Introduction
In "Ghettoside," journalist Jill Leovy takes readers on a deep dive into the complex world of homicides in black communities, particularly focusing on Los Angeles. Drawing from her extensive experience following the Los Angeles Police Department, Leovy presents a thought-provoking analysis of why the relationship between police and black communities is so fraught, and offers a surprising solution to the problem.
The book's title, "Ghettoside," refers to the phenomenon of high homicide rates in poor, predominantly black neighborhoods. Leovy argues that the key to addressing this issue lies not in preventing crimes, but in solving them. Through compelling storytelling and meticulous research, she challenges readers to reconsider their assumptions about crime, policing, and justice in America.
The Disproportionate Impact of Homicide on Black Men
One of the most shocking revelations in "Ghettoside" is the staggering rate at which black men fall victim to homicide in the United States. Leovy presents a grim statistic: in some inner-city areas, the chance of a black man being murdered is as high as 1 in 35. This isn't happening in a war-torn country, but in one of the world's most developed nations.
The disparity in homicide rates between black males and other demographics is striking. In Los Angeles, young black men are murdered two to four times more often than young Hispanic men, even when living in the same neighborhoods. Despite making up only 6% of the U.S. population, black males account for 40% of murder victims.
Leovy highlights that this problem isn't new. Even during the peak of homicides in the early 1990s, black men in their early 20s in Los Angeles County were being murdered at a rate of 368 out of every 100,000 - comparable to the death rate of American soldiers in Iraq after the 2003 invasion.
What's particularly troubling is that this disparity has persisted for over a century, regardless of nationwide trends in homicide rates. Even as overall homicide rates in the U.S. have decreased over the past two decades, the gap between black male deaths and those of the rest of the population remains alarmingly high.
The Failure to Prosecute
Given the scale of this problem, one might expect law enforcement to be working tirelessly to solve these cases. However, Leovy reveals a disturbing truth: most homicides involving black male victims go unsolved and unpublicized.
The conviction rate for murders of black people is significantly lower than for other groups. In early 1990s Los Angeles, only about 36% of perpetrators in black homicide cases were convicted - barely better than the 30% conviction rate in Jim Crow-era Mississippi.
Leovy's research uncovers a systemic bias: killers of black or Hispanic victims are less likely to be convicted than those who kill white victims. Even when convictions do occur, the penalties are often less severe than for killers of white victims.
This disparity extends beyond just conviction rates. There's a general indifference to crimes against black people, both within police forces and in the broader public. Leovy shares a shocking piece of police jargon once used by the LAPD: "NHI" or "No Human Involved," referring to murders of black people. Media coverage of these crimes is often minimal, and when reported, it's frequently framed as "gang violence," a term that strips away the humanity of the victims and the tragedy of their deaths.
The Historical Roots of Lawlessness
To understand why this situation persists, Leovy delves into history. She argues that black communities in the United States have long lacked what sociologist Max Weber called a "state monopoly on violence" - the exclusive right of the state to use legitimate force, which guarantees rule of law and individual autonomy in most societies.
This absence of state protection has its roots in the American South during the Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras. During this time, the racist hierarchy nominally applied a system of law but did little to protect all citizens equally. This led to vigilantism and informal justice systems within black communities, with all-white police forces often refraining from intervention.
When large portions of southern black communities began moving to northern industrial cities starting in 1910, they encountered a different problem. Northern police were willing to aggressively patrol black neighborhoods but often reacted with excessive violence. Accustomed to having jurisdiction over their own communities, blacks in northern cities clashed with police, resulting in major riots in the 1960s.
This historical context has fostered a deep-seated skepticism toward bureaucratic justice in black communities, a sentiment that persists to this day.
The Rise of Alternate Justice Systems
The lack of a state monopoly on violence in black communities has had far-reaching consequences. In the absence of reliable legal recourse, alternate systems of justice have emerged - systems that often perpetuate violence and resist law enforcement involvement.
