Thank you, don't forget the suicide the early morning hours of 1/7 on a sidewalk by Bradoaks Elementary that hasn't made the news. I don't blame you for that as you can only report what you get notice from Monrovia and city hall there is sewed up tight.

Frazgo:

There was some chatter in the newsroom last week about that public suicide. I think Frank Girardot is looking into it.
But thanks for the tip.

A suicide is just that and you can't lump it in with other shootings.

The shooting on Peck is not Monrovia so you can't really claim it as such. Monrovia's last address is I believe down at 3333 S. Peck in the auto junk yards. Where's the 9000 block? Or is the address given wrong?

Hispanic gangs from Monrovia and Duarte are shooting blacks and that's a simple fact. Are there any leaders in town talking about this? I haven't heard anything except from a couple of sources inside the PD who say it's going on.

When will a leader step forward to address the issue?

Local Boy

Local Boy my question is why is everyone so tight lipped about the suicide? It is what it is. The lack of talking had it at one point being another gang shooting. The circumstances are horrible enough without the city silencing them through factual press releases.

The kid that got shot is known as "Day Day" at MHS. My daughter knows him from classes over the years and is distraught he took three to the back and is paralysed. He may not be within incorporated Monrovia, but he attended school here.

The bigger concern is that so much is going on in terms of shootings as you point out. Who is going to step up? Popular rumor I am getting from my friends with MPOA contacts is that the city manager is going to head up the task force? Why...reason (rumor) given to me is to protect the revenue stream from 4th Dimension by deflecting attention from its customer base.

Scary isn't it.

The only reason that a suicide would, or should be kept under wraps is at the request of the family or make proper notification. Nothing else makes sense.

I wouldn't give any credibility to the rumor that any thought is given to the 4th Dimension when anyone thinks about the best way to handle the spate of shootings. With the summer coming up it will get worse if something isn't done now.

This should be addressed by the council and no way should Scott Ochoa be heading up any gang task force. It should be someone from law enforcement.

I don't know who the big gang experts at the pd are now. I know some sergeants that know many of them and a few older officers but Roger Johnson needs to step up and make a statement as to what the pd is doing.

This is a Hispanic on Black shooting spree, make no mistake about it. The root causes are not being addressed except with kid gloves and it's time to get serious.

I'll have a lot more on this by Thursday.

Local Boy

Was this a local boy? Did he attend our schools? I saw a small artical in the paper and heard nothing from my friends at the school district.

There has been an increase in crime in my neighborhood for over a year now. Drugs are sold on the street in plain day light. PD cruisers do just that, cruise by. I have seen more graffiti on public property, ie buildings, schools, offices yet no enforcement out there. An increase of trash, left over couches, mattresses, shopping carts line many streets in Monrovia. I have had my house up for sale twice now and no one wants in, and it's not the house, its the neighborhood and schools that are scaring prospective buyers away.

I thought South Pasadena claimed it was LA and SGV's Mayberry?

Local Boy, maybe I didn't make myself clear. I don't want the names, but if its a suicide just say so. If the family doesn't want more released, say so. The silence causes rumors to fly, wildly as there is so little trust of what city hall does. A simple press release, isolated, unfortunate suicide and it quashes the rumor mill.

In answer to anonymous concerns yes in fact it was a student at MPD. My daughter and her friend on our street had classes with him, knew of him very well and swear he was not involved with the gangs at MPD. Both of them know his as "Day Day" (could be wrong on the spelling so forgive me). They both laughed when I gave the official line "no gangs at MHS" as they see the fights daily between the two primary gangs.

I also got the programmed, automated phone call from the school district. The message advised of the shooting of an MHS student over the weekend. It advised parents need to pickup students and be aware that there will be extra police presence at the school. It advised as well that all off campus privileges have been suspended until the matter is completely investigated.
MUSD is proactive in getting messages out to parents to quash rumors. It makes me feel a lot more comfortable knowing they are on top of things, not just ignoring it like city hall does too often.

