More on the Senseless Tragedy in LA

We previously have blogged about the tragic killing in April of an African American teen by an allegedly undocumented gang member in Los Angeles.  The death has led to public debate over the possible repeal of LAPD Special Order 40, which limits police from inquiring about immigration status of witnesses and crime victims in criminal investigations.  It was not really at issue in the April killing but some still have vociferiously demanded Special Order 40’s repeal.

The N.Y. Times has picked up on the story and offered some interesting insights:

“[I]n the context of contemporary immigration politics, [Special Order 40] is now perceived in black neighborhoods and beyond as a roadblock to using immigration laws as a tool against Latino gang violence. A push to reverse the procedure, . . . viewed by many as a symbol of deeper racial conflicts in South Los Angeles, has inflamed tensions between many blacks and Hispanic immigrants, groups long resentful of each other as shifting demographics and a smattering of racially motivated killings have racked South Los Angeles.

“I think you can assume the resentments are pretty widespread,” said Connie Rice, a civil rights activist and lawyer. “There has been a huge turnover in a 20-year period, and so the tensions get expressed in a lot of other ways. The African-American community is feeling under siege, and it is always easier to strike out at the ‘other.’ “

KJ