Without the threat of state intervention, violence becomes a legitimate tool for settling disputes. This explains why many homicides in these communities seem to be sparked by seemingly trivial matters - issues that in other contexts would be resolved through legal channels.
These shadow justice systems come with their own unwritten codes of conduct and loyalty, which replace official law. This makes effective police intervention extremely challenging. For instance, homicide detectives in South Central L.A. often struggle to get witnesses to talk due to the street code against "snitching." This reluctance to cooperate with law enforcement significantly contributes to the low conviction rates for homicides in these areas.
Leovy's analysis provides a surprising insight: high homicide rates and gang-organized shadow justice systems are a consequence of lawlessness, not its cause. This understanding challenges many common assumptions about crime in these communities.
The Misguided Focus on Crime Prevention
Leovy argues that police policies themselves contribute to the persistence of high crime and low conviction rates in black communities. She criticizes the widespread focus on "preventative" measures such as patrols and mass arrests, rather than on solving crimes that have already occurred.
Many large urban police departments, including the LAPD, prioritize crime prevention over detective work, viewing the latter as merely reactive. While this might seem logical at first glance - after all, preventing crime seems preferable to solving it after the fact - Leovy argues that this approach has been detrimental to both police effectiveness and community relations.
The emphasis on prevention has led to underfunding and understaffing of detective work. This becomes particularly problematic during periods of high crime rates. Homicide investigations require significant time and resources to build relationships with locals, collect witness testimonies, and develop cases. With limited resources, many murders are only partially investigated before detectives are forced to move on to new cases.
Moreover, aggressive preventative policing has eroded trust in black communities. By focusing on minor offenses like marijuana possession or shoplifting while failing to solve serious violent crimes, police forces reinforce the perception that the law doesn't value black lives. This, in turn, makes community members less likely to cooperate with investigations.
The Power of Solving Murders
Despite the grim picture painted throughout much of the book, Leovy offers hope for change. She argues that the key to addressing the homicide epidemic in poor black communities lies in a simple but powerful strategy: solving murder cases.
Leovy contends that many murders occurring within these shadow justice systems are actually quite solvable if approached with persistence and understanding. These cases often involve a network of rumors and gossip within the community, which officers in Southeast Los Angeles have dubbed the "Ghetto Information Network" or GIN.
The challenge for detectives is to convince witnesses to come forward, assure them of their safety, and build their trust in the law enforcement system. This requires determination, patience, and commitment - but it's far from impossible.
By focusing on clearing homicides, Leovy argues, police forces can demonstrate that they value the lives of all victims, regardless of race. This would be a crucial first step in rebuilding trust with local communities and convincing residents that the law can protect them rather than harm them.
Leovy acknowledges the seeming paradox of arguing for more police attention to black communities at a time when overzealous policing and high incarceration rates for black men are major issues. However, she maintains that by prioritizing justice and solving violent crimes, police departments can show that a different approach is possible.
The Importance of State Protection
Throughout "Ghettoside," Leovy emphasizes the critical importance of state protection for all citizens. She argues that when a criminal justice system fails to respond swiftly and vigorously to violence and death, more violence inevitably follows.
This failure of state protection is at the root of the high homicide rates, low conviction rates, and persistent shadow justice systems in underprivileged black communities. By not providing adequate protection and justice, the state has effectively abandoned these communities, forcing them to develop their own systems of law and order - systems that often perpetuate violence.
Leovy's solution is straightforward but challenging: police forces must refocus their priorities. Instead of trying to prevent crime through aggressive patrolling and harassment of residents, they should concentrate on solving homicides and bringing justice to victims and their families.
This shift in focus would serve multiple purposes. First, it would demonstrate that the state values the lives of all its citizens equally, helping to rebuild trust between law enforcement and black communities. Second, by consistently solving murders and bringing killers to justice, it would reinstate the state's monopoly on violence, deterring future crimes and weakening shadow justice systems.