The marked increase in violent crimes started last spring and started escalating very quickly when George Rostran was shot when he got between patrons of the 4th Dimension were arguing then hauled across the street to bleed to death in Libary Park.

I wholeheartedly agree no one but a police officer should be heading up this task force. We need trained professionals handing this, not politicians.

As it is I truly believe our officers are outgunned, out numbered and the bad guys know it. I want it brought under control before any lives are lost, especially any of our officers. Period.

Was more than one shot fired on Sherman? I was in the area and heard multiple sounds that I thought could have been gunshots.

Added information on the Sherman Avenue killing. Apparently it was Latino gang members shooting a black man. No one seem surprised, and everyone mentioned the tension between the two groups. Chief Johnson also commented. Molly Okeon will have a story on it in Tuesday's paper. The truly sad part of it is the man, according to family, had been shot more than a year ago while he was playing dominoes in a Monrovia park. He was reportedly shot by Latino gang members that time as well.

Frazgo, thought I made it clear and sorry if I didn't that it was a suicide. The victim lived in another area of town and was despondent. He killed himself near the home of someone he knew for whatever reason he had. It had nothing to do with Bradoaks School and was not a homicide.

The shooting of Day Day was tragic. From everything I've been told he was a very good kid and well liked. My prayers go to his family and his quick recovery.

The shooting of Day Day took place on Peck near the Riviera Apartments which is in the 2500 Block South not 9000. It's pretty much right across the street from the dairy which is north of the Catholic school.

I learned the name of the victim of the shooting on Sherman and knew him on a casual basis but had not seen him in yaers. He was an innocent victim of gang violence as was Day Day.

As I've posted before this is Hispanic gang members shooting blacks and not being to particular about it as evidenced by these two shootings. The two gangs are MNV and Duarte East side. Their main target is the Durock Crips.

When gang members shoot each other, which has been the case in many prior shotings, the police get no help at all. Gangsters have traditionally acted in this manner and will continue to do so. They handle these things on their own by simply attempting to kill a rival. They don't care who gets hurt in the crossfire.

MPD has put out extra officers targetting local gang members. As far as I'm concerned if they look gang than shake them. Of course gang apologists and ACLU type wimps will argue this is wrong and racial profiling but it isn't them in harms way. It's the innocent citizens of Monrovia and Duarte.

My sources know nothing about Scott Ochoa heading any gang task force and laughed when I mentioned the rumor. The 4th Dimension doesn't play into these events at all.

Last I heard Sgt. Tom Loy was head of MPD's special enforcement team. If that's still the case, and I'm pretty sure it is, than he's the right guy to head the effort. He is an excellent police officer and a proven leader. I know his guys are working it hard as are the supplement of patrol officers they are getting.

Two final thoughts for you. I heard MUSD had not offered grief counselling to their students and was wondering if that was true. I am not a big fan of the MUSD hierarchy. They tend to down play gang problems and shouldn't. The MUSD is way to PC.

Lastly, I know Roger Johnson well enough to say he will do everything it takes to make the city safe. I am sure he is very bothered by what's taking place. I don't know what LASD is doing but if someone calls Temple Station they can find out. Maybe they can supplement the area through the LASD gang teams. It certainly needs to be done.

When you gripe about officers "cruising by" take this into account. Last I checked minumum staffing levels were 5 officers on days and 4 on nights. That's not a lot to cover a city like Monrovia. Add to that they are at least 6 officers down, last I checked, and those off due to injuries, training or vacations.

I know many older officers on the PD but not very many new ones. They are being trained by sound officers though and will also do what they can to stop this madness.

It won't do a damn bit of good though as long as being in a gang is legal or attractive to anyone.

Local Boy

MURDER Hearings Tue 1-15-07 for both Manling Williams and Isaac Campbell in 2 separate cases. Please give us an update.

One word causing the murder in Monrovia: Illegal Immigration; and it will only get worse until we control it.

Local Boy, thanks for getting to the source of the task force rumor. Good to know that where I get information isn't as tightly connected as professed.

