Black Plague
06-19-2008, 10:33 PM
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-killings19-2008jun19,0,1772939.story
Even as gang-related homicides have been dropping in the last several years, the proportion of such killings in which race was a factor has increased, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said Wednesday.
Sheriff's homicide investigators reported that race "played a role" in 16% of the 207 gang-related killings in 2005, rising to 19% of 133 gang slayings last year, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.
In the first six months of this year, 25% of the 56 gang-related slayings involved either blacks killing Latinos or vice versa.
Last week, Baca wrote in a Los Angeles Times opinion piece that "some of L.A.'s so-called gangs are really no more than loose-knit bands of blacks or Latinos roaming the streets looking for people of the other color to shoot."
Even as gang-related homicides have been dropping in the last several years, the proportion of such killings in which race was a factor has increased, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said Wednesday.
Sheriff's homicide investigators reported that race "played a role" in 16% of the 207 gang-related killings in 2005, rising to 19% of 133 gang slayings last year, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.
In the first six months of this year, 25% of the 56 gang-related slayings involved either blacks killing Latinos or vice versa.
Last week, Baca wrote in a Los Angeles Times opinion piece that "some of L.A.'s so-called gangs are really no more than loose-knit bands of blacks or Latinos roaming the streets looking for people of the other color to shoot."