The Human Cost of Homicide
While much of "Ghettoside" deals with statistics and systemic issues, Leovy never loses sight of the human cost of this epidemic of violence. Throughout the book, she shares stories of victims, their families, and the detectives working to solve these cases.
These personal narratives bring home the devastating impact of homicide on communities. They illustrate the grief of parents who have lost children, the fear that permeates neighborhoods where violence is common, and the frustration of detectives who care deeply about solving these cases but are often hampered by lack of resources or community cooperation.
Leovy's portrayal of these individuals serves to humanize the statistics, reminding readers that each number represents a life lost and a community traumatized. It also highlights the resilience and strength of those who continue to fight for justice in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
The Role of Media and Public Perception
Another important aspect that Leovy explores is the role of media and public perception in perpetuating the cycle of violence and injustice. She critiques the way murders in black communities are often reported - or not reported at all.
When these homicides do make the news, they're frequently framed as "gang violence," a term that Leovy argues obscures the true nature of these crimes and dehumanizes the victims. This framing can lead to a sense of inevitability or even indifference among the general public, as if these deaths are simply an unavoidable fact of life in certain communities.
Leovy, through her work as a journalist, advocates for more nuanced and humanizing coverage of these crimes. She argues that by telling the stories of victims and their families, by exploring the circumstances that lead to these tragedies, and by following the investigations, media can play a crucial role in changing public perception and putting pressure on authorities to address the issue.
The Challenges Facing Homicide Detectives
"Ghettoside" also provides insight into the world of homicide detectives working in high-crime areas. Leovy shadows several detectives, revealing the challenges they face in solving cases and the toll this work takes on their personal lives.
These detectives often work with limited resources, facing overwhelming caseloads and bureaucratic obstacles. They must navigate the complexities of community distrust, witness intimidation, and the code of silence that often prevails in areas with shadow justice systems.
Despite these challenges, Leovy portrays many of these detectives as deeply committed to their work and to the communities they serve. She argues that supporting and empowering these detectives - giving them the time, resources, and backing they need to solve cases - is crucial to addressing the homicide epidemic.
The Broader Implications
While "Ghettoside" focuses primarily on Los Angeles, Leovy makes it clear that the issues she explores are not unique to this city. Similar patterns of violence, under-protection, and injustice can be found in urban areas across the United States.
Leovy's analysis has broader implications for how we think about crime, justice, and race in America. She challenges readers to reconsider common narratives about the causes of violence in black communities and the role of policing.
By framing the issue as one of under-protection rather than over-policing, Leovy offers a new perspective on the relationship between law enforcement and black communities. She argues that the solution to violence is not less law enforcement, but a different kind of law enforcement - one focused on solving serious crimes and providing genuine protection to all citizens.
Conclusion
"Ghettoside" is a powerful and thought-provoking book that challenges many common assumptions about crime and policing in America. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, Jill Leovy presents a nuanced picture of the homicide epidemic in black communities and offers a path forward.
The book's central argument - that solving murders is key to reducing violence and rebuilding trust between police and black communities - is both simple and revolutionary. It suggests that by refocusing on their fundamental duty to protect all citizens equally, police forces can begin to address the deep-seated issues that have plagued their relationships with black communities for generations.
Leovy's work serves as a call to action, urging readers to demand more from their criminal justice systems. She argues that accepting high homicide rates in certain communities as inevitable is a form of societal neglect that cannot be allowed to continue.
"Ghettoside" is not just a book about crime or policing - it's a book about equality, justice, and the fundamental right of all citizens to state protection. It challenges us to imagine a world where every life is valued equally, and where the state lives up to its responsibility to protect all of its citizens, regardless of race or socioeconomic status.
As America continues to grapple with issues of race, policing, and justice, "Ghettoside" offers valuable insights and a potential roadmap for change. It reminds us that while the challenges are significant, solutions are possible if we're willing to reexamine our approaches and commit to the hard work of building a more just society.