In the industrialized world, the state of a country’s economy is constantly measured with words that seem to allude to something alive. For example, the economy can be referred to as something that is either suffering, healthy, or in a state of recovery. The stock market specifically, allows us to gauge the health of an economy as if it were a thermometer of sorts, providing the “temperature” of a financial system. Though the stock market is not necessarily an accurate assessment of economical health, it is nevertheless insightful. One has to wonder, what if we were capable of monitoring the health of an issue such as the safety of our city as we are to do with out economy. While criminal statistics are surely available, perhaps we can explore beyond mere numbers, the status of crime in Los Angeles at this juncture of the year.
In what is still a very early point of the year, multiple incidents have raised alarm and have forced many to wonder whether or not there is an upward trend in crime. So far this year, from a citywide perspective, there has been a 22% increase in homicides, perhaps not a stark revelation for anyone following Los Angeles news so far this year. In fact, there have been 55 homicides thus far, whereas at this point last year there were 44. In South L.A., there have been 19 homicides, whereas at this point last year there were 14. Two areas that are particularly impacted are the Southeast and Northeast regions. In Cypress Park yesterday, a drive-by attack was followed by a wild shootout between gang members and police, resulting in dozens of blocks being shut-down for several hours. According to an L.A. Times article written about this occurrence, “The city’s Northeast Division, typically far from the most violent in the city, already has eight homicides this year, more than any other,” police said. At that rate, the division would far eclipse last year’s total of 18. It is believed that Avenues and Cypress Park gangs are responsible for the rise in crime affecting this part of the city. Gang-related incidents in Monrovia recently prompted Monrovia police Captain Rick Miglia to admit a lack of understanding in regards to the recent escalation in violence. Also recently, the unfortunate death of Randall Simmons represents the first SWAT officer to be killed in the line of fire in the unit’s nearly 40-year history.
Making these recent events additionally alarming is the fact that, to begin this year, Mayor Villaraigosa (featured left), Police Chief William Bratton and Councilwoman Janice Hahn publicly announced that the past year witnessed a drop in homicide rates to a level unseen in 37 years, a commendable announcement for a city that is often associated with crime.
It is difficult to accurately ascertain how one era compares to another. Surely, there are enough gaps in historical records and variable reporting practices that would make it difficult to develop an unassailable index of criminal activity. Therefore, while levels of crime had indeed improved as of last year, Mayor Villaraigosa’s recent claims, in which he states that Los Angeles is currently safer than it was 40 years ago, seems a bit overstated (though there are numbers that may perhaps be interpreted to support his claim). Nevertheless, reports of lowered crime before 2008 are still nowhere near polemical.
So, the question remains, how indicative has 2008 been thus far, in providing a notion of whether crime is rising or not? Howard Uller, a longtime director of gang intervention and prevention programs at the Toberman Neighborhood Center states, “I would personally wait until the first quarter of the year is done, at this point, it is simply too early to tell.” Allowing one quarter of the year before making any real assessment bears a resemblance to how a public company reveals its earning statements for quarterly periods of the year. Also agreeing that it is still too early to reach any conclusions is Jill Leovy, who maintains a Homicide Report blog for the L.A. Times, in which she attempts to chronicle every homicide that occurs in L.A. County. “Last year, homicides fell all over the county to its lowest level in years. Although, some areas continue to be affected more than others, so the crime drop doesn’t feel as significant there. It remains to be seen whether the trend-line will head up this year,” says Jill Leovy.
Be that as it may, if a cause for an alleged rise in crime is sought at this stage of the year, one explanation commonly given for the recent rise in homicides points to the economy, perhaps especially for areas disproportionately affected by unemployment and foreclosed homes. Historically, if we do take the approach of focusing on crime with an economical framework, no other era provides a stronger case than the Great Depression, a time at which there were large numbers of alarming reports referring to a “crime wave” that was said to be sweeping the country. However, even if we entertain a strictly economic correlation to crime, which would be a myopic correlation at best, it is difficult to assess whether the economy has produced a clearly identifiable effect on the safety of Los Angeles. Furthermore, the Depression era provides additional insight that may prove relevant to our current efforts to minimize crime.
According to the Journal of Urban History, in order to prevent potential juvenile crime at a time of such great economic hardship, local councils, based in high-schools across Los Angeles, were formed to address the fear of increased crime. Known as the Los Angeles Coordinating Councils, these groups offered such programs as toy loan libraries, youth clubs, social casework services and camping trips. It is noteworthy to mention that these services were being performed at a time when J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI crime policy typically viewed criminals as subhuman sociopaths and thus treated crime from a reactionary standpoint only. These coordinating councils, sustained by New Deal funding, enjoyed significant success during the 1930’s, though their impact would ultimately be limited by the gradual neglect of people of color and working class whites.
