Look back at a police shooting of two people in Inglewood one year ago. Legal permanent residents pursue citizenship. Voter game plan for March 7 election.
Officers say Props 47 and 57 made the streets dangerous. But there's no proof.
A traffic stop in Whittier Monday morning turned fatal, leaving Whittier police officer Keith Lane Boyer dead.
The LA Sheriff's Department says the suspect is a known gang member and was released on parole just days before,.
Whittier Police Chief Jeff Piper placed the blame for Boyer's death on crime policies like Prop 47 and Prop 57, which California voters passed in 2014 and 2016 respectively.
Prop 47 turned certain crimes like grand theft and check forgery from felonies to misdemeanors. Meanwhile, Prop 57 created a path to early parole for nonviolent inmates in state prisons.
"Enough is enough. You're passing these propositions, you're creating these laws that are raising crime," Piper said in a press conference.
"It's not good for our communities and it's not good for our officers. What you have today is an example of that. So we need to pull our head out of the sand and start realizing what we're doing to our communities and to our officers who give their life like officer Boyer did today."
Other law enforcement officials like LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell also say these policies have made the streets more dangerous for officers.
"We're putting people back on the street that aren't ready to be back on the street," he said.
The problem with these claims is that there is no proof.
"We have have no empirical evidence, one way or another, as to Prop 47's [and Prop 57's] role in crime in the state of California," says UC-Irvine criminologist Charis Kubrin.
It can take researchers like her several years to get statewide data, crunch the numbers and draw reasonable conclusions about a policy.
And Props 47 and 57 are still relatively new.
"You have to at least allow some time to pass in order to determine crime, post a policy," she says.
There are a couple preliminary reports out right now.
But Kubrin says it's too early to determine the rise or fall of crime because of these ballot measures, despite what law enforcement officials say.
"They have on-the-ground experience. I would never discount that experience," she says. "On the other hand, the reason why we do proper policy evaluations is so that we don't draw erroneous conclusions from the experiences of individuals on the street."
Hear the full interview with Charis Kurbin by clicking the audio player above
Inglewood community still searching for answers, one year after officer-involved shooting
One year ago today, an police shooting rocked the Inglewood community.
It was a little after 3 o'clock in the morning when Inglewood Police officers responded to a report of an occupied vehicle parked along Manchester Boulevard.
It's a road that's usually busy, but that morning things were quiet. Inside the car a man and woman: 32-year-old Marquintan Sandlin and 31-year-old Kisha Michael. Officers who approached the car found the couple unconscious, but then they saw something else: a gun.
Little is know about the events that transpired over the next 45 minutes. What is known is that Sandlin and Michael were both shot dead by police.
Both were single parents with seven children between them.
In the days that followed, friends and loved ones would search for answers, but there were few.
So where does the case stand today?
Take Two talked about it with KPCC correspondent Frank Stoltze.
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.
He's got a green card. Politics have pushed him to apply for US citizenship
Although it's no longer green, we still call them green cards. They signify the holder is a permanent U.S. resident. They've been vetted by the government to stay in America, and the green card they're issued allows them to cross the border freely.
Many of these permanent residents are perfectly content with their status and never get their citizenship.
"It was comfortable," says green card holder Everardo Landero, 37, who lives in Santa Ana. "I was able to get a driver's license, which eventually became my livelihood. I was able to leave the country. I was able to come back without a problem."
But Landero's mind started to change recently, and other KPCC listeners have told us similar stories, too.
Yes, America's shifting stance on immigration policy and President Trump's travel ban had something to do with it.
Some green card holders were prevented from re-entering the U.S. when the ban was first implemented, and that weighed on Landero's mind.
"Having a green card, they can revoke that if they want to," he says.
Now, he's started the process to become a U.S. citizen, just like his wife and two children.
Landero first came to the U.S. illegally from Mexico when he was 9. But in 2005, he obtained legal permanent resident status.
He could have gotten his citizenship within a handful of years after that, but opted against it because California politics left him scarred as a child.
"It was very immediately obvious that there was a movement not to have us here," he recalls.
In 1994, when he was a teenager, California passed Prop 187 which instituted strong measures against immigrants who came to the state illegally.
"I felt like I wasn't wanted, like I was a part of this country," says Landero. "If you're not going to take me seriously enough, I'm not going to be part of the system. Why should I go to lengths of becoming a citizen?"
But decades later, he started to rethink things.
His children are now in their teens, and Landero wanted to be a better role model for them.
