Black/Latino Violence? Scholars find no clear trend

"LAPD is not on the brink," of a major inter-racial crime wave, three University of California Irvine scholars have concluded after examining assault, robbery and homicide data in the city's southern police precincts.

The researchers said that, although some cross-racial crimes involving blacks and Latinos have been  "sensationalized," the numbers suggest that offenders preying on people of their own race is a much bigger problem, and should remain the focus of police attention.

"It sort of goes against the more spectacular stories that have been dramatized in the media," another researcher, UC Irvine assistant professor John R. Hipp, said of the study's findings. "It's far more common to see [violence] going on within groups. We don't see any real trend here."

The study by Hipp and fellow UC Irvine criminologists George E. Tita and Lindsay N. Boggess compared aggravated assault, robbery and homicide cases between 2000 and 2006 in the four precincts of LAPD's South Bureau against 2000 Census data. It found that black offenders were nearly eight times more likely to kill another black person as to kill a Latino, and Latino offenders were nearly twice as likely to kill another Latino as a black person.

A similar situation existed with robberies and assaults, the study found: Black offenders were six times more likely to assault those of their own race than Latinos. Given the opportunity, they were about equally likely to rob from each group. Latino offenders were almost twice as likely to assault fellow Latinos--and almost three times more likely to rob them--than to assault or rob blacks.

The report was presented to LAPD officials, and another draft is being prepared for publication.

The researchers made their calculations, in essence, by predicting crime rates based on the size of South Bureau's black and Latino populations. They also looked at the degree to which the two groups are mixed, and, thus, their opportunity to commit crimes against each other. Then they looked at how much actual crimes exceeded or fell short of their predictions.

They did find what Hipp called "a blip" in one area: African Americans increased their tendency to kill Latinos in 2005, while Latinos increased their tendency to kill blacks in 2006.

But the total numbers of killings involved were relatively small. And since there were no similar trends in assaults or robberies, researchers were not sure what, if anything, the blips mean.

Overall, black/Latino violence is dwarfed by black-on-black and Latino-on-Latino crime, the researchers said.

The findings are important, said Tita, because "there are costs associated with painting any place as being on the verge of a race war. Would you want to move to an area where you are told by the media if browns go there, they will be attacked by blacks, or blacks will be attacked by browns? Do you want to invest in such a community? It is important to demonstrate that we are not this city on the verge of a race war."

Law enforcement priorities should not be driven by sensational stories, he added. "You don't want to ignore the vast majority of your crime and run to the margins, and deal with less common types of crime," he said.

The Homicide Report made a similar finding about black/Latino murder earlier this year after examining 236 homicide cases in three South Bureau precincts and one Central Bureau precinct last year. Just 22 of those homicides crossed racial lines.

The study also echoes what many people in South Bureau law enforcement have said for some time: That racially-motivated violence between blacks and Latinos occurs occasionally, but tends to be overplayed by the media.

The UC Irvine study is provocative in what it didn't find, however: In the past, researchers have speculated that the reason same-race violence dominates is simply that different races tend not to live close together, and so don't have much opportunity to hurt each other.

But Los Angeles, with its high degree of racial mixing, offers, "an interesting laboratory," to test this idea, Hipp said--and this study suggests it doesn't hold up: Violent crime would appear to involve more complex factors than simple opportunity.

(Above, Mexican-and-soul food fusion, Gage and Figueroa, South-Central Los Angeles, and a mural of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Virgen de Guadalupe, 50th and Vermont.)

Comments

[Shaolin]

At the end of the day we all bleed the same color. Red

Peace
R.

[Tracee]

I beg to differ. The scholars reports may show that there is not a black and hispanic killing war out here, but I say it is. I know of alot of people in both races that have died at the hands of someone that is of the opposite race. Also I know of alot of people in both races that specifically say that they are looking to kill that black person or to kill that mexican person. There are people out there that literally go look for someone to shoot just based on the fact that they are black or hispanic. Now it is true that they are killing, but it is also true that if they see someone of the other race, then it will take priority.....meaning they will try to shoot that person just so they can brag that they are getting rid of all these "mexicans" out here, etc. You guys only know numbers. You do not know what really goes down in the hood or in the minds of our youth. It is just terrible.

