Marshall Plan Urged for LA's Gang Violence Epidemic

In 1979, gang violence had gotten so bad that the chance of being murdered in LA County was greater than the chance of death by accident on the freeway. Since then, it's become worse than ever, and Mayor Villaraigosa calls it "Public Enemy Number One." This week, Villaraigosa and County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky promise a new attack against gang violence. LAPD Chief Bratton says he'll soon be on board. Why is the problem worse than ever? Why is it so bad that a World Health Organization epidemiologist calls gang violence a "public health problem" of "epidemic" proportions? Civil rights attorney Connie Rice was asked by the City Council to answer those questions. A year of work has produced a report with no less than 100 recommendations, providing a standard against which the upcoming proposals by local officials can be judged. We hear what might work and what might not.