A Bigger Picture in Santa Ana

There is no denying the fact that Santa Ana suffers from a high homicide rate when compared to other Orange County cities. It must be noted that your three-part series (Dec. 15-17) does not take into account the socioeconomic status of the city.

The articles can be interpreted by many that Latinos are more prone to violence than Anglos. In this region, this is the case. Violence in this country cannot be solely a “minority issue.” Case in point, the basic profile of a serial killer is that of an Anglo, middle-aged male.

It must be pointed out, however, that not all Anglos are of the socioeconomic level of Orange County. Furthermore, not all Latinos are of the socioeconomic level present in Santa Ana. There is no greater area of segregation and economic disparity between Anglos and Latinos than Orange County.

Second-, third-, fourth-generation Latinos of middle-class background dot the entire San Gabriel Valley. West Covina, Covina, Alhambra, Montebello, north Whittier, Hacienda Heights, Walnut, Diamond Bar and Chino Hills, among other communities, differ greatly from Santa Ana’s demographics.

Thousands of Anglos residing in Bakersfield, Riverside and San Bernardino, among other communities, reflect similar economic conditions like those present in Santa Ana. There is no excuse for the violence present in Santa Ana. Nevertheless, it must be noted that it is a huge labor pool for the thousands of Anglo chief executive officers and other executives that live in the Southern Orange County region. Thousands of Latino workers wash the Mercedes, Range Rovers, Volvo station wagons and BMWs of the region’s elite. They also clean their houses, take care of their children, serve at almost all of the area’s restaurants. My point is, middle class or not, the articles, while valid, do not show the bigger picture.

1) Most Santa Ana residents do not subscribe to the gang lifestyle and want to abolish it just as much as the rest of Orange County;

2) Santa Ana, like Riverside or San Bernardino, is not representative of the Southland Anglo economic standing, or of Southland Latinos.

JUAN CARLOS SAVALES

Hacienda Heights