GOOD Luncheon message includes subtle jabs at SB 1437

Photo by Claudia Gomez

DOWNEY - Gang’s Out of Downey (GOOD) held its annual luncheon last week, including a message from a former inmate who used his story to take subtle jabs at SB 1437.

The luncheon serves as a yearly fundraising opportunity, as well as a way to communicate the organization’s message.

The event saw several speakers, including Mayor Rick Rodriguez, newly appointed president Julie Garcia, 10-20 Club founder Darrell Jackson, and former GOOD president Captain Mark McDaniel of the Downey Police Department.

McDaniel highlighted the importance of the partnership between DPD and the community in their efforts to keep the city free of organized crime groups.

“The first Tuesday of every month, different stakeholders in Downey meet, collaborate, and share information that’s focused on making our community safe,” said McDaniel. “You will be hard-pressed to find any group such as this in any other city that has the ability to remain focused on their mission, which is to keep gangs out of our city.”

“Crime prevention, including keeping gangs out of Downey has to be a community effort.”

The luncheon’s Keynote came in the form of Ernest Caldwell, who gave personal anecdotes of his rough life on the streets that ended in redemption.

He also took the opportunity to seemingly speak out against recently passed controversial Senate Bill 1437 – which many in the community point to as the reason for the light sentence given to one of the defendants in the Officer Ricardo Galvez murder trial - although he did not mention the bill by name.

“If you do the crime, you need to do the time,” said Caldwell. “There’s going to be some that are going to be released because the governor wants to do it. I can guarantee it’s going to be a problem for us.”