Mental health advocate calls for South LA services

June 24, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Protesters gather outside the LA County Jail ahead of the June sheriff election. | Daina Beth Solomon

Protesters gather outside the LA County Jail ahead of the June sheriff election. | Daina Beth Solomon

Gregory Bimin grew up in South L.A. battling both schizophrenia and alcohol addiction. He also battled to find services in his neighborhood. Hear Bimin’s story in an audio piece from Annenberg Radio News:

Now that the L.A. County Board of Supervisors is considering a major jail expansion that would create additional facilities for mentally-ill inmates, some are saying that resources should be directed toward diversion programs instead, helping to keep mentally ill offenders out of jail in the first place. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Crime, Health, More on Intersections, Public Safety Tagged With: , , , , ,

First person: College isn’t for us?

June 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment


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Skylar and Randall playing in her backyard | 1998

This Reporter Corps story published Oct. 13, 2013 recently aired on KCRW as a radio piece produced by Kerstin Kilm and Skylar Endsley Myers. Fast forward to 8:10 to hear Myers talk with her childhood friend Randall about why the two pals ended up taking different paths. 

I opened the door to see my best friend from childhood, Randall, chewing on a pen top, facing me in his baggy jeans. We hadn’t seen each other for nearly a decade. As kids our lives seemed like mirror images and we were inseparable skateboarding, biking and playing basketball on our block of South Central Los Angeles. But something changed in middle school. In eighth grade, while I was worrying about which private high school would give me a scholarship, he was getting arrested for the first time.

How was it that my ace homie growing up–the one who I would run the streets with for hours–ended up on the fast track to prison while I sped toward opportunities? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Education, Inglewood, Leimert Park, Neighborhood, Neighborhoods, Public Safety, Reporter Corps, South Central LA Tagged With: , ,

City collects 950 guns in buyback

June 3, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Commander Andrew Smith holds a 9mm handgun. | Daina Beth Solomon

Commander Andrew Smith holds a 9mm handgun. | Daina Beth Solomon

A World War II rifle outfitted with a grenade launcher, a 9mm handgun inlaid with silver and a Mexican flag emblem, and the type of semi-automatic rifle used by the Sandy Hook gunman will soon meet the same fate: meltdown.

The Los Angeles Police Department collected 950 weapons last weekend in its eighth annual buyback program that gives Angelenos gift cards for guns, no questions asked.

See also on Intersections: Tackling gun violence in South LA

Police Chief Charlie Beck said the program intends to rid homes and streets of “unwanted” arms. [Read more…]

Filed Under: More on Intersections, Public Safety Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

USC student tells of racial profiling in South LA

May 19, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Tobi Oduguwa looks out onto the street where he said he experienced racial profiling in the area near USC. | Lensa Bogale

Tobi Oduguwa looks out onto the street where he said he experienced racial profiling in the area near USC. | Lensa Bogale

Tobi Oduguwa is a University of Southern California junior double-majoring in computer science and physics. But as a black man two inches over six-feet-tall, he gets asked what position he plays on basketball team more often than his major. The question comes up so often that he has given himself his own, unofficial basketball number.

“If you hear about a point-guard named number six, that’s actually me,” said Oduguwa.

But the assumptions aren’t always so harmless.

Oduguwa learned the hard way when officers from the USC Department of Public Safety stopped him one night outside of his apartment and, without explanation, asked to see his ID.

After being question, Oduguwa realized that he was suspected of choking a young woman in the building across from his own. It wasn’t until a friend vouched for Oduguwa that he was finally released. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Crime, Criminal Justice, More on Intersections, Public Safety, University Park Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Brandon Spencer’s father speaks out against son’s 40-year sentencing

May 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment


James Spencer at a press conference in Leimert Park | Camille Requiestas

James Spencer at a press conference in Leimert Park | Camille Requiestas

Brandon Spencer, a 21-year-old South L.A. native, was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison last week for four counts of attempted murder. On Halloween night in 2012, Spencer opened fire at a party at the center of campus at the University of Southern California.

Spencer’s father, James Spencer, has declared the sentence unjust. He held a press conference at Leimert Park on Tuesday to protest the decision, saying it was motivated just to placate USC.

Listen to his comments and the response from the District Attorney in a story from Annenberg Radio News: 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Crime, Criminal Justice, More on Intersections, Public Safety Tagged With: , , , ,

OPINION: Sheriff’s Department spied on Compton residents

April 24, 2014 By 2 Comments


The same Sheriff’s Department that is upset over federal secret surveillance in jail probe had no problem spying on Compton residents.

