By Ray Richardson
Contributing Writer
LOS ANGELES — Worldwide coverage of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump July 13 has revived the grim reality that criminal violence in minority communities, a daily occurrence in many U.S. cities, continues to be a non-story for mainstream media outlets and local law enforcement agencies.
Trump was grazed by an assassin’s bullet while speaking at an outdoor gathering in Butler, Pennsylvania, two days before the start of the Republican National Convention. Trump wasn’t seriously injured, but a volunteer fireman in the crowd was fatally wounded and two others were seriously injured.
ANALYSIS
The shooter, a 20-year-old gun enthusiast, was killed by Secret Service snipers within seconds.
As up-to-the-minute reports were being filed throughout the weekend on the Trump shooting investigation, families in low-income and middle-class neighborhoods around the country were mourning the loss of loved ones to every-day violence.
“Historically, the major media has not been focused on what’s best for us,” U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters told The Wave on June 17. “This is why it’s so important for us to have Black newspapers and Black radio stations, so we can tell everything that’s going on and try to end this violence.”
Black community leaders nationwide have advocated for decades on the need to increase resources and manpower for law enforcement agencies to battle criminal activity.
Some leaders believe there’s no urgency to increase support for law enforcement based on the lack of media attention and political response to crimes in minority communities.
“We sound the alarm but nothing changes,” said the Rev. Jonathan Moseley, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Action Network, a social justice organization headed by Rev. Al Sharpton in New York City. “People are becoming numb to what’s happening everyday in our communities.”
Data released in March this year by the Los Angeles Police Department indicated that homicides in the city had increased by 30% compared to the same time in 2023.
The report revealed that most of the 81 homicide victims as of mid-March this year were men between the ages of 19 and 29. According to the report, guns were the most frequent weapon used and a majority of the fatalities occurred in Central and South Los Angeles.
“The media is not emotionally attached to our community, which means we have to be more proactive as a community,” said Skipp Townsend, president of 2nd Call, an organization that provides job skills training for ex-offenders. “Mothers have to go into the closets of their kids and find the weed and guns. It’s our children killing each other. We’ve gotten away from holding our communities more accountable.”
Townsend attended a meeting on the morning of July 17 with Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna to discuss the fatal shooting of Raejanette Morgan on July 2. Townsend and several community leaders met with Luna to get an update on the investigation into allegations that one of his deputies failed to assist Morgan while she lay seriously wounded in her car.
Morgan was the victim of a drive-by shooting near the Vermont exit of the Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway. After the meeting with Luna, the community leaders and members of Morgan’s family had a press conference with several local TV stations and news outlets.
The alleged involvement of a sheriff’s deputy makes the Morgan tragedy a high-profile incident and is generating news coverage.
Community leaders, however, are concerned about the numerous homicides and violent acts that go unnoticed — and in some cases unsolved.
“There seems to be a lack of interest in covering the trauma of everyday people,” said Anthony Samad, executive director of the Mervyn Dymally African-American Political and Economic Institute at Cal State Dominguez Hills. “When it comes to covering violence in low-income areas, the coverage is disproportionate compared to wealthy areas. It’s not so much a Black-on-Black issue. This happens to all races of low-income people.”
Waters took direct aim at law enforcement, particularly the LAPD, for not doing more to “serve and protect” minority communities. She also cited elected officials for not putting more pressure on law enforcement agencies “to do the job we’re paying them for.”
“Our local newspapers need to do an entire issue on the LAPD and how it works, so the community has a full idea,” Waters said. “An entire section needs to focus on the (Los Angeles Police) Commission and how it works and what are the backgrounds of the people on the commission. The police are not assuming the responsibilities the way they should be.”
There are mixed reviews on how to address the lack of attention on crimes in minority communities. Because the problem has been an ongoing issue for many years, some leaders are unsure if the situation will improve.
The Trump assassination attempt has seemed to put every other criminal concern on hold, particularly in the Black community.
“Lately, all the emphasis is being put on getting the Black vote instead of emphasizing Black lives,” Moseley said. “It’s sad that more attention is placed on our vote. Nothing we do resonates. You can understand why people don’t want to vote. The frustration is always there.”
Ray Richardson is a contributing writer for The Wave. He can be reached at rayrich55@gmail.com.