Interestingly enough, and perhaps much to the surprise of those with derisive opinions of police officers, prevention and intervention groups do not seem to be entirely antonymous with law enforcement. Los Angeles seems to be registering increasing amounts of involvement between police officers and their assigned communities. One such region involves the community serviced by the 77th Street Police Station. It is community involvement, precisely, that may provide hope for the containment of violence.
In a recent incident, a respected member of the East Side Crips was murdered, resulting in 4 homicides, 10 shootings and 17 wounded, all within 48 hours. Pat Gannon, who commands the 77th Street Police Station, points out, “this same member of the East Side Crips, wounded in an incident two years earlier, spawned a backlash that consisted of 25 shootings. Most significantly, the retaliation period lasted several weeks,” says Commander Gannon. Faster containment the second time around was made possible by extensive communication with various community sources, which is further explained by another incident. In late November, 2005, a shooting near 77th Street Police Station resulted in nearly 20 shootings within a five hour period. At that time, 200 police officers were assigned to attend to the situation.
Making matters worse were the rumor mills. Rumors spark shootings to take a life of their own, often becoming a type of feeding frenzy. Rumor control, or the lack thereof, is crucial in such situations. “At that time there was no one else to reach-out to”, says Gannon. He also recalls, “When I moved up to be captain, there was nothing resembling a gang-intervention program at 77th Street. Now, when a particular situation arises, we have watch commanders, who are required to notify gang intervention groups that work with the gangs involved.”
Commander Gannon also states an important distinction, “We put watch commanders on notice to inform them of what we see in the community so that they may then work the streets. However, they don’t work for us, it is more of a mutual respect.” This distinction is important. Gang interventionists, in order to maintain their “license to operate” on the streets and in order to retain the trust of the gangs they work with, can never become officially associated with a police department. However, a more loose-type of collaboration can be crucial to stopping violence that may otherwise spiral out of control.
Recently the L.A. Times ran an article speculating that gentrification in Los Angeles was one particular cause for a drop in crime in recent years. However, in areas like Watts, a community where gentrification does not exist, the positive results are most likely the result of hard-core gang-intervention and prevention and the involvement of community leaders and police officers assigned to the area. One such intervention group that works hard to maintain peace is the Watts Gang Task Force, which was brought into existence as a result of the first incident involving the member of East Side Crips, which proved to be a poignant event for the community of Watts. Councilwoman Janice Hahn has performed considerable work towards improving interventionist and prevention efforts. Other groups in Los Angeles notably involved with intervention and prevention efforts are the Toberman Neighborhood Center (which I have recently written about) and another group known as Homeboy Industries (which I will soon cover in a separate article).
However, while these are still areas plagued by low economics, Commander Gannon reminds us that violence is still something we are going to witness. However, despite the recent rise in homicides, Commander Gannon points out that focusing only on the number of homicides can be somewhat misleading. “As far as statistics are concerned, while homicides have indeed shown an increase thus far in 2008, I also look at the number of shooting incidents overall, which is still lower than last year, and seems to indicate that there isn’t an upward trend of violent crime overall. However, it is still too early in the year to know for certain.”
While gang intervention programs have existed for some time, the L.A.P.D. has operated mostly with a suspicious mentality towards these programs. Because gang intervention programs are mostly staffed by former gang members, most officers, until recently, have been hard-pressed to disassociate these individuals from their previous gang-involvement. As commander Gannon points out, “For many officers, it didn’t sit very well that these gang interventionist were once part of the problem.” While acknowledging that this bias had to be overcome, recent successes and continued support in the world of law enforcement are proving that this biased mindset has begun a gradual disintegration. Aside from being a victory for the community, this is also thus a testament, perhaps, to the evolution of police practices and their response to gang activity.
So now, with the efforts of community members, police officers and gang prevention programs, though the collaborative nature of their work may still find itself in an embryonic stage, their commitment, as residents of a city that faces ongoing threats of precarious violence, just may be poised enough, to not only address the darker side of inner-city life today, but may perhaps also be poised enough to help mitigate the rate at which this darker side is being deprived of a more enlightened existence. Meanwhile, news in regards to the health of our city’s safety is met with an anticipation that is reminiscent of the kind that engulfs a patient in a waiting room.
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