Once Upon A Time in Compton
Page 31
“We went down to Compton for a ride-along and were sitting in on a P.M. shift briefing,” Pete said.
Then mayhem had erupted.
“People came running into the room saying there were gunshot victims in front of the station. Two people had been shot and drove themselves there. It was a double homicide. Man, I never forgot it. I’m thinking, this place is fucking crazy!”
Bob had laughed at the coincidence. He and Tim had been in that same briefing. It was the incident where the Piru J.R. had escaped from the bottom of a jail bus while he was being transported and went on a killing spree.
It really was a small world, he’d thought when Pete told him this story. Years after that incident, here they were, working side-by-side.
***
Bob worked with his gang unit for the next four years, with three investigators and five suppression officers: Charlie Loffler, Vince Vaicaro, Amir El Farra, Brian Dalton, and Juan Delgado. He made sure each one became a well-rounded gang officer, able to do everything. Bob was proud of all of them.
During his first two years running the unit, there were a number of shooting and stabbing incidents involving local gangs. Each time a gang would try to flex, Bob’s unit would take them down the way he used to do it in Compton - by using informants and doing multi-gang search warrants. They’d recover a cache of weapons and make multiple arrests, which would basically destroy the gang.
This kind of thing was always newsworthy in Orange County. In the years that followed, gang crime in Garden Grove continued to drop until it reached where it is now, which was an all-time low.
Sometimes Bob heard people say, “Yeah, but gang crime is down everywhere,” and he would laugh. Most people didn’t understand what it took to keep that kind of violent crime at bay or reduce it, which was probably why they didn’t give credit to the people who worked so hard to make it so. Every week, there would be shootings in surrounding cities in Orange County - in Anaheim, Santa Ana, Westminster. But nothing was going on in Garden Grove, thanks to his unit.
Bob Ladd with the Garden Grove gang unit in 2011.
Bob thought his people deserved some recognition for that, even though the public could give a shit about doing so. His unit was proof that “Compton-style” gang investigation really did work and could work in any city. It took a couple of years to get his team up to speed training-wise, but over time they matured into some the best gang cops in law enforcement.
***
One of the things Bob stressed, until the day he retired, was that as cops, they had to take care of each other, both on and off duty. He considered himself extremely lucky to have spent twenty-four years of his thirty-two-year career working gangs. He felt even luckier for getting the chance to head up a unit at Garden Grove P.D. and end his career on such a high note.
His years at the Compton Police Department had left an indelible mark. He would never forget his time there and how it shaped who he became in so many ways. It wasn’t until he’d left the Compton P.D. that it sank in with him -- they were truly a different breed of cop.
***
Tim and Bob accomplished a great deal over the years. They also recognize that, in their opinion, police work today has changed for the worse. Many communities have lost faith in law enforcement and, in an era where everything is being videoed, many citizens hope to catch police doing something wrong. The good cops often get lumped in with the bad, which is unfortunate because there are true heroes among them who often go unnoticed and unappreciated for the work they do to serve their communities.
The Garden Grove Gan Unit. Front row, left to right: Pat Gildea, Charlie Loffler, and Brian Dalton. Standing, left to right: Amir El Farra, Bob Ladd, George Kaiser, Peter Vi, and Vince Vaicaro.
The efforts to weed out the bad apples in blue have been laudable and necessary. More departments need to help create a culture where reporting bad cops doesn’t result in hardship or isolation for the good cops who do so. The constant reports in the media and increased activism have made new cops wary and unsure of themselves. Many, out of fear of doing the wrong thing, often second-guess how to proceed in a given moment to protect the public and themselves. That hesitation and second-guessing, at a critical juncture, could (and sometimes does) lead to disastrous results.
***
While gangs are still present in Los Angeles and Compton, many have been dismantled over the years. Gang violence is at an all-time low. Those early gang units formed in the seventies and eighties laid the groundwork for how to successfully attack gangs and gang culture, how to gather intelligence, and they set up databases that eventually evolved into centralized resources for tracking and identifying gang members.
