Boy Wounded in Gang Shooting

I am a young black female who happens to reside in South-Central Los Angeles. I have never written to a newspaper before, but the story in the Metro section of the 2-year-old boy who was shot and paralyzed while watching fireworks on the 4th of July so enraged me I had to express my feelings (“Drive-By Shooting Wounds Boys, 2,” July 6). The number of innocent people, including many children who are maimed or killed due to random gang violence, always saddens and amazes me.

The struggle against poverty is not an easy one; racism and mis-education and the breakdown of the family unit are hard obstacles for today’s inner-city youths to overcome, but there are no sane justifications for the cowardly and sociopathic acts that are committed by gang members almost every day in South-Central Los Angeles.

It is very popular nowadays for some black rap acts to boast about being “straight outta Compton” and in a sense exploit and legitimize the violent and genocidal gang culture they rap about while lining their pockets at the same time. However, it is a shame that there will be no rap songs written about little Brandon Lott and the courage that he will need to live out the rest of his life.

SANDRA D. CLARK

Los Angeles