gang expert
Gang expert and author of the forthcoming book, The Mexican Mafia, based on his research over the past seven years
PROFILE
Tony Rafael
Guest
FROM Tony Rafael
Which Way, L.A.?
Street Gangs Go International Los Angeles street gangs have spread all over the US. Now, they've become an international phenomenon, moving back and forth across borders--especially to Mexico and Central America--to terrorize neighborhoods and commit crimes, including extortion and murder. For the next three days, Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton is hosting an international summit on what to do. His counterparts from Mexico, El Salvador, Belize and Honduras along with the LA Sheriff's Department , FBI , DEA , and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are all in attendance. We hear how extortion and murder migrate across the borders. Can law enforcement agencies learn how to cooperate? Will they ever be more than a temporary solution?
Which Way, L.A.?
Has LA Gang Violence Turned into Ethnic Cleansing? 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.
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To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
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Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.