out and passed out about 20 backpacks to kids.

"They only brought 20 backpacks. In this neighborhood? Come on," Andrews said.

Despite the signs and police presence, more than 100 people went to the picnic and cooked and celebrated.

Andrews said he would love to have the event next year at the park with the proper permits in place.

"The intention was really, really great, we just couldn't let it happen," he said.

Brown isn't mollified and said he is considering legal options against the city for breach of contract.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

11 Sep, 2011

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