I'm with you on if they "look like a gang member" pull them over and find out whats up. We living here have a pretty good idea of who lives where just by our driving about. If they are some place they wouldn't reasonably have business ask them why they are there. That goes in the SE part of town and elsewhere. Let the officers do their job and remove the politics and rhetoric.

The amount of attention in one spot only moves the bad guys to areas of town not being looked at closely. More officers all over as well as the hot spots to crack down on it all is needed.

I agree with you we need swift action to quell it all before summer gets here.

illiegal immigration is two words. one word that is causing all the crime is:
you

you lazy parents dont teach kids right
you dont wanna go to school
you want the easy way out
you never held a job in your life
you expect the gov to give you everything
you dont respect authority
you like drugs
you like alcohol
you reject JESUS THE LORD

one word why there is illigal immigration:

you

You dont want to mowe your lawn
You dont want to watch your kids
You dont want to cook your meals
You dont want to pick your fruits and veggies
You dont want to clean your house
You dont want to pay high prices for building
You dont want to do menial labor
You dont want to follow THE LORDS WAY

YOU stole our land and we are just taking it back

YOU - its one word stupid

If Americans weren't as lazy, maybe there would be no need for illegals to do everything YOU dont want to do.

http://www.streetgangs.com/crips/durocc.html has a link to a 2003 San Gabriel Tribune article that the Latino/Black Gang Turf War goes back since the early 80's and are on their 3rd generation.

Day Day is a great kid. My children go to church and school with him. He is liked my his teachers and peers. I am a parent and educator in the city of Monrovia and our school has not offered counceling to the students because then they would have to admit that gang problems do exist in our schools. I strongly believe that parents and school board members newed to quit living in LA LA LAND and find out whats going on in their city and their schools.....Are your children safe walking down the street.....Day Day wasn't. Make sure yours are.

OK Local Boy lets hear what else you have to say...AT least you know that Monrovia has problems in the city and in the schools...You said you would have alot more to say about this before Thursday....What is Thursday.....

Monrovia has been in a sad decline for at least a decade. I thank God my family got out of there when we did. For a town that has such a siginificant population of African Americans, there isn't a semblance of leadership. It's a doggone shame.

I said most of what I had to say already connecting with a few sources prior to when I thought I would...which was Thursday.

If I give up too much it might put my main source at risk and I can't do that. I do have a few more comments though. Actually quite a few.

Durock isn't clean in this whole mess and in fact went out to Upland to shoot a local Hispanic gang member a few weeks back. He was hit by shotgun and handgun fire but survived. They have shot others as well but I don't think have been targeting any Hispanic they see as MNV and DES appear to be doing with male Blacks. With the recent shootings how can anyone think otherwise? I believe this latest shooting, a black shooting a Hispanic, was gang related.

MPD is swamped by this and they know it. They are dedicating more officers to the problem but can only do so much without more community assistance. There also needs to be constant gang, probation and parole sweeps. LASD has to be involved and if anyone calls Temple Station please post as to what they're doing.

It isn't just about Monrovia and Duarte. Read what happened in Highland Park last year with their main Hispanic gang attempted to get rid of all the Blacks in town. It was basically a genocide going on. Talk about scary and does it look like what's starting to happen here?

Why hasn't the local papers attempted to make that connection and let citizens know? They lay all the responsibility and failures on law enforcement while nitpicking them to death but don't have the courage to tell the WHOLE TRUTH! Just the truth they feel comfortable in putting out because we certainly don't want to offend and racial group do we?

PEOPLE NEED TO BE OFFENSIVE AND THE TIME FOR BEING POLITE WHILE INNOCENT PEOPLE ARE BEING GUNNED DOWN IS GONE!! GET IT PSN AND SGVT?

The school districts in both towns need to step up also and at least Monrovia has been very lax. In my opinion they're lucky the violence has been minimal at the high school. Is either Duarte High or Monrovia High comfortable that they could handle a campus shooting? Is there security people competent and should they be armed? A lot of questions need to be answered.