"I want to be able to say that I did things properly," he says. "I want them to know that I was involved and that I did my civic duty."
Landero and his wife are thinking about taking an overseas vacation to Europe soon, too, and a U.S. citizenship would guarantee that he could never be turned away at the border.
But most importantly, he saw the results and rhetoric that came out of the last election – one that he could not vote in – and hopes that his voice as a citizen could help change America for the better.
"I would be very proud to be a citizen of this country. It stands for something that reaches out to people," says Landero. "I want everyone to be welcomed, even if I wasn't immediately."
Listen to the full interview with Everardo Landero by clicking the audio player above.
Here are the steps it takes to become a US citizen
An increasing number of green card holders have reached out to immigration lawyers like Ally Bolour, recently, and he says President Trump's travel ban (now struck down by the courts) left them disturbed.
Foreigners can become legal permanent residents once they are thoroughly vetted by the U.S. government, and the green card they are issued gives them special benefits like freely crossing the border.
But when the ban was issued, some of those people were temporarily stopped from entering the U.S.
So Bolour got calls from green card holders who say they might want to get their U.S. citizenship to guarantee they can never be turned away.
Here's a simplified step-by-step guide of what it takes.
How long does the process typically last?
Around 3 to 4 months for people who are in L.A., according to Bolour.
Who is eligible?
Legal permanent residents to the U.S. over 18 years old.
You must have lived here for at least five years, too, unless you are married to a U.S. citizen. Then you only need to have been here for three years.
Check this eligibility worksheet, too, to make sure no part of you aren't disqualified in any way.
What forms do I need to complete?
A lot of them.
You will also need several documents, too, depending on your situation.
How much does it cost?
Filing the application, alone, comes at a price of $725.
But you can avoid part of that fee if you are older than 75 or served in the U.S. military.
What's the advantage in hiring a lawyer for this process, as opposed to doing it on my own?
A lawyer will cost more in addition to the fee, but it may buy you some peace of mind.
"It's always better to have counsel if there are potential issues," says Bolour. "If you file and think there are no problems, then you will be in the system. But perhaps the harm will outweigh investing in an attorney if issues come up that you hadn’t noticed."
What steps do I have to take once I send in the application?
First, there is a biometrics scan.
"It's not a test. Just fingerprints," says Bolour.
Then there is an in-person interview. You will be asked about things like your background, where you've lived in the U.S. and more.
"They also will make sure there are no criminal issues and no IRS issues," he adds.
This is the step where you will have to take a written test of 10 randomized questions on U.S. history and civics, too. The test is in English (unless you get a language exemption).
Only English?
Mostly yes.
These steps are, in part, to make sure you are proficient in English.
There are exceptions, though.
For example, if you are 50 or older and have legally lived in the U.S. for at least 20 years, you can take the civics test in the language of your choice.
Once I've completely all these steps, how long does it typically take to hear the government's final decision?
About two weeks.
Where can I get more information?
Immigration lawyers can be a great resource.
But also make sure to review the information provided online by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Supreme Court case on Mexico border shooting could affect Trump immigration policies
Today the US Supreme Court takes on a case that could establish whether or not a non-citizen is protected by the Constitution if they are at a U.S. border.
The question grows out of an incident in 2010, when a border agent standing just within the United States shot and killed 15-year-old Sergio Hernandez who was across the border in Mexico.
The Hernadez family sued and today the high court will consider if rights granted under the US Constitution protected their son, even though he wasn't a citizen, and was technically inside Mexico.
The issues in this case could also have a bearing on President Trump's efforts to ban travel from certain nations. And it could clarify the rights of non-citizens at US borders.
For a deeper legal perspective, we checked in with Gould School of Law professor USC Niels Frenzen. He told Take Two's A Martinez , "we have a constitutional question before the court which if the court rules in favor of the government again, this is recognizing special constitutional authority on the part of the political branches to do things regardless of what constitutional provisions provide."
To listen to the interview, click on the blue Media Player above.
Human Voter Guide: It's the last day to register online to vote in March 7 election
Tuesday Reviewsday: Joe Young, El Michels Affair and funk legend Clyde Stubblefield
Oliver Wang from Soul-Sides join A Martinez in the studio for Take Two's weekly new music installment - Tuesday Reviewsday.
Below are their picks for what you should be listening to.
