california's war on youth

CALIFORNIA’S WAR ON YOUTH

THE WAR AGAINST “SAVAGES, BANDITS & YELLOW

PERIL” 1800s

1848 California and the Southwest is annexed into U.S. through illegal war against Mexico. The Thirteenth Amendment to Constitution outlaws slavery except “as a punishment for crime.” So-called “Indian Wars” force remaining sovereign nations onto reservations.

Los Angeles : Is the only region west of Texas to side with the Confederacy. Gains reputation as nation’s most violent city with one murder per day by 1870. The homicide rate between 1847 and 1870 averaged 158 per 100,000, which was 10 to 20 times the annual murder rates for New York City during the same period. If we had the same homicide rate today, we’d have 600,000 murders a year. French send troops to protect their citizens.By 1871, half of businesses are gambling halls, saloons or houses of prostitution, most with political or law enforcement ownership or involvement. Corruption is the norm in L.A.’s police force until the Parker administration of the 1960s. The Marshall’s Office is funded by enslavement of indigenous population.L.A.’s first jail is established (chain and a log.)

L.A.’S WAR ON GANGSSTARTS IN 1848:

From 1848-1871, L.A. has the highest lynching rate of any region in the country. The victims are largely Californios - now seen since the war as Mexicans struggling to reclaim land and livestock taken through the

war. First use of gang profiling – “bandido/bandit” – to criminalize groups. Los Angeles had several active Vigilance Committees during that era. Between 1850 and 1870, mobs carried out approximately 35 lynchings of Mexicans—more than four times the number that occurred in San Francisco. Los Angeles was described

as "undoubtedly the toughest town of the entire nation.1871 – Chinese Massacre is L.A.’s first of many “riots,” all of which are led by law enforcement or happen in

response to police brutality. A shootout between Tong factions leads to the death of a popular white chicken rancher. A mob of 200-500 Whites and Latinos led by local government and law enforcement leads

to the lynching of 19 Chinese men and the burning down of Chinatown. Vigilante mobs and state sanctioned murder typifies L.A.’s “justice” system throughout 1800s and early 1900s.

1881 - The L.A. Times is founded by Otis Harrison, and both he and the paper are a leading voice in L.A..’spower structure which establishes L.A. as nearly union free by 1900.

YOUTH SEEN AS

REBELSRADICALS &

REVOLUTIONARIES1960s - EARLY 70s

OUT OF L.A. CAME THE BUILDERS OF SCHOOL DE-FUNDING AND MASS INCARCERATION

’65 Watts Rebellion in response to police brutality in South L.A. FBI and police surveillance, infiltration and bombing of Panther headquarters in L.A. and Pasadena; leads to United Slaves shoot out with Panthers at UCLA. (US leader Karenga goes on to found Kwanzaa and teach at Cal State Long Beach.) Geronimo Pratt (now Geronimo Ji Jaga) is framed by LAPD and FBI. Crushing of prisoners’ rights movement at Soledad; guards assassinate George Jackson and his brother. (Jacksons are from Pasadena.) Angela Davis teaches and organizes at UCLA. LAPD riot on Chicano Moratorium and assassination of L.A. Times reporter Ruben Salazar. CIA floods L.A.’s neighborhoods with drugs.

IN L.A. :

U.S. POLICIES THAT COME OUT OF L.A.:Nixon’s Law and Order backlash and War on Drugs after 60s movements leads to mass incarceration of poor people and people of color. The prison population increases 300% in 20 years; and 700% by 2005. Cali and L.A. lead the world in incarceration and harsh sentencing, including creation of Three Strikes, Prop 21 and Prop 9 - written and/or financed from L.A. Reaganomics including anti-tax movement and Prop 13., the escalated “war on drugs” and war on welfare, and mental health de-institutionalization without community services, all lead to massive increase in both incarceration and homelessness. L.A. creates “planned Skid Row” to force homeless into downtown isolation. U.S. fuels wars against rebellions in Central America. In the 1980s, LAPD and Sheriffs work with U.S. military to teach counter-guerilla, interrogation and torture tatics. In the 90s and 00s, they return to teach gang suppression when people are deported - (the greatest number from L.A.) LAPD Chief Parker introduces military-style policing and brings National Guard into Watts in ‘65. Gates takes militarization further by creating SWAT, OPERATION HAMMER, first use of helicopters and CRASH (first gang units).’92 Uprising once again reflects L.A.’s anger over entrenched police brutality. Gates also created DARE.2007 - Jordan Downs is first community in the U.S. to get GPS surveillance system. L.A. and Riverside first to use GPS monitoring to track people with gang convictions returning home from prison.

