More than “Crisis Response” Needed

November 20, 2003

Dear Editor,

In the article “Report Concludes Community Unity Can End Violence” (Nov. 17) you quoted me as saying that the SMPD was (looking on) while five shootings occurred earlier this year.

This gives the impression that SMPD did not respond to the shootings. Not only is this incorrect, your misquote is divisive. On the other hand the current practice of “crisis response” has had a limited impact on reducing gun-related violence in our community. The fact that gun related violence continues unabated is evidence enough to suggest that a new approach is needed.

As a City we need to invest more in violence prevention programs for our youth. Also, a solutions-based dialogue is needed between the City Manager, the Chief of Police and residents of the Pico Neighborhood. Our failure to develop prevention focused solutions means that more of our tax dollars will be spent on prisons at the expense of our schools.

More importantly, it means that more lives will be lost and more families will have to suffer because of our inability to work together to address this problem.

As stated in the most recent RAND study, a collaborative approach to addressing youth violence is the most effective strategy. This past summer I participated in various meetings where this approach was called for by Pico Neighborhood residents, school officials, parents and community leaders.

Thanks to a grant we received from Saint Johns Health Center we were able to reestablish the Youth Violence Prevention Coalition to sustain our work around violence prevention. Our next meeting is December 4, 2003 at 5:30pm at the Pico Youth & Family Center -- 828 Pico Blvd. #9. Anyone who is interested in working on solutions to youth violence is welcome. For more information please call (310) 396-7101.

Oscar de la Torre
(Eds. Note: Oscar de la Torre is executive director of the Pico Youth and Family Center and a member of the School Board)