Page 6 - atoday
P. 6
A6
U.S. NEWSMonday 23 November 2015
American Living:
As crime rises in Los Angeles, police, community take action
AMANDA MYERS In this 2013 photo, Los Angeles County Coroner officials remove the body of Joseph Gatto, father the march are working on
Associated Press of California Assemblyman Mike Gatto, from his home in the Silverlake district near downtown more plans to continue the
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Edu- Los Angeles. Joseph Gatto was found fatally shot and his home had been ransacked. In 2015, peace movement.
ardo Rebolledo had just murders in Los Angeles are up 12 percent and shootings have jumped 20 percent. At Good News Baptist
gotten into his pickup Church in South Los Ange-
truck after work, eager (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) les, the Rev. Winford Bell
to head home to his two began a program through
children when a gang dis- neighborhoods has at- ment can’t solve the prob- taged young people, in- his nonprofit group to train
pute erupted 30 yards (27 tracted trendy new bars lem alone. cluding gang intervention. members of the commu-
meters) behind him on and restaurants, thou- “A lot of it is public will,” he Young people involved nity how to counsel fam-
a Los Angeles street. The sands of new residents and said. “A will of everyone in with Miranda’s organiza- ily and friends of people
38-year-old ducked right megaprojects that include the city of Los Angeles to tion decided to hold a who’ve been murdered.
into the path of a bullet a $1 billion mixed-use hotel say, ‘Enough is enough.’” peace march on a recent The idea for the so-called
that hit him in the head, kill- tower that will be the tallest Members of the commu- Saturday in response to “life comforters” is to pro-
ing him instantly. in the West. nity say they stepped up Rebolledo’s death. More vide a safe outlet to vent
“He was completely inno- In response to the rising their own efforts when the than 250 people took to anger and sorrow, and
cent. The guy’s never even numbers, the LAPD has de- crime numbers started go- the streets wearing white wherever possible, at-
had a parking ticket,” said ployed hundreds of elite ing up. shirts, carrying signs that tempt to prevent retalia-
Detective Dave Peteque officers to crime hot spots, Rebolledo’s death, for in- included: “We protest our tory violence common
with the Los Angeles Police increased the number of stance, inspired a “peace right to live in peace.” among gangs.
Department. “He’s just a officers walking the streets movement” in the neigh- “These are young people “Don’t get me wrong,
working Joe, a family man versus patrolling in cars, borhood where he was that know drugs in the hardcore gang members
trying to support his kids.” and created a community killed, said Michelle Mi- community and gang ac- are not going to hear me.
In a split second, Rebolledo relationship division dedi- randa, founder of Alliance tivity, and they’re tired of Them we can’t do nothing
joined the growing list of cated to building the pub- for Community Empower- it,” Miranda said. with,” Bell said. “The other
victims in the second-larg- lic’s trust in police officers. ment, a nonprofit that pro- Miranda said the same ones who aren’t so hard,
est U.S. city, where murders But Beck said his depart- vides services to disadvan- youths who organized who aren’t dedicated to
are up 12 percent this year being gang members ... If
and shooting victims have they come, we can do a
increased 20 percent. The lot of work.” Los Angeles is
city is also on the cusp of among a number of major
recording its 1,000th shoot- cities across the U.S. see-
ing victim of the year. ing rises in violent crime this
After an especially violent year, including Baltimore,
weekend in late Septem- Washington, D.C., Chica-
ber, Los Angeles Police go, Cleveland and Hous-
Department Chief Charlie ton. Other California cities
Beck expressed his frustra- also have seen increases,
tion about the bloodshed, including Sacramento,
particularly among gangs. Oakland and Long Beach.
“This is not Dodge City,” Though the numbers are
Beck said, referring to 19 up, those cities are far safer
shootings in one weekend, than they were in the ear-
13 of which were gang- ly 1990s during the crack
related. cocaine epidemic. In Los
The increases come as re- Angeles, for example, mur-
development of the city’s ders peaked in 1992 at
downtown and nearby 1,092 people killed.q
