The Sixth Avenue Neighborhood Watch in Leimert Park is the latest in a trend of community groups that are taking steps to keep the community safe — and also serving as emblems of the improved relations between the residents of Leimert Park and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

It wasn't always so. Back in 1965 the relationship between residents of Leimert Park and LAPD was often hostile and adversarial. On August 11, 1965, with the entire city on edge amid the tensions surrounding the Civil Rights movement, a routine traffic stop by LAPD officers provided the spark that ignited feelings of disenfranchisement. The Watts Riot erupted and lasted for six days. Leimert Park was on the fringe of the action and became an armed camp. National Guard troops established a base at Leimert Park's Audubon Junior High School. They cordoned the neighborhood off at Crenshaw Boulevard. No one could enter or leave Leimert Park without enduring a thorough body search by LAPD officers. Parents kept children indoors as police officers escorted fully armed National Guard troops through the neighborhood around the clock.

Long-time Leimert Park resident Maurice Mouton recalls the toxic atmosphere at that time.

"The resentment of the LAPD stemmed from the influx of middle class blacks into the Leimert Park area," Mouton says. "At that time, the police department didn't feel that blacks were worthy of, or eligible for, residency within Leimert Park. As a result, they policed with an arrogant and discriminatory mindset against the increasing black community."

The tension between the police department and the Leimert Park residents began to ease in the early 1990's when the city initiated a community-based policing program. In order for the program to succeed in Leimert Park, it was essential the two sides learn to work together. The department has worked hard to learn about the community. In turn, the community feels more comfortable in reaching out to the department for assistance.

LAPD Senior Lead Officer Sunny Sasajima serves as the Southwest Division liaison for the Neighborhood Watch program in Leimert Park. He reflects the department's change in policing philosophy.

A Leimert Park Homeowners and Neighborhood Association lawn sign on a property shows support for the neighborhood watch program.

"In the past, we used to come into a community and dictate what was going to be done," Sasajima says. "It was either our way or no way. We now seek the input from the community as to what they feel will work and what has been effective in reducing crime. We have people who were once reluctant to speak to us now calling us on the phone to report crime or ask questions."

Mouton confirms the new attitude of the police.

"Today we find a stark difference in the police mindset and attitude," Mouton says. "For you see, the LAPD has now discovered that they cannot win the war against crime solely by reliance on weaponry, force of numbers, or tactical strategies. It has become apparent that only with the help of the community as their eyes, ears and partners do they stand a chance to suppress and push back crime. In addition, the clear fact that the almost all black Leimert Park community is comprised of hard-working, financially sound, intelligent residents has now turned a hostile police mindset into one of respect, admiration, and appreciation."

Officer Sasajima says there are ten active Neighborhood Watch groups in Leimert Park, four of which he helped the residents create within the last year. All of the groups are enjoying a reduction in crime in their areas, most notably in burglaries and auto thefts.

Todd Becraft formed the 6th Avenue Neighborhood Watch Group in December after noticing a bullet hole in his wife's vehicle one morning. Unsure what kind of response he would get from neighbors, he was delighted at the turnout at the first two meetings.

"The neighbors grabbed onto this," Becraft said. "They are enthusiastic and are embracing Officer Sasajima. In addition to feeling more secure, residents are getting to know one another. The whole process is developing a greater sense of community."

Walter Melton is a writer for the L.A. Garment & Citizen.

Photos by Walter Melton.

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Why do Latinos rank lowest among all ethnic groups when it comes to participating in organ donation programs?

Ask members of the medical profession and you'll likely here a laundry list of factors that includes cultural predispositions brought from rural home regions, confused religious viewpoints, and a general lack of information.

That list misses one other element: A deep mistrust of the medical establishment among some Latinos.

"We're afraid of the system — that they'll take something from our body to give it to another patient," says Alfred Arroyo, an immigrant from Pachuca in the Mexican state of Hidalgo who now lives in Los Angeles. "We're afraid that the doctors won't cure us well, or they won't try to save us, so they can keep our parts."

