An intense read by an LA Times journalist covering the violent crime epidemic in South Central Los Angeles by telling the story of one young man whose life ended needlessly and tragically, and the detective who doggedly pursued his killers. Leovy's thesis is that the exceptionally high murder rates in South Central and other urban pockets across the US are the result of a kind of lawlessness which stems from several factors, most importantly law enforcement's tepid response to violent crimes in these areas. Leovy's analysis points to vigorous police activity in response to drug offenses, while high numbers of murders remain unsolved. In fact, according to Leovy, in many cases of drive-bys and gang homicide, large numbers of people in the community know who the responsible parties are, but are afraid or unwilling to come forward. In her telling, most residents of these neighborhoods urgently desire a stronger police presence.
Leovy makes excellent points and reveals some top-notch research on patterns of violence. And mostly this was very readable, although eventually I grew tired of her endless descriptions of the police officer who solved the central murder case in the book. Although her data and thesis indicate otherwise, her insistence on the officer's rigor, energy, and doggedness imply that this is a matter of changing the mindset of a few score LAPD detectives. And I can't entirely swallow any discussion of out-of-control violence which doesn't address the ubiquity of guns in our society.
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