What type of an animal shoots down a 63 year old man getting out of his car, at his home simply due to the color of his skin? Now the 1200 Block of Sherman is known to have gang activity so wrong place and wrong time is probably what killed Sanders Rollins but shouldn't you feel safe wherever you live?

Should this shooter ever be allowed to breathe free air again? Or even breath again at all? Hell no but thanks to our courts and weak leaders it will be the same old talk with no action like always. After all we can't make them feel any pain when we execute them can we? Mr. Rollins might argue that...if he could.

The DA's office can take some of the heat for their dumping of cases for the stupidest of reasons, and I can cite PLENTY of examples. Of course Cooley will get his raise won't he? Wonder how many gangsters walk on minor cases cause some DA doesn't want to work for a conviction with a county lid and that same guy kills someone? Yeah, that probably never happens.

THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS KILLING ITSELF FROM THE INSIDE AND OUT!

Hey Frank, if you really want to have a story get the past years cases that were rejected by the DA's office and check out the reasons. Talk to some officers about cases that should have been filed that have been dismissed.

It isn't all about illegal immigration, though that does play into it, but what does play into it is the ignorance of local papers or reporters who gripe about having to wait a little while to get info from the PD but than their bosses run an editorial talking about the supposed cost off illegal immigrants to L.A. County but don't add in the cost of housing them in local and county jail whose population is over 25% illegal. We just won't talk about that right boys?

All this PC nonsense and the crap you read from posters who write things like "YOU stole our land and we are just taking it back" while trying to act religious does zero towards ending the problem. That goes the same for anyone who thinks gang violence is due only to illegal immigration.

Gangs have been here a long time. The Durock problem with MNV and DES is not about turf now. MNV and DES were mortal enemies for about three decades, why are they chummy now? It's simple racist actions handed down to local street gangs by prison gangs...period.

Prison gang members should be allowed no contact with each other. That might be the hardest thing to get done, gangs run prisons. Conquer that demon and the rest will be easier to get done. Of course I'd be OK with water boarding all gangsters, that's just me.

Want to save lives, get serious with punishment for those who take lives. Everything else is just empty talk and a waste.

Maybe we need a state proposition to make all gang membership a felony and off to prison you go forever. I know, it's all about root causes and we need to put more money into money wasting gang programs.

In the meantime the body count of innocent victims keeps going up.

Keep your eyes open people and stay safe.

Local Boy

To further my point...

Members of Latino Gang Charged with Race-Motivated Crimes
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gang17oct17,0,749576.story?coll=la-home-center
By Ari B. Bloomekatz, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Federal prosecutors today charged members of the Latino Florencia 13 street gang with racially motivated crimes against African Americans, including several attempted homicides.

Authorities said the gang specifically tried to eliminate rival African American gangs in South L.A. and the Florence-Firestone area in an effort to "cleanse" the neighborhood. In doing so, they mistakenly harassed and attacked innocent African American residents, according to the indictment.

More than 60 members and associates of the Florencia 13 street gang were charged with federal racketeering and drug charges. "In their attempt to intimidate African Americans in the community, they targeted innocent citizens," U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien said.

O'Brien said the arrests were the result of a nearly three-year investigation into the gang that culminated in federal indictments at the end of the summer. The arrests come as both local and federal officials have launched a crackdown on race-motivated gang crime across L.A. Authorities have already filed charges against a different Latino gang in the Harbor Gateway area accused of crimes against African Americans, including the slaying of a teenage girl last year.

Gang crime has been dropping across Los Angeles over the last few years, but Police Chief William J. Bratton and other authorities have expressed concern about isolated instances of racially charged gang violence both on the streets and in L.A. County jails.

According to prosecutors, the defendants are named in two indictments: one that charges violations of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and another on charges of federal narcotics trafficking violations. The indictments were returned by a federal grand jury Sept. 27 and were unsealed this morning, authorities said.

