Give Police, Gang Killings Equal Weight

I am deeply saddened by the recent shooting of Joseph Pulido by a Santa Ana police officer. However, I question the front-page coverage of the incident by The Times, “Neighbors Mourn Youth Killed by Police” (Dec. 23).

Each week, I read about senseless gang killings in Santa Ana. Santa Ana leads the county in gang-related killings. The brazenness of these murders is astonishing. [In November], two men were gunned down in the afternoon as they worked on their disabled truck in a busy Santa Ana shopping center. [Last month], a Santa Ana resident was gunned down as he parked his car in his driveway. At least 30 rounds were fired at the victim. Police confirmed that the victims in both shootings were executed by rival gang members. However, these killings, like numerous other gang related-murders in Santa Ana, were not given front-page ink in The Times. Obviously The Times feels that Latino gang members killing rival Latino gang members is not deserving of front-page coverage. Matter of fact, I normally find diminutive articles describing such murders on the back pages of the local news section in The Times. It is a sad irony that The Times gives front-page coverage to a police officer who in the line of duty shoots an armed, convicted car thief while not affording similar coverage to gang-related killings. This form of press sensationalism continues to contribute to the growing animosity between citizens and police officers in Santa Ana.

I am troubled by the tragic and premature deaths of all young people. I feel that The Times should give comparable coverage to murders committed by Latino gang members as well as those deaths that occur at the hands of law enforcement officers.

FRANCIS T. CONCANNON JR.

Irvine