There is a history of gang violence that has plagued Los Angeles for decades. Many neighborhoods throughout our city are not immune to this history including the Westside. The Oakwood section of Venice once had one of the highest murder rates in all of Los Angeles. Back around 1994, 20 people were killed and 70 people were shot in that one-square mile neighborhood. Neighborhoods such as Culver City/Del Rey, West Los Angeles, and Santa Monica all have endured numerous gang wars and many individuals have lost their lives in these communities. There’ve been times where multiple shootings happened all in one day between warring gangs. There were periods where shootings were happening on a daily basis. People were getting shot and killed in the morning, in the afternoon, or at night. Multiple people were getting shot at one time. There have been police-involved shootings, black vs. brown shootings, and innocent people getting shot. Along with this history of gang warfare comes narcotics sales, drug use, graffiti, and other behavior associated with gang culture.

When communities have endured this way of life, the solutions tend to focus on fixing these behaviors, sometimes by any means necessary. Oftentimes, things such as gang injunctions or constant police presence are instituted yet they don’t necessarily solve the heart of the problem. Society wants to solve the gang violence without looking beyond the external acts. They don’t take time to see the root of why an individual has gravitated toward gang life and therefore participates in gang activity. In my previous blog I mentioned about the various issues that have affected gang members, whether they were personal or systemic. Tied in with the personal issues is the reality that all men have a heart that rebels against God. The heart is where sin resides and Christ is the only One who can change us and give us a new heart. Matthew 15:19 states “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” There are numerous heart issues such as anger, lust, love of money, hatred and many more that we all wrestle through. When we look at gang culture, we recognize these same sin struggles that reside within us also reside within gang members. And we must remember how family, friends, and even society have sinned against them. The sinfulness of mankind is a universal problem and as believers we know that true lasting change comes from the gospel, not some moral policy that we hope straightens up our behavior.
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With this long history in our Westside neighborhoods, the church should see this mission field and strive to take the hope of the gospel to a culture often characterized by hopelessness. Are the churches throughout our communities known for having a heart for our streets? Are Westside churches characterized by taking the gospel to the gangs, building intentional relationships with them, coming alongside the broken and those feeling hopeless, and bridging the gaps between church and gang cultures? It’s great to see organizations stepping up and doing what they can to reach out to our local gangs but I hope and pray the church will develop that same motivation to see the gospel change a gang member the way it changed us. Our neighborhoods are home to numerous individuals caught up in the gang lifestyle-people who are currently gang members, those locked up, those who’ve been killed, and even those who have moved on in life. Consider the fact that the gospel has probably not consistently gone forth to them and our local churches should be the ones who are looking to take that message. I know there are some churches in our Westside communities who have connections, are building relationships and getting involved. But I hope churches on the Westside will know the history of the marginalized in their areas and understand this history is still present. With so many lives that have been lost to gang violence or the prison system, the gospel is what needs to go forth. And with so many who are still around yet have suffered and endured so much hardship, the church must be on the frontlines of trying to take the gospel to them. Unfortunately, this history of gang violence will most likely repeat itself, perhaps not as frequently as the 80’s or 90’s, but it will continue to happen. We have a Savior and a message of hope that can transform lives and communities. If the gospel changes the history of the sinfulness in our lives, it will do the same for our fellow gang members and neighborhoods.

In Los Angeles, we tend to associate gangs and crime with places such as Compton, South LA, Watts, East LA, Boyle Heights, or Inglewood. There are numerous gangs throughout these communities and these areas can be plagued by gang violence. It is easy to look at the gangs and violence and assume that’s what’s primarily wrong in those areas. But there are so many underlying factors affecting those neighborhoods and contributing to gang involvement: broken family structures, poverty, law enforcement relationships, lack of opportunities, poor education, the prison system, etc. Then there are personal issues such as a lack of acceptance, a longing to belong, suffering, or fleeing from a dysfunctional home life that play a part in joining gangs. I won’t go in to all the details about each aspect but these contributing factors have historically been present in these communities and the individuals who reside there.

So how does this information affect the Westside communities or the gangs in these areas? Wherever you have gangs, you will have these underlying issues as well. A gang member in Venice has faced similar problems to the gang member in Compton. The extent of violence may look different in those communities but there are struggles and issues each gang member faces in those areas. Venice today may not be seen as run down or poverty stricken, but the gang member most likely has come from a broken, impoverished family where they sought escape through gang culture. They’ve experienced issues with law enforcement, often long before they even entered the gang, just as the gang member in Compton has.
How does gentrification play into the lives of those who are in gangs on the Westside? Why were Blacks and Latinos forced into this poor Oakwood neighborhood where gangs ended up thriving compared to the beach side community which has been regarded as a top tourist attraction? Many minorities were not allowed to purchase homes on the beach so Oakwood was set aside for Blacks, and then Latinos later on. These restrictions were set in place long ago for minorities and now they are rapidly being pushed out, not only in Venice but other Westside communities as well.

Gangs in each neighborhood of our city were birthed out of many of these difficult issues, whether systemic or personal. No one woke up one morning and said they wanted to start a gang just out of nowhere. Issue upon issue helped shape gangs in our city, even here on the Westside. In this Youtube clip, you can hear stories from residents of the Mar Vista Gardens Housing Projects, located just west of Culver City. They explain how some of these issues have affected their lives personally.

Knowing this small bit of foundational information explains why the Westside needs the gospel to go forth to gangs in places like Venice, West LA, Culver City, Santa Monica, or Palms. When we see the difficulties and the brokenness in other parts of our city and take time to understand and learn what contributes to that, we also need to see how those same difficulties and brokenness are evident on the Westside. A Westside gang member sins the same and suffers the same as a gang member in South LA. The environments may look different and the level of violence is definitely higher in other areas nowadays, but if you talk to a gang member, no matter where they’re located, you’ll notice a lot of similarities in their stories. Not only that, if you take time to learn the history or experiences of a certain community, even here on the Westside, you can also find similarities shared with places like Compton or South LA.
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Recognizing the similarities between various neighborhoods and the gang members who live there, only one message can bring transformation and hope to every neighborhood: the gospel of Jesus Christ. Problems and issues may still affect communities but Christ can transform the gang member who comes from there. Christ went to those who were poor and broken with the message of forgiveness and hope of eternal life. The Westside isn’t foreign to those who are poor and broken. Consider the Westside gang member who needs the gospel just as much as those who struggle in the inner city neighborhoods of Los Angeles. The Westside communities are home to gang members with those same struggles gang members in other parts of our city are facing. They endure suffering, they’ve been sinned against, and they themselves sin. Take the time to learn about our Westside gang neighborhoods: the history, the systemic/personal issues, why gangs formed there. Take the time to listen to the Westside gang members and the hardships they’ve gone through here in our communities: broken home life, abandonment, acceptance issues. Don’t neglect to think of your own neighborhood when gangs are mentioned. Don’t see gangs as just an inner city problem because once we do that, we wont see our neighbors who desperately need a message of hope and salvation. And remember the underlying issues that affect our Westside neighbors the same way they affect the inner city.

For further information regarding some of the issues, please check out the following links:

• Gentrification
• Poverty
• Prison System
  
• Broken Family Structures