After five shootings, neighborhood responds
A small, but vocal group of residents in a troubled Santa Monica neighborhood took to the streets Sunday, demanding peace.
Known as the Pico neighborhood, the area is the poorest in Santa Monica and the most violent, community activists say.
“It’s no coincidence that the violence is occurring in the poorest part of town,” said Oscar de la Torre, a local school board member and executive director of the Pico Youth & Family Center.
There have been five shootings in the neighborhood in one month — with the most recent one occurring last Thursday. Shootings occurred three days in a row in the middle of May. The first shooting — on May 9 — resulted in a stray bullet entering a family’s home in the 1800 block of 17th Street at 9:30 p.m. The bullet went through two walls before landing in a bedroom. Four children were in the house when the incident occurred.
61C,de la Torre, who spoke at a rally held at First A.M.E. Church by the Sea following the march, said the May 9 incident could have ended in tragedy like it did last week in Compton when a 3-year-old was killed. A bullet struck him in the head as a result of a drive-by shooting.
“That’s what could have happened in this community and I can’t help but think about what kind of pain it would have caused,” he said to the small congregation.
While none of the recent shootings have resulted in injuries, it has put the community on edge. There have been two community meetings regarding the ongoing violence in the Pico neighborhood and another one is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Virginia Avenue Park.
“Our children are growing up on streets so dangerous that we can’t go out on our porches and relax,” said Rev. Felicia R. Bagneris. “We are making our presence known today. After several community meetings, this is what people wanted. Some of us have thrown up our hands and don’t know what to do. We’ve seen people shot... and we’re tired of it.”
About two dozen people, including Santa Monica City Councilman Kevin McKeown, walked through the neighborhood between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., shouting “What do we want? Peace. When do we want it? Now” and “Peace, peace, on our streets.”
Many residents standing in front of their homes and apartments looked on with no apparent emotion. de la Torre stopped to talk to a group of Latinos who had gathered in the courtyard of their apartment building listening to Latin music and drinking Tecate, a Mexican beer.
3C6,de la Torre, who grew up in the neighborhood, said he’s participated in three peace marches in Pico since 1998, but the violence still continues.
“I hope today wasn’t just a march but the beginning of a long, overdue process of putting our resources together and responding to a new wave of shootings and peace effort,” he said.
“I hope today wasn’t just a march but the beginning of a long, overdue process of putting our resources together and responding to a new wave of shootings and peace effort.” — — OSCAR DE LA TORRE Community activist
The neighborhood has been plagued with gang violence and drug dealing for years. Most of the tension is territorial — between the Graveyard Crips and the Santa Monica 17th Street gang — as well as racial. One gang is black, the other Latino. de la Torre said the community has to focus on improving the relationship between African Americans and Latinos, who continue to be oppressed socially and economically.
Darrell Goode, branch president of the NAACP, said his organization and the community need to work together to face a new battle — self hatred — as well as to promote non violence through demonstrating love for one another.
7D2,“We as adults have to set the bar so (children) can meet us and surpass us,” he said.
Goode added that the NAACP will work with Santa Monica officials to help curb violence in the Pico neighborhood, despite that there have been problems between the two sides in the past.
In the meantime, various leaders representing a cross section in the community, recently met to develop short-term and long-term solutions. While understanding that the root cause of violence is complex, a sustainable outcome needs the cooperation of leaders in families, schools, churches, youth services agencies, law enforcement and the juvenile justice system, officials say.
Short-term solutions include:
• Community monitoring of the neighborhood.
• Increased police presence.
• Taking a spiritual approach, involving area churches.
• Bring schools, churches and the community together to help prevent violence.
• Establish trust with youth.
• Include law enforcement.
• Increase youth involvement.
• Identify youth who need services most and target programs for them.
Long-term solutions include:
• Job development for low-income youth and their families.
• Engage the business community in job creation and training.
• Create programs to ensure that a certain percentage of capital improvement jobs go to local at risk youth.
• Develop protocol for communication between youth serving institutions and law enforcement when conflicts arise.
• Develop support system for youth who are on parole or probation within schools and the community.
The Santa Monica Police Department has arrested six suspects who were allegedly involved in one or more of the five shootings that occurred in the area since May 9. The charges range from attempted murder to parole violations.
Other suspects are being sought by the SMPD in connection with last week’s shootings, some of which are Pico neighborhood residents and are on active parole, according to SMPD Chief James T. Butts Jr.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 9, 2003. Read the original PDF.