WATT'S THE DEAL?
After all these years, politicians aren't making much difference in Watts
By Annette Stark
All empirical evidence suggests that nothing ever changes in Watts. People are poor. Gangs savage the area and steal its youth. Despite being known nationwide, indeed, worldwide, as an area that raises towers as monuments to its struggle and courage, resources are as scarce as ever. One would think that its politicians would be on the ropes, but two of the city officials who work there most often are running unopposed in the March 8 elections.
It appears that Mayor James Hahn's reelection struggles have had no effect on his sister's political karma. Councilwoman Janice Hahn is coasting to a second term in the 15th District. And what a district: It runs from the tony South San Pedro beachfront - the Hahns come from this side of town - to the gang-riddled public housing projects of Watts. That's a constituency that's maybe too diverse, some suggest, considering that the average income for a family in Watts is at least half that in South San Pedro. How can the same councilperson serve these radically different communities equally well?
Much like her father, Kenny Hahn, who served on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors for 40 years, (and unlike her brother) Councilwoman Hahn is animated and charismatic. Like her father, she is popular with the African-American community she serves.
Maybe that's why they'd like to see her around more. "She comes down to a certain degree, when it's a special event. But our residents would do better if they saw their local politicians around," says 17-year-old honor student Demaria Perry, a member of the Watts Neighborhood Council that Hahn helped found. "That's the reason I give high thanks to Martin Ludlow and Antonio Villaraigosa. They come as citizens, to see how people are doing, even though it's a high crime area."
Hahn admits she's spread thin. She stresses that this was why she helped found the strong Watts Neighborhood Council and consistently sends a staff member to meetings. "There are only 15 City Council members and each one of us represents about 240,000 people which does impact communities like Watts. So, while they say they don't see me as much as they want to - and that's probably very accurate - I've made sure that city services are there. Last year, we did all that work to help the residents get back their lives after the devastating floods."
Another name that comes up often in Watts is that of City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, also running unopposed. His administration has placed a heavy emphasis on restricting the movement of known street-gang members though gang injunctions, which prevent gang members from associating with each other. Injunctions make it possible for a father and son who belong to the same gang to be arrested for sitting quietly together outside their house.
Early on, Delgadillo told the L.A. Times that, while gang injunctions were "an important tool," he also indicated it wasn't his only tool. "What they do is chase the gang members to the next neighborhood. What I'd like to do is start chasing gang members out of gangs and into opportunities."
Four years later, the "opportunities" aren't all that apparent, but Delgadillo has definitely worked the injunctions to the point that would give any civil libertarian pause. In four years, he has sought and won injunctions against 23 known street gangs including the Rolling '60s Crips and Bounty Hunter Bloods. The five-day sentence for violating injunctions is not likely to impress a hardened gang member, at least according to Kenneth Bell, a former gang member who now works as a gang interventionist for Stop the Violence, Increase the Peace. "A lot of homies are like, 'Man, I really needed that rest,'" Bell says.
"That might be true for a first offense," argues Delgadillo spokesperson Frank Mateljan, "but in many of our injunction prosecutions we add six months. How long the sheriff intends to keep them, we can't control." Mateljan freely admits that there have been instances when two family members have been arrested for violating injunctions, but he doesn't agree with those who feel that injunctions conflict with the rights of all citizens to congregate. "The injunction doesn't apply to anyone who hasn't been served with a court order," Mateljan explains. "And no, I don't believe there is a First Amendment right to belong to a street gang."
Published: 03/03/2005
After all these years, politicians aren't making much difference in Watts
By Annette Stark
All empirical evidence suggests that nothing ever changes in Watts. People are poor. Gangs savage the area and steal its youth. Despite being known nationwide, indeed, worldwide, as an area that raises towers as monuments to its struggle and courage, resources are as scarce as ever. One would think that its politicians would be on the ropes, but two of the city officials who work there most often are running unopposed in the March 8 elections.
It appears that Mayor James Hahn's reelection struggles have had no effect on his sister's political karma. Councilwoman Janice Hahn is coasting to a second term in the 15th District. And what a district: It runs from the tony South San Pedro beachfront - the Hahns come from this side of town - to the gang-riddled public housing projects of Watts. That's a constituency that's maybe too diverse, some suggest, considering that the average income for a family in Watts is at least half that in South San Pedro. How can the same councilperson serve these radically different communities equally well?
Much like her father, Kenny Hahn, who served on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors for 40 years, (and unlike her brother) Councilwoman Hahn is animated and charismatic. Like her father, she is popular with the African-American community she serves.
Maybe that's why they'd like to see her around more. "She comes down to a certain degree, when it's a special event. But our residents would do better if they saw their local politicians around," says 17-year-old honor student Demaria Perry, a member of the Watts Neighborhood Council that Hahn helped found. "That's the reason I give high thanks to Martin Ludlow and Antonio Villaraigosa. They come as citizens, to see how people are doing, even though it's a high crime area."
Hahn admits she's spread thin. She stresses that this was why she helped found the strong Watts Neighborhood Council and consistently sends a staff member to meetings. "There are only 15 City Council members and each one of us represents about 240,000 people which does impact communities like Watts. So, while they say they don't see me as much as they want to - and that's probably very accurate - I've made sure that city services are there. Last year, we did all that work to help the residents get back their lives after the devastating floods."
Another name that comes up often in Watts is that of City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, also running unopposed. His administration has placed a heavy emphasis on restricting the movement of known street-gang members though gang injunctions, which prevent gang members from associating with each other. Injunctions make it possible for a father and son who belong to the same gang to be arrested for sitting quietly together outside their house.
Early on, Delgadillo told the L.A. Times that, while gang injunctions were "an important tool," he also indicated it wasn't his only tool. "What they do is chase the gang members to the next neighborhood. What I'd like to do is start chasing gang members out of gangs and into opportunities."
Four years later, the "opportunities" aren't all that apparent, but Delgadillo has definitely worked the injunctions to the point that would give any civil libertarian pause. In four years, he has sought and won injunctions against 23 known street gangs including the Rolling '60s Crips and Bounty Hunter Bloods. The five-day sentence for violating injunctions is not likely to impress a hardened gang member, at least according to Kenneth Bell, a former gang member who now works as a gang interventionist for Stop the Violence, Increase the Peace. "A lot of homies are like, 'Man, I really needed that rest,'" Bell says.
"That might be true for a first offense," argues Delgadillo spokesperson Frank Mateljan, "but in many of our injunction prosecutions we add six months. How long the sheriff intends to keep them, we can't control." Mateljan freely admits that there have been instances when two family members have been arrested for violating injunctions, but he doesn't agree with those who feel that injunctions conflict with the rights of all citizens to congregate. "The injunction doesn't apply to anyone who hasn't been served with a court order," Mateljan explains. "And no, I don't believe there is a First Amendment right to belong to a street gang."
Published: 03/03/2005
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