After a brief dip several years ago, gang violence in Los Angeles is rising again. On Monday, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to put a new property tax on the ballot to provide $50 million a year for anti-gang programs. Council members and police have been alarmed by the recent killings of several young blacks for no reason other than race. The killings appear to be the acts of Latino death squads trying to push black residents out of their neighborhoods. Even with the new tax, can the police stop the violence before it spirals out of control? Guest host Jim Sterngold speaks with gang experts, law enforcement and state and local politicians.
Has LA Gang Violence Turned into Ethnic Cleansing?
Credits
Guests:
- Tony Rafael - gang expert
- Robert Lopez - lieutenant with the Los Angeles Police Department
- Mark Ridley-Thomas - LA County Supervisor representing District 2, which includes parts of Downtown, Koreatown, Crenshaw, Baldwin Hills and Culver City - @mridleythomas
- Janice Hahn - LA County supervisor and vice chair of the LA Metro Board of Directors