[weetie]

i love u auntie and it is goin 2 b ight

[Duane]

Thank you for this story.

I have grown so sick and tired of the sensationalized portrayals of the southland as being a big boiling cauldron of racism between Blacks and Hispanics.

[ADAM]

Your perception always depends on where you live.
While I agree there is no race war, there is a war going on. The war on poverty, the war on family values, and the war on truth.

[fly]

Coming from the East Coast (Baltimore), the street mood there is that the Blacks are gunning after the Hispanics. They feel they are invading their turf and trying to take over (they have heard the rumors about LA). Within a 1/2 mile radius of my rowhouse, at least 4 Hispanics have been victims of violence by Blacks. Its much more dangerous to be Hispanic there then in L.A.
and if more Hispanics move to the Baltimore area, thats where the race war will be. LA is a done deal.

[NancyGee]

Trying not to be snide, but the question I always wonder when I read of these tragic deaths is, "why didn't they move?"

If a family has two or more members murdered on the streets in their neighborhood, why don't they move to an area that is safer? Does it just come down to a matter of economics?

Both groups, Latino's and blacks, may have come extremely long distances to find themselves in the middle of the killing fields in Los Angeles. Surely if you've been able to trek from South America or Mississippi, you could equally pack up and trek another 5 miles to a place where you don't have to sleep in the bathtub at night.

[Vee]

It makes me so angry when individuals that have never touched the surface of a lifestyle or lived where certain things have happened, have the audacity to form their conclusions and write them as if they are solid facts. The racial indifferences between latinos and blacks, may not be a war, but it is a serious issue. Dont let the article fool anyone, the issue definitely needs to be addressed. We all know that the crime rate against individuals of their own races are much higher and it did not take a scholar to determine that. The fact is that murders between blacks and latinos is on the rise, year after year.The situations mentioned are but a few isolated cases and to speculate that someone was mistaken for some other race due to skin coloring, etc. leads me to believe that the individuals or should I say the professor was white. It seems that "we all look alike" attitude is back. Its not good to speculate what others may have thought, the only fact is that it happened. Hey, I have an idea, research ways to get more latinos and blacks into universities like Harvard and Yale. It would be interesting to see what conclusion you form then.

[Pedro (koreatown)]

This STUDY is RIGHT on the $$$$$! This is L.A, only people that would not SURVIVE here is RADICAL WHITE SUPREMACY Groups and people who don't do BUSINESS Correctly!

[Ariana]

Nancy-Gee,
Ecomonics IS the problem. Have you ever noticed that crime is higher in low-income areas? Don't you think that if these families could afford to move to a better neighborhood, they would? A good friend of mine grew up in a rough area of Long Beach for the first few years of his life and after a man was killed in front of his house, his parents decided to move. In order to do so, they had to work long days and lived without furniture for a year in order to make the mortgage payment for their home. They sacrificed time with their son as well as ameneties that others take for granted. It's not that easy to just "pack up and trek another 5 miles to a place where you don't have to sleep in the bathtub at night".

[Mickey]

The ruling class throw out some bread crumb and few bones and watch the minority fight each other for bread crumb and bones. This is the classic divide and conquer and it works, always!

The ruling class maintain their privileges without dirty their hands with minority. It's so much easier for the ruling class that minority fight each other.

[Mark]

Mickey, in Los Angeles, the "ruling class" is made up of Latino's, blacks and liberal whites.

Now what exactly is your point about the ruling class? Are you saying that its minorities oppressing minorities?

The economic problems of the "poor" areas are so intractable, smart people should just give up hope that it will get better. What issues do I see? Lets see......dysfunctional families feeding a gang system, people who don't value education, a city govt that chases away business's, an influx of illegal migrants undercutting wages and paying no taxes, a school system that is hopelessly inept and useless.

Theres plenty more, and untill the people of those area's began looking inward and accepting the blame for their own choices, then nothing is going to change.

