LA Gang Policy: What Not To Do?

The founder of Homeboy Industries tells a Trenton-New Jersey paper that LA's war on gangs has been exactly the wrong way to deal with the problem. The Trenton Times writes about how their mayor is approaching their local gang situation (which features less than a thousand active gang members) in comparison to other cities across the nation. While, according to Father Boyle, LA continues to throw police and muscle at our thousands and thousands of gang members, cities like Boston and Philly that are focusing more on self-help than criminal prosecution and incarceration.

Meanwhile, Jasmyne Cannyck of EURweb blames LA problems like gangs and the Crenshaw High debacle on failing minority (particularly Black) leadership, arguing that "gangs don't take control of our streets without our consent."