Latino gang makes blacks its target in Canoga Park
BY RICK COCA, Staff Writer LA Daily News
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_6552619

CANOGA PARK - Nickson Gilles came to Southern California last summer with dreams of carrying a football to stardom - first as a Pierce College running back, then maybe at USC or even the NFL.

Instead, he was carried out on a stretcher, his dream shattered by a shotgun blast that police say was leveled at him by an alleged member of the Canoga Park Alabama gang.

Gilles, an African-American from Florida, was shot in the neck, shoulder and left eye Sept. 3 after the Pierce Brahmas' first game of the season. It was just one of many attacks against blacks that landed Canoga Park Alabama on L.A.'s list of most dangerous gangs.

The Latino gang hasn't hidden the fact that it targets African-Americans in this community, which just two years ago earned the prestigious All-AmericaCity designation, largely due to its racial diversity. The city's gang list and another that branded Gilles' accused assailant, Fernando Araujo, one of the city's most wanted gangsters offer little solace to Gilles, who has undergone three eye surgeries and hasn't played football since he was shot.

"That whole tragedy messed up my whole life right there," Gilles said in a phone interview from Florida.

Since July 2006 there have been 12 shootings targeting Canoga Park blacks. Following two recent attacks, police have stepped up warnings to African-Americans to be wary of Canoga Park Alabama. Some blacks in the community, as well as educators working with African-American students, said they have felt the wrath of the gang's racist campaign of violence firsthand. But other blacks paint a more idyllic picture of Canoga Park, one that helped it become the first Los Angeles community to win the All-America honor in the award's 58-year history.

Once a predominately white community, today Canoga Park is about 50 percent Latino, 28 percent white, 15 percent Asian and 4 percent black, according to a 2005 American Community Survey listed in a California State University, Northridge, report.

Although police can't pinpoint why "CPA" has focused on blacks, one possibility is street culture emulating prison life, where black and Latino inmates have repeatedly clashed as they align themselves along racial lines.

"It could be a young guy trying to make his stripes (or) an order from somewhere else or random gang stuff," Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Tom Smart said. "Hopefully, it's a little flare-up and not a continuing trend, especially as the summer heats up."

With the last two attacks on blacks in and around Lanark Park separated by mere days and feet, police want African-Americans to be on alert for any trouble.

"I feel we have an obligation to let (black people) know that they could be targeted," Smart said. "I'd like to remind them to be mindful. It's random."

The most recent shooting occurred about 10:40 p.m. on June 13 when a 23-year-old African-American man drove into the parking lot of Lanark Park. His attackers, believed to be several Latino males who remain at large, walked up to the car, asked where he was from - a common gang challenge - shouted racial slurs and shot him in the chest and shoulder.

Two days after that shooting, two 15-year-old black boys helping their uncle's girlfriend move out of a nearby apartment on Lanark Street were allegedly beaten in an unprovoked attack by several CPA members. At least one of the attackers shouted a racial epithet during the beating that was caught on an apartment surveillance camera, police said.

Gabriel Chavez, 18, Juan Carlos Sanchez, 20, and two Latino minors were arrested for allegedly taking part in the beating and face felony assault, hate crime and gang-crime enhancement charges. Despite recent criticism of the city's anti-gang efforts in the Valley, which has seen about a 15 percent increase in gang crime so far this year, Smart said a gang injunction and suppression efforts have been effective - until recently.

After CPA, with about 400 active members, was put on the city's most-dangerous gangs list, the additional manpower from the department's violent crime task force and other agencies led to dozens of arrests and helped bring the gang's attacks under control for a while, Smart said.

"We did go five months without any reported shootings because of all the suppression and energy we've poured into there," he said. "We created what we thought was a safe community, and now it has reared its ugly head again."

Clashes near campus

Karen Cano is principal of the Coutin School, a small alternative education center in Canoga Park serving elementary through high school students with behavior or academic problems. She said CPA has increasingly become a problem as mostly young, teenage members challenge her black students and others through the school's fence. Now, she doesn't let her black students walk outside campus.

"We're in a constant battle," Cano said. "We've had fights. ... They come up to the fence, flash their gang signs."

