Tired of Ignorance...

Submitted this to LA Times in response to comment on the Homicide Report...hope it gets published...

@syscom3 – if I understand your argument correctly, you believe the ACLU and other Civil Rights organizations have taken away the power of government officials and agencies to correct the problems of street violence in Los Angeles (and I would assume throughout the U.S.). Also, you believe that gangsters are sociopaths and many family members are enablers of this or part-take in culture that promotes this.

Here’s the problem – the government and its agencies (LAPD and so on) seem unable to solve this problem or unwilling to solve it without violating basic rights. In fact, the current solution (high arrest rate, very few other services) does not solve it, but does get a lot of people paid, as groups such as Critical Resistance have documented (I am not part of that group, but have read their material). As long as most of the violence remains here in South Central, they seem to be content with it.

You have to remember, most of this was started by the very agencies that you claim are so eager to end it. I document this is my website, www.southcentralhistory.com. For example, the governments role in bring drugs into South Central has been well documented. Furthermore, violence has constantly been used by the authorities to control this area. For example, the authorities’ solution to the Watts Riots was bringing in the National Guard and killing civilians. The community solution to quell anger was to bring in MLK, who visited Watts soon after the riots (not for a photo opportunity mind you, but to actually talk to the people).

This idea that gangsters are sociopaths is illogical, and reflective of a cognitive dissonance that is wide-spread through-out this country. Today, the U.S. government released figures that said about 700 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year (about as many people as killed in LA County this year). It did not release the number of Afghanis killed. In Iraq, the amount of Iraqi people killed was about 1000 for every 1 soldier (informationclearinghouse.com). I don’t know if it is on that level, but U.S. government is responsible for killing more people each month than even the Grim Sleeper! If you claim these gangsters in the streets are sociopaths, they are only a small reflection of how the U.S. government acts. And in fact, a recent book called American Homicide by Randolph Roth (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/12/opinion/la-oe-rodriguez12-2010apr12) details that the homicide rate is not a reflection of poverty, race, or drug use, but is a reflection of how people feel about their government and the avenues that where they can earn respect (jobs, community institutions, ect.).

You are missing the big picture in this and you will not meet your goal of changing anything by commenting on dead people online. Their family members are not going to change or realize anything while they are in a great emotional state reading your ignorance. In fact, it only reinforces their beliefs. If you want to do something, deal with these people while they are living. I live here in South Central and I teach at Locke High School in South Central, and I have helped students get to college and I have also gone to funerals and seen everything in between. You can come volunteer with the live youth anytime you want, just let me know.

Woman Dies Across the Street

This happened back at the start of the month. The street was closed down and there were a lot of cops, but I did not know what had happened until much later. The woman was run over, and the trailer is still in the parking lot at the gas station. Very sad.

Back...

I have taken a long break from this blog. Prior to that break, I had already slowed down on posting, but during the summer, I choose to abandon it. I abandoned it because one of my students was killed at 101st and Main. That kinda rocked me. It got me thinking about a lot of things and made me think about the time I have spent in LA. It was a rough August. Right before he was killed a young man was killed at Western and Century, another down the street 109 and van ness, and another by a nearby park...then my moms was in a major accident in the Bay and was in the the hospital...There were several huge police responses to shootings in the area. Then in December, shooting and graffiti picked up because a "youth center" opened that sponsored dances that ended up attracting the gang bangers. Made me think that in the last few years I have been here, I can think of several murders that have happened here in my neighborhood. Two of which I heard the shots. May 06 - Man killed in the ally where my parking space is Dec 06 - Man killed at the Post Office across the street April 07 - Double homicide down Van Ness Christmas 07 - College student killed at Jesse Owens Jan 07 - Western and 108th - Hoovas set up a kid that just had joined a gang March 08 - Man killed across the street in the ally (see picture of message below Christmas 08 - 18 year old killed on Christmas Eve shooting up Van Ness August 09 - Man killed at Western and Century then another a month later

It is just sad that so much violence occurs here with so little purpose. It makes you feel powerless.

They keep saying that crime is going down, but the conditions don't change.