Feb 1, 2003

Who Is Responsible for Ray Ray's Death?

By Amanda Santiago, Staffwriter Streetgangs.com Magazine

After two deadly gang-related shootings have taken the lives of Darryl Dewayne, 19, and Damar White, 18, a third remains unsolved without any leads. Tragically what did result was the death of their relative, 7 year-old Horace Ray Ferguson, Jr. (nick-named .Ray Ray. by his family). Like the other two young men, he was shot at his home on the 14500 block of South Harris Ave. in Compton, CA.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Anthony Ward explained that three men in a white Ford Bronco crashed into a parked car at Ray Ray.s home around 8am. As the residents went outside to check the damage, a shootout followed between them and the occupants in the Bronco. It was there in his front yard that Ray Ray was shot a reported 6 times and died a few hours later at the hospital.

Although Artemus Blount, 74, the boys' grandmother, insists that the two neighboring houses that she owns do not house residents that are involved in gang activities, LA County Sheriff's Lt. Bob Rifkin deemed it as "a crash pad for known gang members." Whether that is true or not, Rifkin asserts that he is familiar with the gangs who occupy that area.

With that information the Sheriff.s Department may know at least what gangs are involved in the shooting, which should lead them closer to possible suspects given that the first shooting occurred back in November. But reports from the LA Times and United Press International have not mentioned any possible suspects. Instead, the January 24, 2003 edition of the LA Times stated that the County Department of Children and Family Services took 2 children from Blount's home to live with an aunt. This was after officials interviewed the family who, at the time, had five children and four adults living together in the residences. Part of the reason for the decision seems to stem from the fact that officers were called to the house 27 times before Ray Ray.s shooting, mainly for domestic disturbances and one for someone shooting off a gun. This lead to an editorial in the same newspaper about the action (or lack thereof) taken by Child Services before Ray Ray's death.

An unidentified source and family members themselves have made several comments about the purpose for the shooting. "It wasn't a shootout, it was a setup," stated the unidentified person. Members from Ray Ray's family have said that they had seen the three men before and the motive may have been that the family had covered up graffiti in the area. But any explanation may not prove good enough for Ray Ray's grandmother who expressed, "I know my 7-year-old baby had not done anything. I don't feel safe here. They killed three of my grandkids." As for law enforcement theories, it is believed that African-American gang members who frequented the residence are involved in a rivalry with a Latino gang, which may have something to do with the shooting. If such is the case, this shooting not only reflects that gang violence goes so far as claiming the lives of children, but that the animosity held between African American and Latino gangs has been, and still is, on the rise. With that trend, undoubtedly the threat of gang violence will increase. But while this tragedy comes at a high point in LAPD Chief William Bratton's attempt to publicize and relate LA's gang problem to the New York mafia, it also evokes a question: Why move on to more extreme tactics if underlying problems surrounding gangs have not been properly addressed in the first place?

The editorial by Al Sieb entitled "Where was Child Services?" stated that taking the children out of such a dangerous atmosphere should have been a priority since November, and as officials realized the number of calls for problems at the house were getting higher. If it takes three shootings and 27 police visits to finally notice and do something for children who live in a gang "crash pad," concern towards the gang problem should also consider the effectiveness of police and county action taken to maintain the peace and prevent potential conflict. Maybe the "rise" in LA's gang problem is due to the police's ineffective strategy in handling this problem that escalated to the death of a child.

From the start, just a look at the family's overcrowded residences should have led to a better handling of the situation. So many people living together suggests that severe economic problems were present. Attempts should be made to understand those conditions and try to help a family out of that atmosphere instead of leaving children like Ray Ray in the middle of it all. His grandmother even stated that she was in custody of him because of his mother's crack problem. Because this type of situation is heard about so often in gang-related crimes, it is a wonder why the issue is not fully dealt with at the root. May Ray Ray Rest in Peace and his family continue to cope with such a tragic loss.

Amanda Santiago can be contacted at via email at asantiago@streetgangs.com