With all the technology of the twenty-first century - cellphones, computers, videocameras everywhere - tougher laws and sentencing, and heightened levels of gang awareness in schools and communities, many would-be gang members have chosen to opt out of that way of life. The increased rise in task forces, the use of wiretaps, snitching in exchange for reduced sentences, and strict and immediate enforcement against gang intimidation have all severely crippled area gangs. If the rest of the country followed the Los Angeles model, it could result in a significant decrease in gang violence nationally.
***
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Bob Ladd and family, the early years.
Tim and Bob:
We were lucky enough to be a part of the concerted effort to attempt to eliminate the plague of gangs in the communities we served. For that we are thankful, but we were just a small part of the thousands of great cops making a difference every day. We applaud the citizens struggling every day to make ends meet, the parents who fight to keep their kids out of gangs and away from drugs, and the kids brave enough to stay a positive course while coping with poverty and violence all around them. To everyone with the courage and conviction to stand up and make a difference, you are the true heroes of society.
Tim Brennan’s children Brian and Jamie in the early 90’s.
We continue to provide training and history on the gangs of Compton and Gangsta Rap murders at seminars around the country, for documentaries, and act as consultants for books and civil and criminal cases.
We realize and understand that we could not have accomplished our work in law enforcement without the help of our co-workers and friends at the Compton Police Department. We also want to thank our families, especially our wives and kids - Joanna, Brian, Jamie, and Kathy, Brian, and Shannon - for putting up with this lifestyle that took away far too much of our time together.
Tim Brennan and family, the early years.
We would especially like to thanks the following Compton cops:
Our former gang unit partners, Detectives Eddie Aguirre and Ray Richardson, who were some of the best cops we ever worked with. They have never gotten the credit they deserve. A great deal of what we talk about in this book was accomplished side-by-side with these two guys.
Bobby Baker, Lt. Reggie Wright, Sr., and Chief Hourie Taylor. Our first training Officers Jack McConnell, J.J. Jackson, Giles Wright, Paul Wing, and John Wilkinson.
We grew and learned along with these good people from the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office while working on some of the wildest gang cases around: Phil Glaviano, Maria Ramirez, May Mar, Janet Moore, Mary Ann Escalante, May Santos, Eleanor Hunter, Pat Connelly, Dave Brougham, Dave Demerjian, Rick Ocampo, Phil Stirling, Alan Jackson, and many more.
Lastly, we would like to thank anyone who ever put on a Compton police badge with honor, integrity, and pride.
Bob Ladd and family present day.
***
Lolita:
Thanks all around for so much, to so many:
To Tim and Bobby, for allowing me to be a part of this experience. I love you guys to pieces.
To BGB and its founders, Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley, for making it possible for this story to be heard. You have my infinite gratitude.
To William D.
Hobi, for your invaluable support, faith, and friendship.
To Eric J. Feig, for introducing me to Tim and Bobby. That introduction set me on a journey of discovery and friendship that has enriched my life exponentially.
To my manager Adrian L. Miller, for wisdom, support, and insight about the early days of west coast hip-hop culture. Appreciate you so much, my friend.
To my dear friend, two-time Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist and producer Stephanie Frederic, for your ever-driven spirit, loyalty, and for being the Louise to my Thelma.
To my family and friends. You know who you are.
To the readers who’ve supported me and my work for years and to newcomers who welcome my voice. Thank you.
To anyone I forgot. Charge it to my head and not my heart.
To Compton. For its good people, particularly those who so graciously let me interview them in my research for this book. For its music that shook up the world. For its artists who’ve shared and continue to share their talents and create an awareness of lives beyond the scope of the typical mainstream lens, showing us the harsh realities, the injustices, the joys and pains, the pretty and the ugly, dreams destroyed and dreams fulfilled, and how our humanity connects us all.
To the movement. May we all come together to help effect change for the betterment of everyone. May that change come in our lifetimes and include compassionate relationships between communities of color and the law enforcement officers and agencies charged with serving those communities. May the words “to serve and protect” truly become the policing standard around the country and include Blacks and PoC without exception. May fairness and justice prevail over racial, economic, and all other biases. To peace in the streets.
