Cheryl Devall
January 18, 2007
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In today's newscasts and talk programs, KPCC has been examining racially-charged gang violence in Los Angeles. The most recent flashpoint was the shooting death of Cheryl Green a little over a month ago. Police say a Latino gang in Harbor Gateway targeted the 14-year-old black girl because of her race. Amid the protests, anguish, and resolutions to make L.A. neighborhoods safer, we wanted to concentrate for a few minutes on the teenager whose death generated all this attention. KPCC's Cheryl Devall has the story.

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Cheryl Devall: In Harbor Gateway, an area tucked below the intersection of the 405 and 110 freeways, Cheryl Greene's mother sits in the living room of her apartment. She moved here from West L.A. six years ago because she was concerned about gang violence.

Charlene Lovett: I needed to find a better environment for me and my kids. And I've never heard too much of anything happening in Torrance or Harbor Gateway, too much on the news, so I've moved in and, I'd say between three to six months later, the neighbors as I was meeting them, they were bewaring me of that gang.

Devall: Neighbors told Charlene Lovett that the 204th Street Gang was assaulting blacks, who had begun moving into the mostly Latino neighborhood. Lovett warned her son and three daughters.

They all managed to avoid trouble, until December 15th. Lovett was sick in bed that day when Cheryl came home from Steven White Middle School. The mother says she had an uneasy feeling about the day, and she called out to her youngest child.

Lovett: I said Cheryl. And she didn't answer. And I said Cheryl! And she said "Yes, mommy." I said "Cheryl, don't go nowhere." And she said "OK, mommy." And I went back to sleep, and her being a teenager, "I guess I'll go around the corner real quick and get back before momma wake up," and...

Devall: A block from the apartment, Cheryl's 19-year-old brother David Cary stands vigil with some friends.

David Cray: This is the spot. And there go her name right there in candle wax writing right there. There go the yellow tape right there, and the day that she got shot, I wasn't able to cross. And I was upset, you know, because I really wanted to see.

Devall: A sidewalk memorial includes flowers, candles, Cheryl's chrome scooter, and a bag of red hot Cheetos, her favorite food. In the family's living room, her big brother maintains a brave face.

Cray: She liked to express herself, you know, express her feelings, like deep feelings. You know? She wasn't really where all the drama. She used to say things like "I love you," you know. People got to really like listen to stuff like that, because she really meant it.

Devall: Ana Ramirez works at the local Boys and Girls Club, where Cheryl Greene spent countless hours after school.

Ana Ramirez: How fun she was! Oh, God. We would play music and they would start, you know, trying to do their little dances. If there was like a specific dance to it, she would do that specific dance with her friends, and then they would laugh. She had all kinds of friends; Hispanics, whites.

Vanessa Cary: I am looking at a poem that my little sister wrote about three months ago for a school project, in English.

Devall: Cheryl's sister, 18-year-old Vanessa Cary, reads a few lines.

Cary: I pretend to be a doctor when my family is sick. I feel very irritated when I am blamed for everything. I touch my mom's face when I tell her I love her. I am black and beautiful...

Devall: Two members of the 204th Street Gang face murder and hate crimes charges for allegedly killing Cheryl Greene because she was black. Bullets wounded three other African-Americans. Police say it's not the gang's first attack on blacks.

Lovett: I thought those days was over with, that kind of racism.

Devall: Charlene Lovett remembers a daughter who liked to go to church. She was getting serious about school and was dreaming of becoming an obstetrician.

Lovett: Sometimes, she would try to say something like a little sassy a little bit, but then really couldn't say it, like, "I'm just playing mommy." You know, just, she was different. Very humble. That's my baby.

Devall: In the living room of the apartment, a blown-up photograph of Cheryl stands on a table next to the TV. She wears a Disney jean jacket, gold hoop earrings, and a smile. She has braces on her teeth. Giant sympathy cards from her classmates surround the photo, along with a candle and a bouquet of carnations. There's a framed proclamation from the mayor and Los Angeles City Council extending their "deepest sympathy." Charlene Lovett.

Lovett: I strongly feel that my daughter's life was a sacrifice for this community. You know, just everything that has taken place since this happened. You know, it's been all positive.

Devall: By "positive," she means increased police patrols, weekly peace marches, and promises of new programs for kids in the wake of Cheryl Greene's murder. Lovett says she'll help promote peace, as long as she's here. She's thinking about moving out of Harbor Gateway, away from the place she'd hoped would be a haven for her kids.