Joni Ricks-Oddie, left and Renette Mazza stands on the pathway of Deforest Wetlands in North Long Beach Monday, August 10, 2020. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova. When Renette Mazza moved to Long Beach from Washington in 2014, she bought a home in the Hamilton neighborhood, which felt safe. Her friends were shocked. “One person literally said, ‘Oh, you’re going to need a bulletproof vest,’” Mazza recalled. Mazza said she was perplexed at the notion that North Long Beach is still crime-ridden. It is home to a new library and has seen improvements to Houghton Park . A number of new residential and commercial developments are also in the works. Yet Mazza and other grassroots community advocates are battling more than reality: They are battling people’s perceptions. Mazza and Joni Ricks-Oddie, who moved to North Long Beach in 2012, have leading roles in two active local nonprofits––the Hamilton Neighborhood Association and the DeForest Park Neighborhood Association. They and others spearhead multiple programs and events each year in hopes of attracting more positive attention, and getting others invested in their community. Recently, the Hamilton group pushed city hall for more green space near the 91 Freeway. The DeForest Park nonprofit rallied […]
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