To ‘Pac and Biggie. You will always matter.
To hip-hop. To the culture.
***
Brennan, Files, and Ladd.
Websites & Social Media
Tim Brennan and Robert Ladd’s website, Compton Police Gangs:
www.comptonpolicegangs.com
Lolita Files:
www.lolitafiles.com
Wikipedia:
Tim Brennan and Robert Ladd:
https://en..wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_M_Brennan_and_Robert_Ladd
Lolita Files:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita_Files
Twitter:
Tim Brennan: www.twitter.com/timbrennan1959
Lolita Files: www.twitter.com/lolitafiles
Facebook:
Robert Ladd: www.facebook.com/robert.ladd.313
Lolita Files: www.facebook.com/lolitafiles
Instagram:
Lolita Files: www.instagram.com/lolitafiles
APPENDIX
Map Of Compton Area Gangs
Tim Brennan’s 40-Location Search Warrant Affidavit
Tim Brennan’s Subpoena In Christopher Wallace Civil Case
Tim Brennan’s Subpoena In Suge Knight Trial
* * *
[1] Lowery, Wesley. “Study finds police fatally shoot unarmed black men at disproportionate rates.” The Washington Post, April 7, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/study-finds-police-fatally-shoot-unarmed-black-men-at-disproportionate-rates/2016/04/06/e494563e-fa74-11e5-80e4-c381214de1a3_story.html
[2] Name changed.
[3] Zumberge, Marianne. “Dr. Dre to Donate ‘Compton’ Album Proceeds to Fund Arts Center for Kids.” Variety, August 6, 2015. http://variety.com/2015/music/news/dr-dre-to-donate-compton-album-proceeds-to-fund-arts-center-for-kids-1201558176/
[4] Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum. First Spanish Land Grant. 2016. http://dominguezrancho.org/history/
[5] City of Compton. History of the City. 2016. www.comptoncity.org/visitors/history.asp
[6] Behrens, Zach. “Before the 1950’s, the Whiteness of Compton was Defended Vehemently.” KCET, January 11, 2011. https://www.kcet.org/socal-focus/before-the-1950s-the-whiteness-of-compton-was-defended-vehemently
[7] The City of Los Angeles. History of Civil Rights and Racial Integration in South Los Angeles. 2016. http://usp100la.weebly.com/civil-rights-and-segregation.html
[8] Loewen, James W. Sundown Towns in the United States: Compton, CA. 1997-2016. http://sundown.afro.illinois.edu/sundowntownsshow.php?id=1111
[9] KCET, January 11, 2011.
[10] Rubinowitz, Leonard S. & Perry, Imani. Crimes without Punishment: White Neighbors’ Resistance To Black Entry, p. 420. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Volume 92, Issue 2 Fall, Article 3, Fall 2001. http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7098&context=jclc
[11] Compton, CA. Compton History. 2016. http://compton.ca.localcities.com/local/cityinfo.html
[12] Williams, Stanley Tookie. Blue Rage, Black Redemption. (California: Damamli Publishing Company, 2004), 76.
[13] Williams, p. 77.
[14] OG = “Original Gangster/Gangsta”; a term used to denote members who had been in a gang for many years and were regarded with a high level of respect; also used in reference to someone who has been a part of something since its beginning.
[15] Socialist Alternative. Los Angeles Gangs: The Bloods And The Crips. https://www.socialistalternative.org/panther-black-rebellion/los-angeles-gangs-bloods-crips/
[16] City of Compton. Demographics. 2016. http://www.comptoncity.org/visitors/demographics.asp
[17] Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
[18] Philips, Chuck. “Grand Jury to Probe Origins of Rap Label.” Los Angeles Times, July 24, 1997. http://articles.latimes.com/1997/jul/24/local/me-15904
[19] Westhoff, Ben. “The Death Row Records Launch Party in 1992 Was Off The Chain.” LA Weekly, November 21, 2012. http://www.laweekly.com/music/the-death-row-records-launch-party-in-1992-was-off-the-chain-2399305
[20] Rimer, Sara. “Obscenity or Art? Trial on Rap Lyrics Opens.” The New York Times, October 17, 1990. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/17/us/obscenity-or-art-trial-on-rap-lyrics-opens.html
[21] More photos related to the murders of Boxer and Bull can be found at Tim and Bob’s website at http://www.comptonpolicegangs.com.
