L.A. Gang Killings Put at 236--Up 15% From ’87

Gang killings in Los Angeles this year have already surpassed the total for 1987, and some gang experts believe that the bloodshed is increasing because publicity-hungry gang members have begun committing violence just to see it on the television news.

“It’s apparent to us that a lot of them are now driving around and shooting up neighborhoods just so they can go and kick back and watch the destruction they’ve caused on the 6 o’clock news,” Charles Norman, director of field services for Community Youth Gang Services, said Thursday. “It’s now a form of recreation and entertainment for them rather than revenge or something.”

There have been at least 236 gang slayings in the city so far this year, a 15% increase from the 205 gang killings committed in all of 1987.

Attempted Murders

At the same time, gang-related attempted murders rose from 285 in the first 11 months of 1987 to 426 for the same period this year, while gang-related felony assaults increased from 2,379 to 2,686.

Meanwhile, the overall number of homicides in the city declined 10.5% in the first 11 months of this year, from 761 in 1987 to 681 in 1988, according to Police Department records. Citywide felony assaults (which include attempted murders) jumped less dramatically, from 34,661 in all of 1987 to 35,715 through Dec. 7, records show.

In the territory patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, there have been 89 gang killings so far this year, compared to 79 in 1987.

Both the Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department stepped up their anti-gang enforcement efforts this year, but the deterrent value appears to have been minimal, at least as measured by statistics.

Within the city, the increase in gang crimes came in spite of a series of LAPD anti-gang crackdowns called “Operation Hammer,” in which police task forces made sweeps in areas of heavy gang activity, arresting suspects on offenses ranging from traffic warrants to murder.

It was in the suburban San Fernando Valley where gang killings increased the most, from eight in 1987 to 30 so far this year. Police and community workers say the increased involvement of gangs in selling narcotics is to blame.

In South-Central Los Angeles, where anti-gang sweeps have been most common, gang killings rose from 124 in 1987 to 131 this year.

Possible Explanation

Lt. Fred Nixon, an LAPD spokesman, suggested that the increase in gang crime statistics may be attributed in part to the Police Department’s increased attention to gangs this year.

“It is important to point out that not very long ago, we had 15,000 gang members listed in our gang files,” Nixon said. “Thanks to increased efforts on our part, we now have 26,000, meaning the chances of classifying crimes as gang-related are tremendously greater.”

Community Youth Gang Services officials have estimated that there are about 70,000 members of street gangs countywide, up from 30,000 gang members in 1980.

Norman and others believe that the proliferating numbers are because many of those who join gangs have nothing else to do.

“They’re being glamorized with the exposure they get and it’s amusement for them,” Norman said. “We need more community-based resources . . . to pull them off the street.”

Norman said gang members he has dealt with lately have been little deterred by police sweeps or other law enforcement actions.

The sweeps “did get those youngsters’ attention for a while, but they know you can’t put them all in jail,” Norman said. “And when they go in the jail, they come back a little meaner and a lot tougher, and the problem just gets worse.”