Correspondence

Drive-by Shootings in Los Angeles

N Engl J Med 1994; 330:1833June 23, 1994

Article

To the Editor:

In their thought-provoking article, Hutson et al. (Feb. 3 issue)1 state that “perpetrators of drive-by shootings . . . tend to shoot others . . . within their own ethnic group.” Nonetheless, in addition to “stressed families, poverty, lack of education, [and] unemployment,” they list “racism” as one of “the root causes of gang violence.” Accustomed to finding a logical relation between the data presented and the conclusions derived therefrom in papers published in the Journal, I am perplexed by the lack of logic in this instance.

I am heartened to see that a vexing problem, the solution to which has apparently eluded sociologists, politicians, the police, and leaders of religious groups, is being approached now with the detached scrutiny of scientific analysis. On the other hand, I am disappointed to find that the result of this valuable effort is a recapitulation of an old cliche, the validity of which the authors' study does not support.

Leslie Iffy, M.D.
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103-2425

1 References

1
Hutson HR, Anglin D, Pratts MJ Jr. Adolescents and children injured or killed in drive-by shootings in Los Angeles. N Engl J Med 1994;330:324-327
Full Text | Web of Science | Medline

To the Editor:

Hutson and colleagues commendably analyze the data on the characteristics (including participants, firearms, time of day, and injuries incurred) of a typical drive-by shooting involving injury or death in the Los Angeles area.

In the discussion, however, several sources are cited that I am afraid will perpetuate myths about the causes of and potential solutions to gang violence and drive-by shootings.

The alarming increase in the number of drive-by shootings is relatively recent. Lack of education, unemployment, and racism are social problems that need to be addressed, but they are not new problems, nor are they more rampant than before, and they are certainly not root causes of drive-by shootings. Stressed families, the breakdown of families (especially that of the male role model), lack of family structure, and the breakdown of social institutions are relatively new, growing problems. I agree that they are root causes of gang violence and drive-by shootings.

Law enforcement alone cannot eliminate gang violence. However, lack of respect for law enforcement, the tolerance and condoning of criminal actions, the inability to distinguish right from wrong and good from bad, and the shirking of responsibility for one's own actions are all problems that are on the rise and may underlie gang violence and drive-by shootings. The chances of criminals being caught, being prosecuted, and serving time are minimal.

Paul Madsen, M.D.
3227 S. 16th St., Milwaukee, WI 53215

Author/Editor Response

The authors reply:

To the Editor: Dr. Madsen's point concerning the cause of the recent increase in drive-by shootings is interesting. Although we agree that some of the root causes of violent street gangs that we mentioned (poverty, unemployment, underemployment, lack of education, stressed families, and racism) are not new phenomena, there is evidence that they have worsened in Los Angeles over the past decade. Forty-one percent more children lived in poverty in 1990 than in 19801,2. The number of people over 25 years of age with high-school diplomas declined during the same decade1,2. The poverty rate among families in the inner city is higher than it was in 19651,2.

We disagree with Dr. Madsen's belief that gang violence results from a tolerance of criminal activity and an inability to distinguish right from wrong. Violent street gangs believe in enforcing their own brand of justice. It is this characteristic of street gangs, rather than a disrespect for law enforcement, that results in retaliatory shootings.

Although our study did not examine the number of perpetrators of drive-by shootings who were caught, prosecuted, or jailed, law-enforcement agencies have estimated that fewer than half the perpetrators of drive-by shootings are apprehended.

A national policy on violent street gangs would focus much-needed attention on a serious problem. A national policy would help standardize the definition and reporting of gang-related crimes. Currently, for example, a gang-related crime in Los Angeles is not the same as a gang-related crime in Chicago, Boston, New York, or Philadelphia3. Also, a national policy would help estimate the number of members of violent street gangs in the United States, monitor increases and decreases in their activity, and focus on alleviating the problems that result in their formation. An effective national policy would empower inner-city communities and families to rebuild sociocultural institutions, which would lead to the eradication of violent street gangs.

In response to Dr. Iffy's comments: the purpose of the study was to identify a group of children and adolescents at high risk for injury and death from drive-by shootings by violent street gangs. We did not cite racism as a specific cause of each shooting. Instead, racism is a contributing factor to the socioeconomic climate that promotes the formation and activity of violent street gangs.

H. Range Hutson, M.D.
Deirdre Anglin, M.D.
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033

3 References

1
Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census. 1980 Census of population and housing: census tracts Los Angeles-Long Beach, California. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1983. (PHC80-2-226).

2
Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census.-1990 Census of population and housing: population and housing characteristics for census tracts and block numbering areas Los Angeles, Anaheim, Riverside, California. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1993. (1990CPH-3-215B).

3
Maxson CL, Klein MW. Street gang violence: twice as great, or half as great? In: Huff CR, ed. Gangs in America. Newbury Park, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1990:71-100.

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