Cross-Cultural Racial Pain in Los Angeles--Gang vs Gang

     It's something that everyone knows about, but it is not mentioned in the presidential political debates, because it is easier to talk about the war in Iraq, than the racial gang war in Los Angeles.
    The Los Angeles Times did another story on the painful youth violence, which causes fear and pain in the hearts of parent's, and the death of innocent children walking to school or to buy gum.

    The Times headline, today Jan. 31st, 2008:

    "Cross-racial shootings spark fear in Monrovia."

    Many killings in the last week, in this city, just a little north-east of Los Angeles.

    Victims included: An African-American kid, 19 years old, who had turned his life around and was attending a City College---and---a 16 year old Latina girl, walking to the store to buy "orbitz" gum, her favorite...but she was shot eight times.

    As a society, we have become so numbed to this problem, that no presidential candidate talks about needing a new "surge" to stop the killings.

    Television hosts, who are so used to living the good life, and see everything in intellectual terms, don't think it is a big deal...or at least they don't ask "how are you going to solve this problem?"

    Gangs are like little non-elected governments, which control areas of the city....get caught in the wrong neighborhood and you are punished.

    Not all of this is a racial problem...because gangs need to control turf, for drug money, and the collective ego.

    But, this story highlights, the political tension between Hispanics and African-Americans within the larger political scene.

    When political reporters ignore this story, and Bill and Hillary Clinton bring the race card into this contest, it does damage to all American's....especially the most innocent of us...the children.

    It is a domestic Iraq.

    Thanks for reading:

    Bob Kholos