STOPPING THE WARS : The State of Three Gang Truces

Gang-related crime and feuding persist throughout Los Angeles. But since truces were initiated in three areas there has been a drop in gang-attributed deaths and shootings. Whether the stand-downs will last or merely mark a temporary decline in the bloodletting is uncertain. Here’s a look at the efforts to make and keep peace:

Valley Initiated: Oct. 31, 1993

Participants: 75 Latino gangs. No African American, white or Asian gangs participated although some may have individual truces with one another.

Status: Holding. Strong efforts continue by William (Blinky) Rodriguez and Donald Garcia and members of their arbitration and mediation council, as well as their commission of gang representatives. Both groups meet weekly: the commission to discuss such developments as the “three strikes” law and upcoming baseball games between gangs; the council to resolve gang conflicts. A reported decree to Latino gang members from the Mexican mafia to end drive-by shootings is also credited with helping to staunch killings.

Results: 44 gang-related homicides in 1993; 29 gang-related killings in 1994--only two attributed to gangs covered by the truce. *

“Homicides are significantly down and while that’s due to a lot of hard work on the part of many people, the truce has played an important part,” Lt. Fred Toler, LAPD.

Oakwood neighborhood of Venice

Initiated: June 13, 1994

Participants: one African American gang, two Latino gangs

Status: Holding. Gang members try to resolve all disputes privately among themselves, sometimes through dispute mediation meetings.

Results: In nine months before truce, 17 gang-related homicides and 55 woundings. Since the truce, no gang-related deaths or shootings. *

“There’s a lot of peace in the streets now. Last year everybody was locked in their houses, scared to come out,” Rick Mejia, Asst. Projects Mgr., Westside Watersavers.

South Los Angeles

Initiated: May 18, 1994

Participants: More than two dozen Crips and Bloods gangs.

Status: Fluctuating. The general ceasefire has broken down. Some individual gangs have truces or cease- fires with one another. Individual gang leaders, grass-roots groups and organizations such as Community Youth Sports and Arts Foundation and Community Youth Gang Services are working at street level to ease tensions and negotiate conflicts. *

“Some truces are in full effect; some areas never agreed to a truce; some truces are just being put together, some are faltering or breaking down.” Khalid Shaw.

Results: Although there were 17 gang-related homicides during first two months of this year the figure is 48% lower than for the same period last year. *

“Community based policing, aggressive anti-gang efforts by CRASH and others, societal factors and the gang truces and cease-fires have all contributed to (the decrease). Sometimes the motivation for a truce is not to stop the blood flow but to avoid the community outrage when innocent bystanders are killed and reduce police interference in your drug business. But the truces have been a factor, and anything that saves human life is good.” Lt. Dave Baca, head of LAPD anti-gang unit in South Los Angeles.