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REFLECTIONS ON HISTORICAL RACIAL UNREST IN SOUTH LOS ANGELES AND CONTEMPORARY TURMOIL AT JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL

REFLECTIONS ON HISTORICAL RACIAL UNREST IN SOUTH LOS ANGELES AND CONTEMPORARY TURMOIL AT JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL. Natalie Simon Nidia Garcia Sergio Hernandez.

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REFLECTIONS ON HISTORICAL RACIAL UNREST IN SOUTH LOS ANGELES AND CONTEMPORARY TURMOIL AT JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL

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  1. REFLECTIONS ON HISTORICAL RACIAL UNREST IN SOUTH LOS ANGELES AND CONTEMPORARY TURMOIL AT JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL Natalie Simon Nidia Garcia Sergio Hernandez

  2. “How does violence at Jefferson High School become racialized and to what extent do other underlining factors intensify racial tension at Jefferson?” “In understanding black and Latino conflict at Jefferson, what lessons can be derived from the Watts Riots and the LA Unrest?” “What were the responses to such conflicts?” OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION • Objective • Methodology • Case Study of Jefferson High School and Contemporary South LA • Historical Reflections on the Watts Riots and LA Unrest • Responses to Black and Brown conflict at Jefferson • Conclusion • Question and Answer

  3. OBJECTIVE • We analyze how historical and contemporary issues such as gangs, policing, poverty and inequality in education culminate into outbreaks of intergroup violence with South LA. • We focus on historical occurrences of intergroup violence such as the Watts Riots of 1965 and the LA Unrest of 1992 specifically looking into black and Latino perceptions and involvement. • We conduct a case study of Jefferson High School, specifically looking into how current intergroup conflict between Black and Latino students is reminiscent of historical violence in the Watts Riot and the LA Unrest. • We interview students, parents, teachers, community residents, administrators, and Community Based Organizations. • Furthermore, we seek to verify whether student and parent involvement in long term planning is essential for preventing such occurrences from happening in the near future.

  4. METHODOLOGY • We use interviews including focus groups and face to face interviews in data collection. • Participant observation in attending meetings and casing the area in and around Jefferson. • Content Analysis for informing our research through scholarly sources.

  5. CASE STUDY OF JEFFERSON SENIOR HIGH

  6. Fights • Thursday, April 14, 2005 • 2 African-American • 300 Students • Monday, April 18, 2005 • Latinos and African-Americans • 150 Students • Thursday, May 26, 2005 • 200 African-American and Latino students running to fights off campus

  7. Gangs 65 known gangs and cliques in the area Jefferson with the 38th Street Gang being the dominant gang. Barrio Mojado Cribs Bloods Florencia 13th

  8. Graduation rate According to a study done by UCLA the graduation rate for Jefferson High School was 31% In the Los Angeles Unified School District just 39% of Latinos and 47% of African Americans graduate, compared with 67% of whites and 77% of Asians.

  9. JEFFERSON ETHNIC BREAKDOWN • In 25 years, the student body has gone from 31% Latino to 92% Latino. • More than half of Jefferson’s Latino students are immigrants, most of them from Mexico, where only 1% of the population is Black.

  10. Los Angeles Ethnic Breakdown

  11. Concept 6 Overcrowded and large schools Lost instructional time Limited access to courses and specialized programs Poorer academic performance Busing Reduced parental involvement Limited access to after-school programs Poorer academic performance. Education

  12. There is a lack of parent involvement Parent meetings at Jefferson have an average of 10 parents (according to interviewees) Steering Committee had 2 parents involved in the last meeting Jefferson Core Group: Formed after the fights to address issues at the school, only 5 active parents. Parent Involvement

  13. Why? • Language Barriers • No time • Minority parents reported higher levels of total alienation, isolation, and normlessness in their relationship with public schools than did their White counterparts. (1990 study by Raymond L. Calabrese, Eastern Illinois University)

  14. SOUTH (CENTRAL) LOS ANGELES 2003 South Central Los Angeles to South Los Angeles Jobs (2000) Men Manufacturing Construction Retail trade Women Manufacturing Health care and social assistance Retail trade Median Income 1990: $17,470 2000: $23,884 Living Cost The average rent for an apartment in the City of Los Angeles is $1,399/month In order for housing to be considered affordable, a family should not spend more than 30% of its income on rent. Thus a working family needs to earn $56,000 per year. Education College: Associates Degree 1.92% College: Bachelor’s Degree 1.97% College: Graduate Degree 0.84% College: Some College, No Degree 7.15% School: 9th to 11th grade no diploma 23.58% School: Grade K-9 36.15% School: High School Graduate 13.34%Gangs

  15. Resources: • A 1999 Pepperdine University study found that South Los Angeles is served by 65% fewer grocery stores and 40% fewer banks than most other parts of Los Angeles and Southern California

  16. Historical Reflections on the Watts Riots and LA Unrest“Burn Baby Burn!”

  17. Underlying Causes of Watts Riots and LA Unrest • Police-Community Relations • Public Education • High Unemployment

  18. Responses to Watts Riots and LA Unrest • The McCone Commission • Assessment of underlying causes of the Watts Riots • The Christopher Commission • Probe of the LAPD after Rodney King beating • “Rebuild LA” • Five-year plan for South Central Los Angeles

  19. NEXT STEPS: REACTIONARY AND LONG-TERM INTERVENTIONS

  20. Reactionary Response When the series of Black and Latino conflicts erupted at Jefferson the following were immediate responses: • Principal Norm Morrow replaced by Juan Flecha from Eagle Rock High School • Policing: • Increase in Los Angeles School Police at Jefferson motor and campus officers • Increase in Los Angeles Police temporary officers • Surveillance cameras (90) will be installed • Uniforms: • Implementation of school uniforms for Jefferson on July 1st,2005 • Nutrition and Lunch Time: • Split school into two lunch periods by track • Discontinued lunch time activities ie Lunch time music and DJ

  21. Long-Term Interventions The Jefferson High School Steering Committee has 4 sub committees overseeing improvement and programming including: Jefferson Core Group: organically generated parent group that is working separately for student/parent involvement at Jefferson Human Relations: LA County and City Human Relations Commission • Working with Jefferson administration with conflict resolution strategies or cultural diversity training for faculty. Public Safety: Safe Passage Model Program (LAPD Newton Station) • Locating identifiable residential areas around Jefferson where students may enter a safe zone during incidences of violence

  22. CONCLUSION • Watts Riots => LA Unrest => Jefferson • Historical Determinism • Is it a Black and Latino Conflict? • Or fueled by Underlying Factors? • Responses • Inclusive • Sustainable

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