Race, Violence and the Juvenile Courts

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The last of nine teens got probation today in the Long Beach Halloween assault of three white women.  It's a case that's unsettled a city known for diversity and raised questions about the juvenile justice system.  We get several perspectives.  On Reporter’s Notebook, a listener talks back to a charge of racism.

Main Topic

Was the Judge Lenient in Sentencing Long Beach Teens? ()

When nine black teenagers were convicted of the Halloween beating of three white women in Long Beach, there was delight on one side and outrage on the other.  As the when teens were sentenced, the outrage and delight were reversed.  Today, the last teen was sentenced and, like eight others before her, she was put on probation and ordered to serve 250 hours of community service.  Unlike the others, she was not placed on 60 days of house arrest.  What other options were available to the judge under juvenile law designed to rehabilitate rather than punish?  Has justice been done? Is the juvenile system doing its job? We hear from journalists and experts in juvenile law, including the attorney representing the victims and their families.

Guests:

• Tracy Manzer: reporter for the Long Beach Press Telegram
• Cyn Yamashiro: professor of Law at Loyola Law School
• Doug Otto: attorney

Links:

• Simon Wiesenthal Center
• Los Angeles City Commission on Human Relations
• Manazer's article on sentencing in hate-crime trial
• California Youth Authority

Reporter's Notebook

Cheviot Hills and the Expo Line ()

LA Times columnist Steve Lopez has complained that, while traffic approaches gridlock, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has owned 15 miles of right of way for the past 15 years. The Expo Line, which would run from USC to Santa Monica, has never been built, in part because of neighborhood opposition. As recently as last month, the Cheviot Hills Homeowners Association voted against it. Former Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Richard Katz, who now chairs the board of the MTA, recently stated that racism was partially to blame for the lack of mass transit on the Westside.  CHHA President Kevin Hughes responds.

Guests:

• Kevin Hughes: president of the Cheviot Hills Homeowners' Association

Host

Warren Olney

Considered the dean of Southern California broadcast journalists, Warren tackles the issues Southern Californians care about. Expanding that concept, To the Point deals with issues of national concern and is on air in most major metropolitan markets across the country. On any day, you’ll hear a fast-paced, news-based talk show featuring multiple perspectives on a single major issue, with Newsmaker and Reporters Notebook features, as well. 

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Air Date

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Produced by

Andrea Brody, Katie Cooper

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Underwriters

Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, which supports study and research into policy issues of the Los Angeles region.