In April, Cano said there was a brawl between about six of her students and six members of the gang in a park where her students go for supervised physical education activity. Cano said the CPA members said to the black students in the group: "`You n------ better watch yourselves,"' Cano said.

Following the brawl, Cano received a phone call from the father of an injured CPA member. He repeated the gang's warning: "`You better watch your n------,"' Cano - a white woman who grew up in Canoga Park - said the man told her. "It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I just don't know who thinks that way anymore. I guess they do." Cano said the situation is exacerbated by the fact that many of her students come from troubled backgrounds themselves.

In September, 17-year-old Dazohn Tony Roberts, a former Coutin student, was killed in a gunbattle with another gang member outside Birmingham High School in Van Nuys. Both Roberts and his assailants were black.

"I'm not saying my kids are totally innocent by any means," Cano said. "They wouldn't be here if they were."

She has tried to reason with the CPA members, even suggesting they attend her school, to no avail. She's hoping more attention recently promised by LAPD gang unit officers materializes into a police presence that she and her staff say has been grossly inadequate. With some staff members describing the current environment as "a war zone," Cano said there is a sense of urgency to resolve the tension. "This year, ... the level of violence escalated," Cano said, adding, "We're pretty much on high alert. We've been in this neighborhood for 30 years and we've never had any problems, but all of a sudden, it's like everything changed."

Eldred Betters, 27, who is black, has lived in Canoga Park for six years. He said he has had several run-ins with CPA members. Still, he's not willing to alter his life to avoid the gang. "You can't just sit in the house and say, `There's some CP (members) targeting black people,"' said Betters, who grew up in the notorious Nickerson Gardens public housing projects in Watts.

I can tell you MHS security is very competent and well connected with the students and community, unfortunately MUSD feels they only need 3.5 security officers at MHS and as for them being armed, MUSD will never let that happen.

Glad they're competent, good luck to them.

Local Boy

MHS is proactive in trying to control things. I'll have a post up on blogging.la later tomorrow.

Are they ready for a shooting? I have my reservations. But how ready is any school?

I spoke with vice-principal Jackson at MHS. He spoke with DayDay's mother. He is doing ok but has a long way to go. He has feeling and movement in his upper extremities and beginning to regain feeling in his legs. Both are good signs.

What I found vile is no mention of this kid at the city council meeting this evening, yet they could mention him on the city rumor control page. He was an MHS student and deserved the same concern as the poor guy that died.

Both were horrendous except one is a kid that will have residuals affecting the rest of his life....DayDay was only 16.

Thats because it happened in county area and "Day-Day" lives in the county area. So as far as Monrovia City Council is concerned this does not effect Monrovia. But anyone that lives south of Colorado knows otherwise.

THere is nothing competent about any of the security on the MHS campus and that includes the administrators......Would one of them risk their life to save a student???Absolutely not...Security does have some good connections with the students on campus, but only the students that are Afro-American..As that is what our security guards are, so security does have their favorites on campus and this has been displayed time and time again. Security will not do anything to protect ALL students on campus regardless to their race. Coach Walls Is a nice guy and is the only one with HUEVOS...He does try hard to guide the students in the right direction. The lock down procedures on campus are a joke with students. Nothing is taken seriously, students don't realize that we have these practice drills in order to protect them. There are some wonderful teachers on that campus that will protect the students and luckily students know who those teachers are...

Dini,

What does the race of the Security Officers have to do with anything. Do you really beleive that because they are black(and one hispanic) that they are "only going to take of their own". I hope that is not you meant.
I am a parent of 2 MHS students that have had Security "pushing them" in school and reminding them that it is hard out in the REAL world.
As for the lock down procedures being a joke I will quote you "Nothing is taken seriously, students don't realize that we have these practice drills in order to protect them". Yes the STUDENTS do not take them seriously why because they are teengaers and think nothing will ever happened to them(I have 2 that think this way no matter what I say)
And yes there great taechers at MHS and the students know who they are.

