Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Supervisors Order a Study of Hate-Motivated Violence
A study of skinhead violence in the Antelope Valley was ordered by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in the wake of a recent shooting in which three men allegedly fired shots at four African Americans, including a year-old baby, sitting in a parked car.
The board directed the Human Relations Commission to conduct the study.
“We must rid the community of hate-motivated groups who terrorize their neighbors,” said Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who introduced the motion, and whose district includes the Antelope Valley.
“This motion is a necessary step to ensure safety for Antelope Valley residents and stop this problem before it increases.”
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department estimates that there are 80 to 100 members of two skinhead gangs in the Antelope Valley.
No one was seriously hurt in the shooting incident, but after it occurred, several African Americans in the area came forward to say that they had been harassed by members of hate groups.
The supervisors directed the Human Relations Commission to work with the county sheriff’s and probation departments, the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster, local school districts, the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, and the United Community Action Network to study the problem.
Antonovich has also said he has asked the Sheriff’s Department to implement gang-prevention programs in the area to curb membership in hate groups.
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