Offensive LBPD Memorabilia Scrubbed

This story is an update to the Beachcomber story – “LBPD Officer Corrupts the Challenge Coin” - published online on Aug. 28.

That story exposed ownership of the ClearHotGear website by LBPD officer Salvador Villa – selling what was described as the “LBPD Totenkopf SS challenge coin” to memorialize the “2020 Long Beach Riots.”

Alice Caldwell Kelly, a U.K. based anthropologist who investigates police culture worldwide, labeled the coin a “cursed artifact” associated with Hitler’s SS and white supremacy movements that have emerged in the United States since WW II.

Two days following publication the Beachcomber learned that the website had been cleansed of all “cursed artifacts” identified with the LBPD and in their place a “sold out” sign was imbedded on the web page.

[Editor’s Note: See series of photos posted above. Use arrows to change to other coins mentioned herein.]

Other “cursed artifacts” identified with the LAPD and the Sheriff’s Department remains on the web site, despite the LAPD’s public statement that the L.A. City Attorney was in the process of issuing a cease and desist order to Villa and his ClearHotGear business.

The “About Page” on Villa’s web site also underwent a partial scrubbing.

A small portion of what was reported as the “pilfered and plagiarized writings of Vernice Armour – the first African-American female naval aviator in the Marine Corps and the first African-American female combat pilot in the U.S. Armed forces – was removed.

The part removed was the sentence in which Villa manipulated her words in a manner that made it appear that the enemy (war in Iraq) was trying to shoot Villa’s attack helicopter out of the sky, rather than Armour’s.

However, the “About Page” changes did not remove all of Armour’s writings nor did Officer Villa credit her writing; a liability as well as an ethical omission also reported in the original Beachcomber story.

Web Page Scrubs So-Called ‘LBPD Approved Coins’

Also scrubbed from Villa’s ClearHotGear website were the three less-offensive challenge coins [pictured above] that were advertised as “Approved by the LBPD.”

The Beachcomber asked the LBPD on Aug. 24 to confirm or deny that the department in fact approved the coins – as represented by Villa. The LBPD administration did not respond.

Calls to Villa’s business were also not returned.

Facebook Page Scrubbed

In the original article the Beachcomber also reported that information was found on the ClearHotGear website that connected to the Facebook page of an individual identifying himself as “Chavo Villa” and that the newspaper found postings related to “Chavo’s” new job as CEO of ClearHotGear, as well as financial postings represented as being related to the on-line business.

As of Sunday, Aug. 30, that Facebook page too had been altered.

The above embedded link goes to the same Facebook page but the “Chavo Villa” identity has been changed to “Alex Allende “and most of all the postings related to ChearHotGear have been scrubbed.

Apparently the only change that has not been made to the webpage is the “chavo.villa” portion of the Facebook link.

The Four Geographical Corners of the LBPD

In the Aug. 28 article the Beachcomber reported that “Sunshine Sports” headquartered in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho – a wholesale source for unoffending LBPD memorabilia advertised on the LBPOA website also wholesales LBPD specific products including the four challenge coins pictured above, each of which represents one of the four LBPD geographical divisions.

Each of those coins fit the violence-oriented “cursed artifact” category.

The “Four Corners of the LBPD” challenge coins are advertised on a special Long Beach Police page on the Sunshine Sports webpage.

LBPD K-9 and Boat Operations

Of the ten total challenge coins advertised on the Sunshine Sports LBPD webpage, two others – in addition to the Four Corners coins – fit the “cursed artifact” category; one associated with the LBPD K-9 unit and the other with LBPD Boat Operations. [Pictured above]

Sunshine Sports does not advertise a wholesale or retail price and there is no on-line method for purchase.

Calls to Sunshine Sports were not returned.

An email to the president of the LBPOA asking if the police union headquarters store retailed the Four Corner, K-9 and Boat Operation coins to the LBPD rank and file was not returned.

The LBPOA president, Rick Chambers, did respond to an email prior to publication of the Aug. 28 story and stated that he had never before seen the 2020 Riot Totenkopf SS challenge coin prior to seeing it in the Beachcomber’s email requesting comment.

This writer, aware that many police departments employ inspection methods known as a Command Accountability Audit List that is designed to identify and expose attitudes and behaviors within the ranks (associated with possession of items like the “cursed artifact coins,” offensive and unprofessional signature apparel, uniform patches and/or wearing violence-oriented gang tattoos like those uncovered in the Sheriff’s Department) sent an email to the LBPD administration and asked for a response to the following:

“The website Sunshine Sports has a special LBPD Page. Many of the coins on the web page are offensive and not in keeping with a professional police organization. The Beachcomber would like to know if the LBPD has conducted audits and inspections of command staff and the rank and file to insure that the Sunshine Sports coins are not being sold and distributed inside the department or by the LBPOA, which does sell some Sunshine Products at the POA store.”

The LBPD did not respond.

Stephen Downing is a resident of Long Beach and a retired LAPD deputy chief of police.

stephen.beachcomber@gmail.com

Greg Buhl, a Long Beach attorney, writer and research analyst, contributed to this story.