State combats violence with program

Thursday, December 3, 1998

State combats violence with program

SHOOTING: Officials respond to increased crime with project to
provide job opportunities for at-risk youths

By Caridad Lezcano

Daily Bruin Contributor

Late one night in October, a 25-year-old man walked outside his
Santa Monica home and was unexpectedly greeted by gang
violence.

The Santa Monica police department arrested two known gang
members in connection with the shooting.

Jaime Cruz, a UCLA student, found himself caught in the
crossfire.

"It happened at night, without warning, while I was moving my
car," said Cruz, a third-year sociology and history student.

In response to the recent increase in gang violence, State Sen.
Tom Hayden and Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter have
called for help creating employment programs for at-risk youth.

One program, known as PVJobs (Playa Vista Job Opportunity and
Business Services), has been recently implemented by a local
company.

Playa Vista, a non-profit organization, introduced an
unprecedented program that provides job opportunities to
individuals in underrepresented and economically depressed areas of
Los Angeles.

"Jobs (are) the result of our commitment to find solutions to
the problems plaguing area neighborhoods and to determine how the
Playa Vista project could have a positive effect on the lives of
at-risk youth," said Peter Denniston, president of Playa Vista, at
a news conference held on the Santa Monica Pier.

Playa Vista announced that it is committed to insuring that 10
percent of all its construction jobs will go to at-risk youth,
according to a press release.

"We want PVJobs to serve as a model for the business community
in Los Angeles, so they may follow suit and adopt similar at-risk
youth employment programs," Denniston said.

Cruz works for a program similar to the Playa Vista Project. He
is excited about returning to his job in Santa Monica College,
where he coordinates programs for the at risk-youth in the
community.

"I’ll return to UCLA in January and just start off from
scratch," he said.

But while programs to stop gang violence are gaining a foothold,
Cruz and other UCLA students still feel the consequences of gang
violence.

For Cruz, his involvement with gangs came unexpectedly.

On Oct. 18 of this year, the recent transfer student was
critically wounded outside his Santa Monica home. He was rushed to
the UCLA Medical Center and treated for three gun shot wounds to
his arm, upper leg and back. Cruz also suffered a ruptured lung and
had his femur replaced with a metal rod.

Cruz will not be able to walk for another two to three months
but said he feels extremely fortunate to have survived the
incident.

Other students have also been affected by gang violence.

For example, Christian Montealvo, a third-year political science
student, said that 13 of his friends have been killed by gang
related violence.

Montealvo, a resident of Culver City, went to high school with
known gang members and witnessed the destructive consequences.

"In light of the 13 deaths, I have been motivated to take my
energy out on books and not bullets," Montealvo said.

But some students think that the UCLA campus is removed from
gang violence because of its location in a more affluent
community.

"It’s so peaceful here at UCLA that people may not think about
issues such as gang violence," said Amrit Chima, a fourth-year
English student.

"People may not realize that the person next to them may go home
to it every day," she said.

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