[22] Wilgoren, Jodi. “Killer of 2 Compton Police Officers Sentenced to Death.” Los Angeles Times, August 16, 1995. http://articles.latimes.com/1995-08-16/local/me-35650_1_compton-police
[23] Leeds, Jeff. “Lighthearted Night Became a Grim Tragedy.” Los Angeles Times, December 7, 1995. http://articles.latimes.com/1995-12-07/local/me-11361_1_music-night
[24] Noel, Peter. “Big Bad Wolf.” The Village Voice, February 13, 2001. http://www.villagevoice.com/news/big-bad-wolf-6416542
[25] Anderson, Dave. “Was Fight a Fix? No. Just Seldon’s Glass Jaw.” The New York Times, September 8, 1996. http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/08/sports/was-fight-a-fix-no-just-seldon-s-glass-jaw.html
[26] See Appendix.
[27] “FBI Informant Testifies In B.I.G. Case.” Billboard, June 23, 2005. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/62498/fbi-informant-testifies-in-big-case
[28] “Tupac bodyguard testifies at B.I.G. trial.” USA Today, June 22, 2005. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-06-22-notorious-big-trial_x.htm
[29] Billyjam. “Hip-Hop History Tuesdays: A Tale of Two Biggies (Biggie Smalls Vs. Biggy Smallz).” Amoeba Music: Amoeblog, August 19, 2014. http://www.amoeba.com/blog/2014/08/jamoeblog/hip-hop-history-tuesdays-a-tale-of-two-biggies-biggie-smalls-vs-biggy-smallz-.html
[30] “The Beginning of Biggie.” Shecky Stories: Stories From The Front Line Of Hip Hop, March 12, 2010. http://sheckystories.tumblr.com/post/444034982/the-beginning-of-biggie
[31] DJ Franchise a/k/a Stringer Fell. “Biggie Smalls or Biggy Smallz.” Know The Ledge, October 14, 2009. http://www.iknowtheledge.com/hip-hop-memories/biggie-smalls-or-biggy-smallz-article
[32] Native Tongues - A collective of hip-hop artists from the eighties and nineties whose works were of a similar mindset and feel, heavy on Afrocentricity and often jazz-infused. Closely tied to the Zulu Nation, the Native Tongues included artists such as The Jungle Brothers, A T
ribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, Black Sheep, Chi-Ali, and DJ Red Alert. Other groups, such as Leaders of the New School, Brand Nubian, and The Roots were also loosely affiliated with the collective.
[33] P-Funk - Refers to the music and artistic stylings of funk pioneer George Clinton, the bands Parliament and Funkadelic, as well as the members themselves and associated groups and individuals.
[34] Serna, Joseph. “Ex-LAPD detective who alleged conspiracy in Biggie Smalls murder dies.” Los Angeles Times, August 19, 2015. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ex-lapd-detective-murder-conspiracy-dies-20150819-story.html
[35] Becerra, Hector. “Friend of Rap Exec Killed.” Los Angeles Times, April 4, 2002. http://articles.latimes.com/2002/apr/04/local/me-buntry4
[36] Blankstein, Andrew & Reich, Kenneth. “Man Is Killed In Brawl At Club.” Los Angeles Times, October 19, 2002. http://articles.latimes.com/2002/oct/19/local/me-conga19
[37] Maloney, Devon. “Meet the ‘Real’ Cookie Lyon.” Vanity Fair, December 3, 2015. http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/12/lydia-harris-death-row-cookie-lyon