By Michelle Stoia

Beach & Bay Press

Despite a relatively calm weekend, San Diegans are still reeling in the wake of the recent surge in gang-related violence in Mission Beach.   “We rarely go out at nighttime because of all the activity,” said Mission Beach resident George Rogers.  He cited smashed car windshields, overturned plants and an attempted theft of his bicycle as examples of incidents in his neighborhood over the past year.

“I can’t live in my own community anymore,” said former Marine officer Pat Gallagher, a Mission Beach resident for 60 years.  “I’m armed all the time after sundown.  I’m not afraid to shoot to kill, so I’ll protect myself.  No one stops me from walking anywhere,” he said.

Despite the increase of police in the area and the nighttime closure of the Ventura and Bonita Cove parking lots and the installation of gates, many residents see such emergency actions as only temporary answers.   “I saw them putting up the metal gate piping today and I was relieved,” said Diane Wall, a beach resident for the past 15 years.  “But I think it’s only a Band-Aid on the problem.”

The scope of the problem is not limited to just the Mission Beach and bay area.  Linda Lopez, president of the Pacific Beach Town Council, has expressed concern about the graffiti-covered walls and drug deals done out of cars, obvious signs that gangs have also infiltrated Pacific Beach.   According to Sgt. Joe Wood, supervisor of the San Diego Police Department’s gang detail, this is the third year that the beach has been an attraction for gangs.  In light of this continued popularity, citizens are seeking long-term solutions. “We want to see a comprehensive approach implemented; we don’t want a selective approach,” said Chris Rhoades, president of the Mission Beach Town Council.  “We don’t want to see the problem shift to another part or area.”

“The problem isn’t going to go away,” said Phil Bonham, owner of Management Alert Group.  “They’ve just moved to the beach.  It’s a high transient area, especially in the summer.  They’ve gone to where the customers are.”   Bonham, who counsels community residents, property owners and merchants about drugs and gangs, began tackling such problems in Southeast San Diego three years ago.  He said the key to eradicating the activity in the beach areas is awareness and cooperation between the people and the police.   “Increasing the police department alone isn’t going to solve the problem.  The people have to do something,” Bonham explained.  “What we see in a lot of communities is people who don’t want to do a damn thing.  They say ‘Hey, we pay taxes.  This isn’t our responsibility.”

One person who is doing something is Kurt Purcell, a Mira Mesa resident who refuses to allow gangs to prevent him and his family from enjoying the beach.  Purcell is the organizer and instigator of the “Movement To Take Back The Bay,” a grass roots organization which gathered Sunday, June 9 at the Ventura Cove parking lot for the first time in what they hope will be a series of family afternoons at the beach  and bay.

“We hope our presence contributes to a cleaner beach and bay,” Purcell said.  “A little effort goes a long way.  I think our presence will create a true partnership with the police.”   The “Movement To Take Back The Bay” is Purcell’s answer to the question of how to solve the beach area problems posed during Roger Hedgecock’s morning talk show on KSDO-AM radio on June 3. 

Purcell said he hopes the movement becomes the voice of many, not just  his own.“I thought the obvious was obvious,” Purcell said.  “We simply want to replace the vermin at the bay.”

Reprinted from

Beach & Bay Press