According to a study called Lost Youth released on Monday by the Violence Policy Center, homicide is the second leading cause of death for California youth and young adults ages 10 to 24 years old. (Unintentional accidents have first place.)
However among black kids in that same age group, homicide is the main cause of death.
The study—which was funded by the California Wellness Foundation—broke out the data, county by county. As you might guess, Los Angeles has far and away the most murdered kids, in terms of sheer numbers, with 303 juvenile homicides occurring in 2009 (the year that the VPC studied).
But Monterey County had the highest rate of murders per juvenile capita, with 31 kids killed per 100,000 kids in the 10 to 24 age group. (LA’s rate is 14.61 per 100,000. It should also be noted that the majority of Monterey’s kid murders took place in Salinas and nearly all were believed to be gang related.)
Statewide, 84 percent of the kids who were murdered in 2009—the years studied— were killed with guns, the vast majority with handguns.
So what does all this mean?
Well, for one thing it means that gun violence is a huge public health problem for the kids and young adults in California between the ages of 10 and 24.
And for every kid killed each year, there are many, many more California kids—and adults—whose emotional health and well being is affected by those deaths, the reports authors point out.
Anyway, take a look at the study, which you can find here here.
So what does all this mean?
It means that Salinas is 75% minorities (mostly Mexican).
Blacks and Hispanics commit 10-20 TIMES MORE MURDERS that whites.
It means gangbangers kill kids. Their own and other people’s.