He quotes a Paul White, dir. of a West Valley Youth center in Canoga Park, who answers some of my exact questions. Yes, kids as old as 15 can and should opt out of gangs, despite the pressure — it’s safer than not doing so. Juvenile hall is a gang recruiting center, and he thinks Father Doyle’s Homeboys is harmful by “dignifying” gangs. Feels gang intervention programs shouldn’t be run by former gangbangers, who may not be all that reformed, and by virtue of being singled out as authorities, actually give cred to having been gangbangers.

White’s simple solutions: his team organizes sports and other wholesome activities and by giving kids a sense of belonging to a group, feel confident they can “save” them.
He makes good points, that parents of young gangbangers who often are also school dropouts, should be required to attend parenting classes.

And why aren’t churches doing more? One local protestant “megachurch” has a great program for kids elem. to h.s., including pizza/pasta and movie nights; game and woodshop working nights, in addition to staging the usual plays and concerts and camps. These are universal things any church could do with volunteer help and minimal cost.

This is exactly the kind of case that needs attention: how do you get a kid who’s pressured to choose a gang, not to? Are they safe if they opt out? Many public schools have excellent STAR after-school programs, and others like Carr’s. But even at many private schools, except for a few, I see kids as young as 14 going off on their own afterschool, talking about sex and drugs. (But I do see pretty fluid inter-racial friendships.) How do you get inner city kids, then, to choose homework clubs and sports instead? Exactly, not general b.s. Is “just say no” any more effective than what Dr. Phil and Nancy Reagan were telling girls about sex?

And off topic what about all those television and media female psychologists, with their psycho-babble telling us why men in power i.e. N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer cheat on their wives. They say the men in power have special feelings of entitlement, ego maniacs, felling above the law, and blah, blah, blah

I remember Dr. Phil educating Oprah and the high school audience, on sex many years ago. Dr. Phil was telling the young girls to abstain, have self-esteem, and don’t believe the amorous boys stories. Then Oprah asks Dr. Phil when is going to talk to the boys, Dr. Phil say “it’s a waste of time the boys are horny dogs.”

The Daily News had a recent article, and I think an Opinion piece, saying that which killings got rewards attached to them is too political. A spokesman for LAPD explained that they tend to be in cases where the victim is unsually young or old, or there are special circumstances (like Shaw’s mother being in the military in Iraq), or are hate crimes affecting a whole community. Gangbanger-on gangbanger crimes don’t inspire public sympathy, not surprisingly, but many of the high-profile cases we’re seeing are indeed from the various hoods, and sympathy seems to depend more on WHO the victims were, and the special viciousness of the killers, not their zip code or race.

Poplock, I don’t pretend to have any “inside cheese” except when I talk to a cop once in a while, but I too am surprised that sneakers on a line don’t mean anything. Are they just airing out? Actually, it would seem dumb for gangbangers to advertise to cops this way, “Hey, we’re selling dope.”

A different note: What about Geraldine Ferraro’s comments that Obama is getting special treatment because he’s black? (Aren’t all those people saying they’re voting for Obama in part because “he looks like America,” biracial, from Maria Shriver at the UCLA rally, to Eric Garcetti, admitting just that?) Hillary tried to avoid condemning her but said she wants to just stay focused on the issues.

And the federal government needs to provide $billions$ for additional resources and tools for local police to fight the existing gangs and keep them at bay. The whole social dynamic of the country has to change; this is a bigger task than the bankrupt city Los Angeles can do. Just like Connie Rice said, we need a “Marshall Plan” for many inner cities.
We are just sticking a finger in the leaking dike ready to explode.

Bratton seems to be trying to play down the racial aspects of many of these crimes — did anyone see how he chewed out a black reporter for Ch. 7 who initially reported this as a racially-based hate crime? He’s now admitting it MIGHT be…

And, yeah, I’d bet the ranch that Tony Rafael was the source.

From what I hear, there was a precipitating event that had exactly zero to do with the Eme. Just the usual tit for tat. Maddening.

You know, WBC, point taken. In terms of the racial/class issues, I really meant that’s why there’s very little public pressure for them to get off the dime and get it together. But I realize that’s not how I phrased it. I don’t really think Laura Chick’s inept at all. But everybody’s playing politics. And the mayor isn’t sure WHAT he wants to do. He certainly doesn’t want to hand Laura too much power or credit.

Anyway, good comments, guys.

As for Rocky Delgadilo getting into couple’s counseling: it would be a lot better than most anything else he’s done: selling out the city to the billboard companies, who had the audacity to hold a fancy “thank you party” for him a couple of nights ago. Or losing every lawsuit on behalf of the city, when he’s not just getting us to pay for outside law firms so he doesn’t have to take the heat. As for his gang- fighting activities, besides showing up for photo ops and making promises, his accomplishments would be hard to find.

But please, please don’t get into playing the race card yourself, Celeste: that none of these people cares “because most of those being shot are from the wrong social class and wrong zip codes.” (My paraphrase may be slightly off.) This is the kind of bleeding-heart knee-jerk liberal stuff we get from most baby boomers, and why I’m so sick of them, and want younger leadership. (Contrary to how I may sound, I’m not a huge fan of Billary for this reason — I only wish Obama had the experience and credentials to be that person who drags us away from this generation whose ideas all stem from the days of Vietnam and segregation.)

Cardenas, you may have noticed, is Hispanic, and so’s the Mayor, and Rocky, and half that City Council is Hispanic or black, then you’ve got those bleeding-heart lib boomers Janice Hahn and Bill Rosendahl. (Even Poplock can see through the phoniness of “playing the race card” here, that it’s a ploy by White guys meaneuvering in back rooms — you should be too smart to lead this hue and cry, Ms. Celeste!)

Fact is, Cardenas wants the attention and power for personal reasons, maybe to parlay into a position as Gang Czar in the Assembly or at a State or Federal level. The Mayor sort of wants the power, but is waffling about the responsibility if things don’t improve. Etc. etc… They’re just plain inept, Celeste.

And of course, they’d never dream of repealing SP40, which you’ve mentioned yourself many cops plead for — it’s crazy that we can’t locate and deport illegal gangbangers. (During the recent summit between local law enforcement and those from Mexico and Central America, it was too absurd that the reps from Salvador were upset that we ever deport any back to them — they’ve have to build two jails just for these repatriated gangbangers, and it’s such an expense and bother! And after all, they weren’t quite as bad when they came here illegally and set up shot, as they are now. It’s Los Angeles’ fault, again!)