[Robert]

No...there isn't a black/latino ethnic conflict/war brewing. It's a bunch of sensationalistic nonsense. And I'm sorry, blacks and Latinos do NOT make up the ruling class of LA...whites do. And I am both black and Latino and I'm being honest. Money runs LA and it's whites who have the money that matters. There are black and Latinos who have powerful positions here, but their power is limited, if not entirely illusory. Come on people. You are being drawn into a shell game. The minor black/latino conflicts involve street garbage not even worth mentioning.

[unico]

the minor black/brown conflict is gang related, and prison related and ultimately drug related. its the shot callers in prison that control gangs and these gangs try to control drug turf. most of the black on latino (latino on black) shootings have been gang related. mexicans aint really runnun around lookin for blacks to kill or visa versa. its is a specific problem that involves specific players. thats the answer. get rid of gangs and the solution gets rolling. then you invest in these communities and offer equal educational opportunities and economic outlets and we are on way to our biggest problem only being having to deal with idiots like mark. come better. i live in LA. i grew up here. i seen violence first hand and i raise my kids in LAUSD. they are pretty bright actually. i have no problems with anyone. where are you from mark and what experience do you speak from? i love when outsiders use fox news sound bits to try to prove a point. im actually living this.

[MILANI RAMOS]

ROBERT I AGREE WITH YOU 100%. THERE IS A PROBLEM AND I THINK THE PEOPLE WHO DONT WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS LATINOS AND WHITES. THEY WANT TO SWEEP IT UNDER THE RUG. BLACKS DONT HAVE ANY LEADERS WHO WILL BRING IT TO THE FORFRONT BECAUSE THEYRE AFRAID OF NOT HAVING LATINO SUPPORT. BUT I SAY THIS IF IT WAS EVEN A SMALL INFLUX OF KKK KILLINGS OF BLACKS OR LATINOS IT WOULD BE ALL OVER THE NEWS. BUT BECAUSE ITS COLOR ON COLOR CRIME NO ONE CARES AND ESPECIALLY BECAUSE ITS BLACKS WHO ARE DYING.

[brian tate]

Here's the deal love it or hate it. Im a California native, and seen alot out here on the streets. From what i seen,
analyze, experience, there is a division with the hispanic
community. You see, on the streets you have differnet
clicks of hispanic gangs from mexico and el salvador
and other latin countries who war on each other becouse
turf wars, drugs, and respect.
In jail they come together and put side there differnces in
attempt to overthrow the blacks. They are somewhat a
union called southsiders aka servenios. The mexican mob
are the ones who order the hit both in jail and out the streets to keep pressure in the black community.
You see the southern california Mexicans spite there
indifferences know when to turn the light on and off, and
put more pressure on the black community. There pride
runs more deeper than you can imagine. You see although
they despise blacks with a passion, they also outcast
there selves from hispanics from the north bay area of
california, they are known as the northern mexicans.
This is the only group of hispanics in california that will
allie with the Blacks in jail as well on the streets. As of now 3/14/08 Latino/Black violence have rose trmendously
in South L.A. and Compton more than ever. There is more
Latino gangs pushing the envelope committing more crime
on blacks on the offensive. While the blacks commit there violence by retaliating on the defensive end.
They are doing this becouse they know that they over-
populating the black community, so feel as though they
can push the envelope to see if they can get away with it.
Also the war for drugs is the factor of the whole entire
element, but mainly the government plan this stragtegically.
Thanks to Bush and the previous dominant republican
party, they kept the borders open for ten yrs. and now
added more fuel to the fire. The same plan the government
implemented during the Reagan presidency when the c.i.a
admitted of dropping this new drug called crack cocain in
the black community to pay for there little war in nicarauga
i believed it's spelled that way. This was called the IRAN
CONTRA DEAL, which started the begining of an american
nightmare.
If politicians, local, state, and federal level dont lock the
borders, and bring some type of stability in this race war,
it's going to be to late. Me being black, and talking to black
community, I notice a rage that is dorment like a herpese
desease. When it flares up, meaning that the black
community is fed up with political officials and the hispanic
gangbanging community thats pushing them to a real war.
All have to say is remeber the Watts riot, the L.A. riots,
and next the L.A. race riots will happen if this keeps up.
Blacks can only take so much if this keeps up,and every
one, the hispanic community weather there gangbanging
or not will be held accounted for.