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# Parents hoping to share burden
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/parents-hoping-to-share-burden/
- Published: 2006-03-20T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:22:22.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Community, Pico, #archive-import

*Parents and officials clash at forum on violence*

JOHN ADAMS M.S. — Mothers living in the Pico neighborhood feel they have been abandoned by local government, and the community as a whole, left to fend for themselves as armed thugs battle just outside their front doors.

At least, that was the consensus among them on Saturday, as roughly 150 parents, elected officials and members of law enforcement gathered here on Saturday for a forum on gangs.

During turf wars between rival gangs, these mothers said they have seen families torn apart by murder, their sons snatched from them, all while those living immediately outside their neighborhood have looked on with indifference.

“For many decades, it has been the Pico neighborhood who has carried this burden. It has been the families who have carried this burden,” said Maria Loya, a member of the Pico Neighborhood Association, during Saturday’s forum — the third in a year-long series hosted by State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, City Hall and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

“For many years, people perceived this as a Pico neighborhood problem, and because of that there has been this disconnect. ‘Oh, I don’t live in that neighborhood,’ or ‘Oh, my kids don’t hang around in that area, so it’s their problem, their issue,’” Loya added. “That has led residents from the Pico neighborhood to feel alienated, alone, abandoned, by not only the residents of Santa Monica but by the city itself.

“Many of these mothers who have lost their children, lost their boys, can no longer carry this burden alone.”

Other residents from the Pico neighborhood joined Loya in her criticism of the response from elected officials and residents living in other neighborhoods. Some asked the rhetorical question, “If young white males were being killed north of Montana (Avenue), would that be allowed to continue for 20, 40, 70 years?”

Their message was in stark contrast to those provided by city and school officials at the beginning of the forum, as they reported on a handful of new programs being implemented to help at-risk youth and eradicate the presence of gangs in the city. Officials said they have recognized the damaging toll of gang violence and are committed to working with Pico residents as well as those outside of Santa Monica to come up with a regional solution that includes more programs aimed at prevention and intervention instead of incarceration.

“The death by gang violence of innocent 15-year-old Eddie Lopez, less than 10 blocks from here on Feb. 28, has our entire community grieving over the loss of this young man and for his family,” Mayor Bob Holbrook said, invoking Lopez’murder — an incident many contend has united the city in efforts to combat violence like never before. “All of us who came together last year to address gang violence have pledged to continue working together as a tribute to Eddie and all those who have lost their lives.

“On the other hand,” Holbrook added, “and this is a harsh reality, Santa Monica cannot do this job alone. No matter how many programs we create or how many police officers we put on the streets, gang violence will only stop through strong community partnerships and collaboration with other cities … We on the council will pay special attention to the Pico neighborhood. We are in this for the long haul.”

During the two previous forums, residents met with gang experts to devise an action plan, which included three areas: “Bring It Home,” “Make it Work” and “Keep it Safe.” A series of community partners were identified and given the responsibility of implementing suggestions by residents in each of the three areas.

City Manager Lamont Ewell gave a report on City Hall’s efforts.

In addition to spending $6.7 million a year on services for community development, a new staff position was created to oversee neighborhood and park initiatives focusing on the Pico neighborhood.

More money will be dedicated to swift graffiti removal, lighting will be added to alleys and facade improvements for Cloverfield Boulevard near Pico Boulevard will begin in earnest next month, Ewell said. City Hall is also looking to expand its Youth Intern Program.

“It’s important that we keep our youth safe, but it’s also important to make sure they have jobs,” Ewell said of the intern program. “We take young adults with a checkered past and hire them for up to two years and give them trade skills so they can go out and get a job.”

By far the greatest improvement in services seemed to come from the completion of the Virginia Avenue Park, where a wide variety of services are offered for youth of all ages, including a recording studio program, computer training and seminars conducted by Santa Monica College on applying for financial aid. Representatives from the park said seven of the 10 staff members are from the Pico neighborhood, and a teen council from the area is working with city staff to develop programs they will use at the park’s teen center.

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Interim Superintendent Mike Mathews said the school district, under the action plan, was responsible for finding ways to bring students back to school who may have been expelled or dropped out.

One way of doing so, Mathews said, was the creation of a community day school, which the district opened at Memorial Park in September of last year. It currently serves 11 students, but can serve a total of 30\. The school offers a drumming class as well as an exercise program as part of a partnership with the Police Activities League.

Mathews said the district is also working with the Human Resources Council to engage students in discussions about social justice issues, and has incorporated into the curriculum lesson plans dealing with racism, sex-ism and homophobia.

Santa Monica High School has added six community outreach specialists who identify businesses and other community partners willing to work with the school in providing job-training or other skills, Mathews said. Each specialist works with 20 students throughout the school year as a mentor and counselor.

In elementary schools, students participate in a program called “Cool Tools,” which Mathews said is a program that teaches conflict resolution skills and tolerance.

“Our board of education will not rest until we become a model for student safety and success,” Mathews said.

At Santa Monica College, president Chui Tsang said he is working to expand dropout prevention and recovery efforts along with the Pico Partnership program, which provides academic, career and financial counseling to at-risk students and encourages them to finish school and go on to college.

The Chamber of Commerce is also involved in the community action plan to end gang violence, said chamber president Kathy Dodson. In April, the chamber will partner with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Los Angeles and City Hall to recruit more mentors, specifically men who can speak Spanish. Their efforts will be centered at Virginia Avenue Park.

“It costs about $1,300 to support a mentor/mentee relationship, so we are going to aggressively look at businesses for their support,” Dodson said.

Also in April, the chamber will host its second job fair at Samohi as part of the Santa Monica Employment collaborative, which includes City Hall, the chamber, Virginia Avenue Park, Jewish Vocational Services/WorkSource, Chrysalis and the Pico Youth & Family Center.

The Building and Construction Trades Council of California will also partner with the chamber to identify students who do not wish to go to college and help them enter into apprenticeship programs.

While the advances all sound wonderful, Pico resident Lorenza Munos says it still doesn’t make up for decades of neglect and unequitable public policy enacted by City Hall.

“There seems to be a demarcation line at Pico Boulevard,” she said, as the forum wound down. “You don’t see erotic message parlors, check-cashing stores, liquor stores on Montana, but you see them on Pico, right next to a recovery center for people dealing with drug and alcohol problems. What is the logic behind that kind of zoning? How is that going to help us change? There are two hotels near us that rent by the hour, with prostitutes and Johns coming to our alleys still.

“There’s nothing to prevent this from happening. Why hasn’t it been fixed? It’s not a new problem.”

For those like Munos, the action plan is a start, but along with the programs needs to come some respect and understanding.

“We’ve gotten away from the basics and that is why you see so many people who are angry and feel neglected,” said Gil Bautista, a Los Angeles County Probation officer who attended the forum. “I think the work here shows we are going back to that, going back to family, community partnerships. I think we have set a strong foundation for progress here today, we just have to continue the momentum and realize that there are a lot of hurt feelings, but we just have to assure everyone that we’re on the same page. We all want the same thing — peace.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 20, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/032006.pdf?ref=smdp.com)