New Article at HumanNatureMag.com on LA Gang Violence

Latino Versus Black Gang Violence Reaches New Heights in Los Angeles
National Attention Spurs New Crime Strategies, Fresh Round of Community Criticism

By COURTNEY WALKER

Los Angeles -- Gang violence between blacks and Latinos in Los Angeles is hardly new. But last year’s killing of 14-year old Cheryl Green in city’s Harbor Gateway neighborhood brought the national spotlight and a bevy of FBI-endorsed strategies to curb what police here call racially-motivated gang violence.

Police say Green was killed because she was black and have described the murder as a hate crime. Following the arrest of two members of the 204th Street gang, a Latino gang with 120 members, in connection with Green’s murder, FBI Director Robert S. Muller III joined Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and local law enforcement at a news conference to announce an ambitious campaign to combat gangs in the city. The news conference was held in Harbor Gateway, a neighborhood of 12-square blocks in southern Los Angeles. On this day, Harbor Gateway was ground zero for Villaraigosa’s war on gangs.