Editor’s Note: The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deployed a small Cessna to circle the sky above Compton for nine days in 2012. It aimed to film the city like a video version of Google Earth, capturing crime scenes that could help deputies identify and catch suspects. Ultimately, the images weren’t detailed enough to be useful, and the department axed the program. The Center for Investigative Reporting revealed the project earlier this month, and the Los Angeles Times caught on this week. Now that the news is out, locals are asking: Why didn’t we know? 

Want to share your own opinion? Email [email protected].

A neon sign for the LA County Sheriff's Department | Michael Dorausch

A neon sign for the LA County Sheriff’s Department |
Michael Dorausch

I am not oblivious to the fact that I can be watched and tracked by the powers that be.

I realize that when I check in on Facebook, drive my car or use my cellphone, I am practically inviting those “powers” to do so.  I resigned myself a long time ago to the idea that even in my bed in the dead of night, somebody could be watching.

So for me, the problems with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s secret mass surveillance experiment conducted on the residents of Compton in 2012 have less to do with the actual experiment than with the cloud of secrecy around it – especially the decision not to inform the public in order to avoid complaints or public outrage.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Crime, More on Intersections, Opinion, Public Safety Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Crime survivors likely to be victims of crime again

April 10, 2014 By Leave a Comment


One in five people in California has been a victim of crime in the past five years, according to a study released Tuesday by the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at the University of California Berkeley’s School of Law. The study was commissioned by Californians for Safety and Justice.

The study is called Untold Stories of California Crime Victims: Research and Recommendations on Repeat Victimization and Rebuilding Lives.  It is based on interviews and focus groups with people who have been victims of repeat crimes.

“People in certain communities are more likely to be repeated victims of crimes,” said Lenore Anderson, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice.

Low income communities, people of color and young people are more at risk of being repeatedly victimized, according to Anderson.

This story from Annenberg Radio News features comments from Anderson and LAPD Officer Munish Bharadwaja of the 77th Street Police Station.

Filed Under: More on Intersections, Public Safety Tagged With: , ,

Push to reduce foster child sex trafficking

March 26, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Rachel Thomas, a survivor of sex trafficking who founded Sowers Education Group. She testified Tuesday before the Board of Supervisors. Photo courtesy: ATVN

Rachel Thomas, a survivor of sex trafficking who founded Sowers Education Group. She testified Tuesday before the Board of Supervisors. Photo courtesy: ATVN

L.A. County Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Don Knabe introduced a motion to require state licensed foster parents to complete annual training that would make them aware of signs that children under their care are being sexually exploited.

Last year, the Department of Children and Family Services received 281 referrals of children being sexually exploited.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors wants to train foster care staff to prevent exploitation. The training will include identifying victims, understanding their needs and their pattern of behavior.

Watch a video from Annenberg TV News with comments from Mark Ridley-Thomas and Rachel Thomas, a sex trafficking survivor who founded Sowers Education Group.

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Filed Under: Community, More on Intersections, Public Safety Tagged With: , , ,

Dangerous South LA intersection gets a traffic light

March 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Jenna Pittaway

Jenna Pittaway

Councilman Bernard Parks, Crenshaw High School students, and family members of Tiffany Bamore gathered yesterday to activate a new traffic light installed at the corner of 48th Street and 11th Avenue.

Bamore was struck by a vehicle at the intersection and killed last year. Bamore’s daughter, Sidney Jones, 5, pushed the button to turn on the streetlight for the first time.

Caitlin Killian, a managing engineer for Council District Eight, says the “high crash incident intersection” has seen over 700 accidents in the last 10 years, and almost a third of them were because of left turns.

The traffic light isn’t the only change – a bike lane and right turn pockets were added as well. A contracted engineer who worked on the project says the changes should slow the flow of traffic and make the area much safer.

Councilman Parks also gave out bike helmets to Crenshaw High students and encouraged the community to ride more. The project is 75 percent completed, and the bike lanes will be further expanded to the surrounding area.

Filed Under: Community, More on Intersections, Public Safety

Obama announces My Brother’s Keeper initiative for young men of color

March 3, 2014 By Leave a Comment


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Obama announces My Brother’s Keeper | Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama pledged $200 million last week to My Brother’s Keeper, a collection of programs across the country designed to help young, at-risk men of Black and Latino backgrounds to become successful. He said one objective is to guarantee that “every child in America” can access “a world-class education.”

In California, young boys and men of color experienced the lowest graduation rates and the highest incarceration rates. They are also the most likely to be involved in violent crimes. Many state organizations are stepping up to participate in My Brother’s Keeper, including The California Endowment. The group has committed $50 million to improve education and provide healthcare programs.

To hear from the California Endowment’s spokesman and other commentators on the possible impact of Obama’s initiative, click play on an audio story from Annenberg Radio News: 

Filed Under: Criminal Justice, Education, Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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