LA’s NEW “WAR ON GANGS”

YOUTH SEEN AS

SUPER

PREDATORS1980s - 1990s

1. 1982: GEORGE L. KELLING AND JAMES Q. WILSON PUBLISH THEORY OF “BROKEN WINDOWS POLICING” IN THE ATLANTIC

2. 1992-1996: JOHN DILULIO, POLITICAL SCIENTIST, AUTHOR OF BODY COUNT POPULARIZES TERM “SUPER-PREDATOR.” APOLOGIZED IN 2001.

3. 2000: Proposition 21 passed by voters allowed for direct file without a fitness hearing.

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Los Angeles County built the nation’s first comprehensive gang suppression policies:

[1] Gang injunctions - first in 1983, the ability to lock down a neighborhood and arrest people if they are on the street with another alleged gang member, out past a curfew, or carrying a cell phone.

[2] Gang databases in 1987 - computerized lists that label people as “gang members” without their knowledge, without any chance to appeal, and without a clear way to get off. (3) The statewide STEP Act in 1988 that provided the nation’s first law targeting street gangs, first gang definition, first language referring to gang members as “terrorists,” first gang enhancements in court, and took database statewide [Cal Gangs Database].

[4] In 1985, L.A. established CLEAR I[Community Law Enforcement and Recovery].

THE SCHOOL-TO-JAIL TRACK

PRESIDENT REAGAN APPOINTS WILLIAM

BENNET AS U.S. SECRETARY OF

EDUCATION.

Zero Tolerance

policies include requirements for suspension, expulsion and

arrests; the takeover of school discipline by police

departments; and relationships in schools replaced by metal

detectors, locker searches, drug-sniffing dogs, and security

gates.

1. Police Departments take over school security

2. More Probation Officers than Counselors

3. Schools look and run like prisons; some have the same architects

4. Searches, metal detectors, gang profiling

5. Leads to massive push-out and arrest

CALIFORNIA’S ADDICTION TO INCARCERATION

IN THE EARLY 80s, CALIFORNIA STARTED TO RAPIDLY EXPAND THE BUILDING OF PRISONS AND CUT THE BUDGET TO EVERYTHING ELSE.

BY 2010, CALI HAD 176 THOUSAND STATE PRISONERS.

40% FROM L.A. COUNTY.

2010

With realignment, 135,000 people in prison. The question remains whether we will just shift bodies from

state cages to county cages.

DURING THAT SAME TIME, CALIFORNIA BUILT ONE UNIVERSITY AND TWO CAL STATES.

The Truth About Youth Crime

Drug Use/Abuse

School Shootings

Mass Shootings

Domestic Terrorism

Hate Groups

Drug Manufacturing

Gun Manufacturing

Drug Use/Abuse

School Shootings

Mass Shootings

Domestic Terrorism

Hate Groups

Drug Manufacturing

Gun Manufacturing

ALL HAVE MANY MORE WHITE PEOPLE INVOLVED THAN YOUTH OR ADULTS OF COLOR.

By 2,000, all teens had

the lowest violent crime rate since the

mid-60s.

Reframe the issue.

L.A. LOCKDOWN

#1 worldwide: Incarceration (Prison Spending and Prison Population); Pornography Production/Export; Gangs Creation/Export; Meth Production/Export; Import/Export of 5 Illegal Drugs; Hand Guns; White Supremacy Gangs and Orgs

#1 nationwide: Gap between rich and poor, Homelessness, Youth in Foster Care - many were “orphaned” by the prison system, “Riots,” Children and People Living in Poverty, Immigration and Deportation

The largest numbers of youth contacts with the police and Probation are for: (1) Tickets that can turn into arrest warrants or holds on Drivers’ licenses when families can’t afford to pay them. The #1 “crime” fare evasion - riding train or bus without paying.(2) Curfew Violations(3) Routine stop and frisks, gang database adds on the street.(4) Graffiti related tickets and arrests including minor acts such as posting slap tags, tiny throw ups, carrying a marker, or having a graffiti-covered back pack,(5) Small possession of weed or alcohol for individual use.(6) Minor Probation violations - such as missing school or arguing with family - can get youth lock-down placement or camp time.

California used to be #1 in school spending and had one of the best school

systems in the world.

Now, California is #1 in prison spending, and with this year’s budget cuts,

dropped from #47 to #50 in school spending!

South and East L.A. lead the nation in school overcrowding,

low test scores and drop-out/push-out rates

with only 40% of students graduating.

Costs: Each Murder Costs $1 Million to Investigate and averages $16 Million More in Jail, Court and Incarceration costs. With drastic decreases in homicide, should the saved money be reinvestment in our schools and communities?

Just

1%

of L.A.’s Courts, Police, Sheriffs’ District Attorney’s, Probation’s and City Attorney’s Budgets would pay for: 500 full-time gang intervention workers; 50 youth centers open from 3pm - midnight, 365 days a year; and 25,000 youth jobs!