Gang Activity Rises With Drop in Police
Re “Reclaiming a Neighborhood,” editorial, May 3: A couple of years ago, when the Rampart scandal was selling newspapers, the daily topic on the front page included a pounding of the LAPD. As a result of your crusade, most of the gang units were disbanded. This resulted in a rebound of gang killings after the gang members realized that there was no longer pressure from the police. Now you are outraged at the gang violence that you aided in your effort to sell newspapers two years ago.
By the way, in Boyle Heights the “aging public housing projects” described in your editorial have been replaced by new modern buildings built and subsidized by the taxpayers. The old buildings left are vacant and awaiting destruction. Your paper has done much to destroy the LAPD over the past several years, and now you mourn the results. I hope you can all sleep at night.
Fred Hinckley
Los Angeles
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Your editorial made me think about how our state doesn’t really focus on the important things, like neighborhood shootings. So many young, innocent children die every day because our neighborhoods are not safe. Just because some people can’t afford to live in safe and clean neighborhoods doesn’t mean their kids deserve to die.
We as a community should stand up and do something in order to save our children.
Clara Mekasijian
Los Angeles
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Celeste Fremon, in “The Heat’s Off” (Opinion, May 5), writes nothing about the economics of the L.A. gangs. Nothing is mentioned about the lifeblood of these and most other gangs in the 21st century: the government-protected monopoly to sell street drugs. This scenario is so widespread it is astonishing to me that the pattern goes unrecognized.
The politicians create a problem (prohibit some drugs), human nature reacts (black market) and the politicians come to the rescue (war on drugs). The problem gets worse (corruption), and the mantra of more money and police results in higher taxes, less freedom and innocent people getting trampled in an endless, futile war. After many years, we forget how we got into this mess. Are you terrorism warriors paying attention?
Eric Taylor
Sunland