Artist: Joe Young ft. Method Man
Album: Invincible Armour
Song: Crack Babies
Joe Young, a German rapper who was basically taken under the Wu-Tang wing and embrace as a new member. His recent album, Invincible Armour doubles as a Wu reunion LP since it has veterans such as Raekwon, Cappadonna and - from the grave - Ol Dirty Bastard participating and that track, “Crack Babies” is vintage Method Man.
It’s not RZA on the track…but it sounds pretty close thanks to the work of producer Dame Grease.
Artist: El Michels Affair
Album: Return to the 37th Chamber
Song: Shaolin Brew
File this under the never-ending cycle of musical life but El Michels Affair is a group out of Brooklyn known for creating the kind of dramatic, soulful tracks that you might have heard Wu Tang sample back in the day, only they took it one step further by releasing a series of singles and albums that are basically them creating instrumental versions of Wu Tang songs.
On this latest effort, they have covers of every thing from GZA’s 4th Chamber to Raekwon, Ghostface and Nas’s “Verbal Intercourse” but I loved that they included “Shaolin Brew,” which is a cover of, true story, a St. Ides malt liquor commercial WuTang cut back in the early ‘90s.
Artist: Black Sheep Dres
Album: n/a
Song: Soul
Dres, one half of the hip-hop group, Black Sheep, has steadily been trying to work his way back into the conversation after what felt like decades out of the loop. What’s interesting to me is how these days, the hip-hop landscape is so vast that there is a niche for a rapper like Dres to still stay in the mix…I’m not sure that would have been the case, say, 10-15 years ago.
Artist: James Brown
Album: In a Jungle Groove
Song: Give It Up or Turn It Loose
This past weekend, we lost two giants of funk music: Junie Morrison of Ohio Players and drummer Clyde Stubblefield, aka the original funky drummer.
Stubblefield has been described as the most sampled musician in history but he earned next to nothing because, as the drummer, he doesn’t get publishing credit. That said, I think anyone who knows about the important of James Brown has always recognized how vital his corp of drummers, especially Clyde Stubblefield, were to his revolutions in rhythm.
‘Sing’ is about giving a voice to the oppressed and fighting injustice
The Oscars are just days away and crews are working in front of the Dolby Theater to prep the red carpet for the possibility of rain on Sunday.
And so, we continue our peek at the nominees in the live action short film category. On Monday we spoke to the filmmaker behind "La Femme et le TGV" and explored the short film's themes of loneliness and human connection.
On Tuesday, we look at the Hungarian short, "Sing," directed by Kristoff Deak. In this short, we follow a shy young girl who joins her new school's award winning choir. What happens next leads to everyone finding out the real reasons for the choir's success.
It's a twist no one saw or heard coming and when A Martinez spoke to Deak, he recounted the story's real life inspiration.
"The film was inspired by an anecdote I heard from a flatmate of mine. She was about 10-years-old when she joined a new school and there was a big hundred strong choir and she was allowed to join even though she didn't have an especially amazing voice. So, a few rehearsals in she was taken to the side and told in confidence by the choir director not to sing out loud, just mime. And a few weeks later she found out that actually, another 50 kids from this choir weren't singing, they were just miming. So, that's how this choir achieved such a big success. Then the whole scandal broke out, the choir was disbanded and that sort of started my imagination...
I wanted to know what would've happened if they had a choir director who was a bit better at psychological manipulation and could actually hold this group of kids together and what would've happened if then the kids had to come up with their own way of getting back at her."
Were the teacher's actions in the film coming from a selfish place or a compassionate place or maybe a little of both?
"I don't think there's a lot of compassion involved to be honest, I mean in the case of my film, the teacher's kind of a bit selfish. Also, you could say she puts the success of the group ahead of the well being of the individuals, but I didn't want to paint her completely wrong so that's why she's a bit ambiguous that way. So, I'm really glad you kind of saw her truth in the film as well because there is some truth to it. But in the end what really interested me was the paradoxical situation that a kid has to give up singing in order to be able to stay in a choir.
I mean, we all face rejection throughout life and I think rejection by teacher's or peers can be different in terms of how much empathy it's delivered with and how it then allows you to grow and become a better person, sometimes it just scars you and it doesn't really help."
One of the things I got out of the ending is how students...even young students, like the ones we see in the film, have power to shine a light on things and effect change...
"The kids end up coming up with a brilliant way...they do something at the end and they come up with a very clever way of getting back at their teacher. So, I would say to me...that's the most important part of film. It is kind of a wish fulfillment thing to me. I would love an entire society to work that way. It would be nice if we could all come together in solidarity with the weaker members of a group and stand up for everyone and fight injustice that way."