The Forgotten War

I am sure there are multiple reasons why there has been a lack of government action on the war in LA, but I have to wonder if this lack of action is caused by race? I have to wonder if an armed group of white men were killing black men in the streets (or vice versa) there would be more outrage. There is the nagging feeling that mainstream America feels that as long as the blacks and Mexicans are killing each other, it’s not our problem. And on a more sinister note, the war keeps their numbers down.

The war in LA seems to be a clear case of being a national emergency. When neighborhoods are being ethnic cleansed and innocent men are executed in broad daylight, law and order has broken down. I don’t what it takes for the governor or the federal government to declare a state of emergency, but the warfare on LA’s streets is at a critical state.

To end LA’s gang war we need to institute dusk to dawn curfews (in certain neighborhood), have a visibly increased police presence, institute stop and search warrants and, if needed, include the National Guard in security operations. Some violence-torn neighborhoods are essentially war zones, so after serving in Iraq, I am sure they would adapt quite well.

The residents of these neighborhoods also need to get more involved in the political process. Unfortunately these neighborhoods often consist of blacks and Latinos, two groups that are apathetic about the political process. Government works at glacial speed, but it does work. If the citizens of these communities kept up a steady letter writing campaign and made daily phone calls to their local, state and federal officials, I am sure they would sit up at and take notice. If the residents threatened to automatically vote out incumbents unless the violence was reduced, the politicians would get the wheels of government moving. Marches and creating memorials are fine, but now is the time for direct action.

I am sure implementing all these suggestions would have civil liberties group up in arms, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The other option is to sit back and wait for the next innocent person to die.