Anti-gang worker held in robbery, beating

A Los Angeles anti-gang intervention worker was arrested Saturday in connection with a jewelry robbery and beating at a Universal City hotel, police said.

The suspect, Marlo “Bow Wow” Jones, 30, was a contract employee for the anti-gang organization Unity One, which is hired for the city’s L.A. Bridges II  gang intervention program, according to the LAPD.

Jones was charged in a Jan. 5 robbery in which a male victim was beaten and choked in his hotel room and stripped of his jewelry.  Jones was being held in lieu of $1.1 million bail at Parker Center Jail. Other suspects remained at large and the victim has not been publicly identified, LAPD spokeswoman Ana Aguirre said Saturday night.

   Following Unity One’s policy, Jones was terminated Saturday from his contract with Unity One, said Aqeela Sherrills, a program management consultant with the agency. If Jones is later cleared of the charges, Unity One could possibly re-hire him, Sherrills said.

   “It’s very unfortunate that this situation has happened,” said Sherrills, who added that he hoped the arrest “would not cast a shadow” on anti-gang intervention efforts.

Unity One was founded after the 1992 Los Angeles riots by Darren “Bo” Taylor, a former gang member who became a peacekeeper respected by street toughs as well as by law enforcement and community activists struggling to reduce inner-city violence.  Taylor died in August.

The LAPD is asking anyone with information concerning the robbery to call North Hollywood robbery detectives at (818) 623-4061. After-hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247).  Callers may also text “CRIMES” with a cellphone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web Tips.

-- Larry Gordon and Andrew Blankstein

Comments

[Joh n Dow]

January 13, 2009

Over forty years ago, “Sweet Alice” Harris, now 73 has wrecked and pimped the Watts community for millions of governmental dollars pretending to service at-risk disadvantage youth and adults. Sweet Alice Harris has found new ways to receive moneys from the foster care system, and her political party the “Republicans” who always rescue Sweet Alice Harris from her wrong doings.

The organization Parents of Watts proclaims to have emergency shelters, housing for the mentally ill, computer labs, and a host of other services located on Lou Dillon Ave adjacent from the Jordan Downs Public Housing Development in Watts. In the last 30 years I’ve been working in the Watts Community I’ve have yet to see flyer's,programs,budgets, nor a federal,state, County, or city audit of POW “ Parents of Watts organization ensuring the public granted dollars are spent as requested,

It seems that Sweet Alice Harris has looked at Linda Harris Foster and recognized that she’s mental disturbed Parents of Watts are now capitalizing on the foster care system claiming that our children are mental unstable after 6 weeks from being removed from their home” Sorry Sweet Alice your wrong again” are you getting your information out of the cracker jack box.

Parents of Watts owns nearly the entire block of Lou Dillon Ave, who’s really sleep in those homes, is it the rich poverty pimp Sweet Alice and family or needy homeless families. Parents of Watts seems to like the Mercedes dealer, only if needy family who sleep in their car with children came have a place to sleep and food to eat, but the Harris family embezzle millions of dollars from grants and contracts .

Ms. Harris received prolific awards from the University of Southern California, California Governors Office and Office of the First Lady, City of Los Angeles, and Concordia College to name a few.

Sweet Alice Harris daughter Linda Harris Foster” Who the hell is LINDA HARRIS FOSTER” Ms. Foster claims to be a clinical social worker in the watts community watts includes 4 major public housing developments, I’ve walked the grounds of Jordan Down, Imperial Court, Nickerson Gardens, and Gonzaque Village to get information about the 52nd Assembly District Candidate its unbelievable that no one knows this highly claimed community activist and professional social workers if Parents of Watts serves the Watts community.

Its been 6 months that I’ve ask to review the public records of “POW” Parents of Watts I was denied copies the grant awards, bank statements, and list of programs.

Ms. Foster and MS. Harris have done watts a disservice. We ask that the State of California Department of Justice and the Los Angeles District Attorney Office to audit and investigate the spending of public funds grated to the Parents of Watts organization. We the people of the 15th Council District wishes to see all of the financial records of public granted funds by the Federal, State, County, and City government.

American has voted for change, the embezzlement, falsify of clients, misuse of public funds has to stop were facing a crises in California.

CHANGE HAS COME!!!!!!

[Sam]

Great idea Jim, why don't you hit the streets and start doing it yourself?

[Jim in Pasadena]

Why are submitted comments not posted? Is the Times censoring comments even mildly critical of the City establishment??

[Jim in Pasadena]

Instead of wasting millions on the city hall cronies and campaign contributors who run these do nothing anti gang programs, how about rounding up known illegal alien gang members who have been previously convicted and/or deported? That would have a huge impact on reducing the street presence of MS13 and other hardcore criminal gangs. But no, wait, that would break Mayor Villar's pledge to the Council of La Raza. Better to wait until the illegal gangbangers execute innocent American kids on the street first, then the mayor's police chief will happily let the LAPD do their jobs.