Dini,

P.S.
The District and the Adminisrators(except Jackson) are not competent.
Remember 3.5 Secuirty Officers for 1900 students.

I don't understand this vote about if enough is being done to address the current situation.

Let's see, at the council meeting last night the mayor spoke on this issue as soon as the prayer and flag salute was over. With the exception of not mentioning Day Day's shooting I thought he covered all the bases. He did have a lot on his mind though didn't he?

When Chief Johnson spoke I thought he was right on target. Not only is his department getting assistance from parole, probation and LASD,they are bringing in L.A. Impact and I.C.E. that's in addition to the extra patrols they're putting out. What more can people expect absent the National Guard?

In Scottsdale, Az. every arrested person is checked for their immigration status and I.C.E. takes charge of those here illegally. WHY THE HELL ARE WE NOT DOING THIS? They started that after a local police officer was murdered by an illegal. We should not wait a minute more, innocent people are paying with their own lives and that's enough!

In the last decade or so Hispanic gangs have opened it's arms to the kids of illegal immigrants. That dynamic has fostered some of the race problems associated with what's going on now. That with the dictates of prison gangs that float down to county jails and than to the streets.

I saw where someone had wrote that Blacks and Hispanics in Monrovia that grew up together got along OK. That used to be pretty much true but they were pretty much all Americans.

If people will actually look at this problem with honesty, they will admit there are lots of racist attitudes foster by illegals from other countries, specifically from Mexico and south, against American Blacks.

Just check out the big Hispanic gangs like MS, 18th Street, Florencia 13 and others and see who makes up their ranks. Than see who they are trying to kill.

There is no doubt that this is also money based with gangs going after drug sales profits. Eliminate the competition and make more money for your own group of thugs.

This would have gotten much more press play and way earlier if you had the two biggest white prison gangs, The Aryan Brotherhood and Nazi Low Riders, targetting Blacks and Hispanics. Can't say too much though when race is involved can we? That's the boggeyman we have to keep hid away.

Local Boy

Dini, I could not disagree with you more. Mr Jackson and Mr Jose Marin are very well in touch with the kids on the campus.

Check out blogging.la, Mr Marin is working with a group of kids, the leader is of hispanic heritage, guess what...I watched them in action. Respect and pride on what they are doing (Urban Art Mural).

Giving kids positive outlets and initiatives to stay out of the gang lifestyle is a good thing. It shows proactive education to all kids including the hispanics you claimed aren't the "favorites".

Two comments: It is true Mr.Jackson is competent and caring but can he run a school of 1900 students, plus staff members alone, and butt heads with the district. No but he sure tries.....
Second the reference to Jose MArin...I wonder how many parents know that Jose dates many of the female students on campus. Is this a good role model. Also that you can find him at the local parties that are also attended by MHS students.

Mr. Jackson does not run MHS, Mr. Zepeda is the Principal. But no one knows who he is.
And if you know for FACT that Jose Marin is having inappropriate relationships with female students (which is against the law), you should be at the District Office talking to Dr. Taylor, not writing about it here.

True talking about race is worse than the boogeyman....Monrovia has always thought we were the ALL AMERICAN CITY bad things don't happen the the all american city and they have done a good good at ignoring the bad. But this has gone one to long and too many people are being hurt because of it...It is true that the PD has alot and their plates but their motto is: "TO SERVE ALL PROTECT" The school need to be more proactive about gangs on campus....There are diffently color lines that are drawn on the MHS campus, heck even on the their Football team. There are alot times I have had to drive students home because of the fear that they would be shot at because of the color of their skin. No one should have to live like that. You should be able to walk in town and not be approached to be asked where you BANG>>>> Just because you are Hisapanic or Black doesn't mean you bang. White kids are never asked this....
Back to DAy Day he is not gang afflificated his only crime was walking while black That is an all tooooo familiar term in the community

Davien was a great kid and was my friend, he was one of the only 8th graders that was nice to me back in 6th grade. He wasnt affiliated with anything and I hope he gets better
Im praying for you Day Day