L.A. Sheriff Sees Race Behind Gang Murders
In December 2007, the Intelligence Report that Latino gang members, acting on orders from Mexican Mafia 鈥渟hot callers鈥� inside California prisons, were terrorizing and murdering blacks in Los Angeles basely solely on the color of the victim鈥檚 skin 鈥� not because he or she was a member of a rival gang.
Last week, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) that the Report鈥檚 expos茅 of racially motivated 鈥渆thnic cleansing鈥� campaigns in gang-ridden L.A. neighborhoods is the sole nominee, and therefore de facto winner, of this year鈥檚 national NABJ 鈥淪alute to Excellence鈥� award in the 鈥淢agazine-Investigative鈥� category. One day later, the Report鈥檚 groundbreaking reporting was validated by no less an authority than Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.
鈥淪ome people deny it,鈥� the veteran Latino sheriff wrote in a June 12 Los Angeles Times opinion entitled, 鈥淚n L.A, race kills.鈥� 鈥淭hey say that race is not a factor in L.A.鈥檚 gang crisis; the problem, they say, is not one of blacks versus Latinos and Latinos versus blacks but merely one of gang members killing other gang members鈥� . But they鈥檙e wrong. The truth is that, in many cases, race is at the heart of the problem. Latino gang members shoot blacks not because they鈥檙e members of a rival gang but because of their skin color. Likewise, black gang members shoot Latinos because they are brown.鈥�
Furthermore, according to Baca, his office鈥檚 gang investigators believe that some of 鈥淟.A.鈥檚 so-called gangs鈥� are little more than 鈥渓oose-knit bands of blacks or Latinos roaming the streets looking for people of the other color to shoot.鈥� Baca also confirmed the Report鈥檚 findings that many racially motivated murders in Los Angeles are carried out on orders from prison gang leaders.
鈥淲e have evidence linking inmates who are known as 鈥榮hot callers鈥� directly to street shootings based entirely on race,鈥� Baca wrote. 鈥淭hese shot callers 鈥� are affiliated with gangs, to be sure, and in many cases they may give the order to kill a particular person or a member of a particular gang. But if that person or gang cannot be found, the shot caller will often order the gunman to find someone 鈥� anyone 鈥� who is black or brown and shoot them instead. Gang affiliation does not matter. Only the color of the victim鈥檚 skin matters.鈥�
