0:00:00 > 0:00:00Now on BBC News, it's time for Our World.
0:00:00 > 0:00:02There are flashing images from the beginning of Katty Kay's
0:00:02 > 0:00:08film about gang violence in Los Angeles.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11We've got a pursuit.
0:00:21 > 0:00:31It's a pursuit. They are on the freeway and coming east.The crime
0:00:31 > 0:00:38situation is high. It's very, very busy for law enforcement. But,
0:00:38 > 0:00:42again, it's a very small percentage of people that are causing the
0:00:42 > 0:00:57problems. All right, bad guy just crashed. All right. I'm going to get
0:00:57 > 0:01:02us a little bit off because we have, like, 17 guns pointed in his
0:01:02 > 0:01:12direction. There -- they are starting to take the occupant into
0:01:12 > 0:01:26police custody.A night patrol with the LA sheriffs in the city of
0:01:26 > 0:01:31Compton. Two suspected members of the Southside Compton Cripps gang
0:01:31 > 0:01:37are under arrest.It would be really unsafe for them to be in their
0:01:37 > 0:01:41rival's area and if they are there they are going to have to have
0:01:41 > 0:01:48protection, because it's almost expected for them to be armed.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53Police estimate there are almost 4000 gang members in Compton.Our
0:01:53 > 0:02:03area, our service area, is ten square miles. Fireworks. Ten square
0:02:03 > 0:02:09miles. So the every square mile we have six at the games.37 games
0:02:09 > 0:02:18compete for control in a city of just 100,000 people. -- gangs.It is
0:02:18 > 0:02:22always gang on gang, gang on gang. The violence is there. The major
0:02:22 > 0:02:25problem is when we have an innocent person caught in the crossfire, or,
0:02:25 > 0:02:33and it happens too often, that case of mistaken identity.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Compton gained its grim reputation for gang violence during the 80s and
0:02:52 > 0:03:0090s at the height of America's crack epidemic.This is a madman gun. A
0:03:00 > 0:03:09double barrel. A man that goes and kills with this is really mad.Out
0:03:09 > 0:03:15of that mix in urged west coast can star rap and one of the most
0:03:15 > 0:03:20influential groups of all time NWA.
0:03:25 > 0:03:4230 years on, the trauma of that era lives on.This was my childhood
0:03:42 > 0:03:50home. Born and raised right here. I had a history of taking things that
0:03:50 > 0:03:56wasn't mine. If I saw it and liked it, I would take it. I would protect
0:03:56 > 0:04:02him by any means necessary.I would protect him the same way.Even if it
0:04:02 > 0:04:07means hurting someone else?Pretty much. Ultimately, if I had to hurt
0:04:07 > 0:04:16someone to keep him from being hurt, ultimately that would be my choice.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Compton's notorious street gangs, the Cripps, the Lives and others
0:04:20 > 0:04:26were formed in the late 1960s. Their clothes, their tattoos and even
0:04:26 > 0:04:32their jewellery all marked which gang they belong to. Wearing the
0:04:32 > 0:04:37wrong coloured shirt would have and still could get you killed.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49There would be different types of shooting happening in this street.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54Will join the Cripps when he was just nine years old.I went through
0:04:54 > 0:04:58the Sally, I was going to the store to get some cool late and I saw a
0:04:58 > 0:05:04guy pass me and he looked at me and next thing I hear is a whole bunch
0:05:04 > 0:05:07of gunfire.Right here?Right here where we are standing.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22TROMBONE MUSIC
0:05:22 > 0:05:32Today, Compton is on the up. A quarter of the population lives
0:05:32 > 0:05:37below the poverty line, but jobs are coming back and there's a sense that
0:05:37 > 0:05:44things are starting to turn around. We'll works as a community activist,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48trying to stop youngsters from ending up in gangs -- Will works.
0:05:48 > 0:05:55ICU. You know I'm going to come over there and give you a hug.I love
0:05:55 > 0:06:03you!I love you too, girl.Keep up the good work!I'ma definitely do
0:06:03 > 0:06:10that.When my kids got killed and other mothers' kids got killed, they
0:06:10 > 0:06:17came here and he helped us.She lost two sons within 60 days. That's
0:06:17 > 0:06:21where her motivation comes to get out here. She is also in the
0:06:21 > 0:06:29trenches with us.Compton's youthful mayor has made it her mission to
0:06:29 > 0:06:42transform the image and the economy of the city.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53In 2013, early in the first term and after 16 killings in just four
0:06:53 > 0:06:59months, Aja Brown decided to hold a crisis meeting. She put a call out
0:06:59 > 0:07:04to the Bloods and Cripps to try to bring about a truce.It was rocky at
0:07:04 > 0:07:09first. We had a few people threatening to leave and I said, the
0:07:09 > 0:07:13ground rules are we have to stay until we finish.What gave you the
0:07:13 > 0:07:16confidence to do that?This is my community, are not afraid of money
0:07:16 > 0:07:20on people. It was interesting to hear from them. They are very
0:07:20 > 0:07:23pragmatic and talk about the need for employment opportunities that
0:07:23 > 0:07:28they can access, they talk about the barriers with employment because of
0:07:28 > 0:07:32their criminal records. I told them, it's not just about what can I do
0:07:32 > 0:07:36for you, I told them I'm willing to work with you if you make a
0:07:36 > 0:07:38commitment as well.
0:07:41 > 0:07:51Compton has switched from a majority black to a majority Hispanic town.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54But half the gangs are still African-American and it was the
0:07:54 > 0:08:03these gangs that Aja Brown turned first.Most of the time we wouldn't
0:08:03 > 0:08:07be sitting at a table together, but she did it. It was over. How many of
0:08:07 > 0:08:13us? 50, 60, 300 in a room together. You were there at the first meeting
0:08:13 > 0:08:19with everybody got together?To be in there with 300 guys...That's
0:08:19 > 0:08:29disrespectful.That's terrible. A lot of male wouldn't do it. A lot of
0:08:29 > 0:08:36people said, why is she doing it? It was disarray when she came. And we
0:08:36 > 0:08:39got order and got the business.But did they listen to her?They
0:08:39 > 0:08:45listened to her. They listened to her because this is a first. This is
0:08:45 > 0:08:49in their wet if it's the middle of the night and you need to call her,
0:08:49 > 0:08:53she will say, what's wrong? What's going on? She is there. You don't
0:08:53 > 0:08:58get that, not even in other cities. So you don't get that from a lot of
0:08:58 > 0:09:04mayors. And she was in a room with a bunch of men. I was in there looking
0:09:04 > 0:09:10at her sometimes, thinking, they crazy!This two men are from rival
0:09:10 > 0:09:25gangs. Don is a Blood, Fred a Cripp. If you would have come across Fred
0:09:25 > 0:09:32ten years ago?There would have been a problem. He would have got stabbed
0:09:32 > 0:09:36or something. Because you are rival gangs?I was young. I didn't have an
0:09:36 > 0:09:40understanding of life or anything else. All I cared about was my gang
0:09:40 > 0:09:46and representing my gang..So you would have heard him?Yeah. Yeah. He
0:09:46 > 0:09:52would have tried.Is it still the same today?No, it's not like it
0:09:52 > 0:09:59used to be. No, it is watered down. It's not like it used to be, but it
0:09:59 > 0:10:02still crucial. The majority of these guys don't like the way they are
0:10:02 > 0:10:06living. They do like having to watch their back and worry about getting
0:10:06 > 0:10:11shot, can't go here, can't go there. They like that, better like that
0:10:11 > 0:10:18lifestyle. They are in their comfort zone and they do know how to go
0:10:18 > 0:10:28outside of the box.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31working custody, some of the gangsters, I would see them every
0:10:31 > 0:10:36day, I had a rapport with them, a lot of them were so, so afraid of
0:10:36 > 0:10:48the one thing that you and I love, and their fear is being out here.
0:10:48 > 0:10:55One of them, who was a very, very important person when it came to the
0:10:55 > 0:11:02structure, he told me "I have a son, I don't know how to be a father,",
0:11:02 > 0:11:09and he goes further and tells me, closed -- "I don't know how to
0:11:09 > 0:11:14survive out there, I know how to have a job, I don't know how to be a
0:11:14 > 0:11:18regular person, or when I was violence and if I get out of here
0:11:18 > 0:11:22I'm going to hurt someone else, and I don't want to do that any more,
0:11:22 > 0:11:28I'm tired of it."
0:11:33 > 0:11:37Regardless of whom is in the White House, there is not going to be a
0:11:37 > 0:11:40helicopter that comes into Compton to fix all our issues. That is not
0:11:40 > 0:11:43happening.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58The height of the cracker can -- crack epidemic saw an explosion in
0:11:58 > 0:12:05violence as rival gangs fought for control of the drugs market. 87
0:12:05 > 0:12:17people were murdered in 1991 alone. In 2017, that figure was 19. We'll
0:12:17 > 0:12:23search 12 years in prison for a string of offences, including car
0:12:23 > 0:12:30jacking and gun possession. -- will. In December of 1999, he decided to
0:12:30 > 0:12:36try and turn his life around.I was significantly depressed, emotionally
0:12:36 > 0:12:42distraught I was suffering from a lot of the traumatic experiences I
0:12:42 > 0:12:46have suffered.You are thinking of killing yourself?Definitely, I was
0:12:46 > 0:12:51thinking about killing myself. That was the solution to the pollution. I
0:12:51 > 0:12:57had decided to go see my mum, it was two days after Christmas, I decided
0:12:57 > 0:13:02I needed to go see her at least one more time. Before I came back and
0:13:02 > 0:13:07did what I felt I needed to do. I sat right on the street around the
0:13:07 > 0:13:16corner, with an AK-47 to just at all.He didn't. He went to see a
0:13:16 > 0:13:21preacher.He basically said, you're not the first one who has felt this
0:13:21 > 0:13:25way, it not the first one who are going through what you're going
0:13:25 > 0:13:30through. But the difference is that you can make is to hear what I have
0:13:30 > 0:13:40to say and make a change. You will find a lot of the kids are looking
0:13:40 > 0:13:46for something when they join gangs. The gangs have learned to cater to
0:13:46 > 0:13:50those things that are missing.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02The steady fall in crime since the 90s is partly due to smarter
0:14:02 > 0:14:08policing. More significantly, as drug markets stabilise, there were
0:14:08 > 0:14:16fewer turf wars between the gangs. But there are worrying signs.Hello
0:14:16 > 0:14:26Captain, how are you, I am doing great. How are you? Have a seat.30%
0:14:26 > 0:14:33lest gang crime this year than last year...That is significant.A lot
0:14:33 > 0:14:41of gang members now who are people who had gang membership in the past
0:14:41 > 0:14:45are having trouble directing their gang activities. We have an
0:14:45 > 0:14:49understanding with the gang members as to what was and wasn't within
0:14:49 > 0:14:53boundaries as to how we treat each other, and we have lost control of
0:14:53 > 0:15:11that.I appreciate your hard work sir. Thank you.We are getting an
0:15:11 > 0:15:16emergency call, it is a vehicle collision with injuries.(SIREN
0:15:16 > 0:15:16SOUNDS)
0:15:16 > 0:15:29collision with injuries.(SIREN SOUNDS).Who was driving? You are
0:15:29 > 0:15:32driving, are you OK, just a little shaken up? You had your driver 's
0:15:32 > 0:15:40licence?As far as the violent crimes, it goes up and down. There
0:15:40 > 0:15:44are times when gangs will have a truce and they will kind of settle
0:15:44 > 0:15:47down, and then out of nowhere is someone turns on the lights which,
0:15:47 > 0:15:52they are at it again. -- turns on a light switch. The reason the
0:15:52 > 0:15:57homicide rate has dropped, it is not because the violence has gone away,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01someone didn't just sprinkle fairy dust on the city and it's gone, it
0:16:01 > 0:16:04is there, the reason why the homicide rate has dropped
0:16:04 > 0:16:07significantly is because of the advancements in medical science,
0:16:07 > 0:16:13this right now more than ever -- doctors right now more than ever,
0:16:13 > 0:16:21more than five years ago, they are saving more and more lives.
0:16:34 > 0:16:44You ain't trouble, that's why. I have been coming to this store since
0:16:44 > 0:16:51I was going to that elementary over there. All this has changed, we got
0:16:51 > 0:16:55a lot of homeboys getting killed over here, just hanging out, because
0:16:55 > 0:17:00this was almost a shared store between two rival gangs, and so in
0:17:00 > 0:17:04the process of that, a lot of people lost their lives appear, a lot of
0:17:04 > 0:17:12shooting, a lot of drive-bys were happen here.We'll now spends most
0:17:12 > 0:17:17of his night out on the streets, -- William now spends most of his life
0:17:17 > 0:17:21-- his night out on the streets trying to stop fights from happening
0:17:21 > 0:17:26getting out of control.We are just going corner to corner, indicating
0:17:26 > 0:17:33with those that there are ways out, a lot of times we need that
0:17:33 > 0:17:38ourselves, so we can understand what's going on in the community.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42Because they out here sometimes, they see stuff we don't see,
0:17:42 > 0:17:50sometimes they tell us who we need to go talk to.
0:17:58 > 0:18:06In order to survive, many families had to leave the city altogether.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11This is my mum, my beautiful mother Deborah...When William's mum
0:18:11 > 0:18:16sorting is getting out of control, she uprooted her family and fled to
0:18:16 > 0:18:25nearby San Bernardino.By uncle Lester, he was killed. 1987. In
0:18:25 > 0:18:32Compton. Shot in his face. We have been victims of the violence to, you
0:18:32 > 0:18:38know. I think this was our family 's first experience of the violence in
0:18:38 > 0:18:43Compton.I'm willing to bet you, there's not a family in Compton that
0:18:43 > 0:18:52didn't lose somebody or someone near and dear to them. To gang violence.
0:18:52 > 0:18:59In sum, shape, former fashion.It was a war. It was like a war zone
0:18:59 > 0:19:05will stop I tell my friends, I'm a nurse now, but I think I have seen
0:19:05 > 0:19:08more death as a child that I have as an adult will stop there are plenty
0:19:08 > 0:19:13of days were Olubi playing outside, -- where I would be playing outside,
0:19:13 > 0:19:19and see a car that can look familiar, and we had two seconds to
0:19:19 > 0:19:25get in the backyard and lay down, and bang, bang, bang. It became a
0:19:25 > 0:19:32way of life. It was not normal but then it was normal, you know what I
0:19:32 > 0:19:38mean?I know as a young kid I didn't show that as much, when I was with
0:19:38 > 0:19:45my mum and it hurts that I know she went through that, to know that we
0:19:45 > 0:19:49put more on her table then she should have had on her table. It is
0:19:49 > 0:19:53something I have to live with because the thought occurs every now
0:19:53 > 0:19:57and then and it makes me cry, it hurts me, even though I have been
0:19:57 > 0:20:01living like this to 20 years, good, doing good work, it still hurts me
0:20:01 > 0:20:05to know that 20 something years ago I took my mum through what she had
0:20:05 > 0:20:09to go through, you know, it is something I will have to live with
0:20:09 > 0:20:14the rest of my life because I can't change that. But it hurts, it hurts,
0:20:14 > 0:20:19you know?The whole neighbourhood is totally different. It is sad when
0:20:19 > 0:20:24you see, that dude used to live over there but he's dead. The next
0:20:24 > 0:20:29neighbour died. It's just sad. Or they are in jail for the rest of
0:20:29 > 0:20:35their life. The boys who ain't dead, they in jail. It's sad. It's really
0:20:35 > 0:20:40sad.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00Down this quiet street in Compton is Aja Brown's former family home.Back
0:21:00 > 0:21:06then I was -- my mother was a registered nurse so she worked
0:21:06 > 0:21:10overnight and her schedule was a bit different, and there was a home
0:21:10 > 0:21:15intrusion and someone raped and murdered her.No one else was home
0:21:15 > 0:21:22when this happened?I don't ever remember not knowing what happened
0:21:22 > 0:21:28to my grandmother because my mother was really sad and I would ask her,
0:21:28 > 0:21:33why are you so sad, and she would just say that she missed her mother.
0:21:33 > 0:21:39No one was ever brought to justice and the case remains open.The loss
0:21:39 > 0:21:42of life is not moment in time, it lasts lifetime, and there are holes
0:21:42 > 0:21:47that can never be filled, and it is me a level of compassion, respect
0:21:47 > 0:21:51and even insight into what most people are dealing with.When you
0:21:51 > 0:21:57look at this house industry, what does it make you feel?Is
0:21:57 > 0:22:02bittersweet to me. It is nice to be able to know where my family spent a
0:22:02 > 0:22:07lot of time growing up, but the same time it is a place of such despair
0:22:07 > 0:22:12for my family. It is a solemn place, I would say.The Mayor's story is
0:22:12 > 0:22:22not uncommon. There is a level of post-traumatic stress in this town
0:22:22 > 0:22:31that comes from decades of extreme violence. But maybe it's that shared
0:22:31 > 0:22:38experience that could also drive people to end the violence.