Anyone inclined to dismiss Arroyo and other Latinos who express such skepticism as conspiracy theorists should consider this: The U.S. Attorney's office is currently pursuing a conspiracy theory of its own in a case that has led to the indictment of a doctor who formerly served as director of the liver-transplant program at St. Vincent Medical Center in the Westlake district on the edge of Downtown Los Angeles. Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office allege that Dr. Richard Lopez, Jr., lied to the national organ transplant network after a liver accepted on behalf of one patient was instead given to another who was lower on the list. The eight-count indictment accuses Lopez of conspiracy, concealment of a material fact, and falsification of records in a matter under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The case offers a revealing look at the machinations that revolve around donated organs. The indictment contends that medical personnel at St. Vincent were offered a liver for a patient who ranked second on the match list but who was out of the country at the time. The backup patient for the liver was at another local hospital. Instead of advising the organ procurement organization of the intended switch and allowing the liver to be offered to the second patient, Lopez allegedly approved acceptance of the liver and its transplantation into a third patient at St. Vincent. That patient was ranked 52nd on the match list — behind nine other St. Vincent patients, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

The indictment goes on to raise a number of other questions about procedures for organ donations. It's notable that nothing in the case suggests that any patients were neglected because doctors wanted to use their organs for transplant — but the string of alleged irregularities offers an indication of how mistrust can take root.

Indeed, Arroyo attributes his fears and skepticism about organ transplants to far more basic experiences with the healthcare system. He says that he's been disillusioned by the process of medical treatment for an injury to his back sustained while working at his job as a tree pruner. His condition isn't the sort of critical injury that might led to death and the eventual donation of organs, but he takes it as an indicator of a healthcare system that has little consideration for patients.

"The only thing the doctors do is give me pain relievers, and they don't really cure me, so they can keep getting money from the medical insurance," he says.

Wendy Verduzco, who works as an auto insurance broker, says that she also refuses to participate in organ donation programs for similar reasons.

"I don't agree with that because I've [heard] that the majority of doctors try to take organs instead of trying to save people's lives," she says.

Verduzco adds that she believes that some doctors do not really care about the well-being of the patients who arrive at hospital emergency rooms, which have become a care center of last resort for many working-class and undocumented Latinos in the U.S. She adds that she thinks some doctors see it as a numbers game.

"With one donor, they can save at least 50 people," Verduzco says. "So the doctors take advantage."

Dr. Alberto Martinez, M.D. of the Casillas Medical Group in Los Angeles works hard to overcome the reluctance among many Latinos when it comes to registering as organ donors. He focuses on basic factors he sees in the community, hoping that educational efforts will ease everyday skepticism that patients such as Arroyo and Verduzco currently express.

"There is a need for more information so that our community will be more trusting and motivated to register as organ donors," says Martinez. "Because what they know about this issue is very limited."

Martinez notes that many Latinos in the U.S. come from rural areas in Mexico and Central American nations, where rumors about medical practices have made them fearful of volunteering to donate their organs to be used for patients in need of a transplant. Martinez says he knows that Arroyo and Verduzco aren't alone in suspicions that doctors will allow the death of accident victims or some other patients in other critical condition in order to use their organs to help wealthier patients. Martinez does what he can to counter such skepticism by putting a human face on the medical profession, promising that he and his colleagues remain ethical.

"It's not true that doctors let their patients die in order to take out their organs and give them to others who need them," Martinez says. "When a person arrives at a hospital in very delicate condition, everything possible is done to help them. The doctors have the duty to do their job in order to protect the health of their patients."

Martinez emphasizes that patients or their family must give their permission for doctors to use their organs in any case. That's a key aspect when it comes to religious viewpoints on organ donations. Martinez says that a misunderstanding of religious considerations play a role the low number of Latino donors, according to Martinez.

"The majority of we Latinos are Catholic, and we're not used to this — but the same is true with other religions," he says. "It appears that some priests or pastors are against this."

Elizaberh Adame, an auto insurance broker, supports organ donation.

The teachings of the Catholic Church maintain that organ donations and transplants are morally acceptable, provided patients or legitimate representatives, such as family members, are fully informed of the procedure and have given consent. Church teachings explicitly cite as immoral any attempts at such procedures unless those conditions are met. Pope Benedict endorsed the concept of organ donations and transplants prior to his elevation to Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church. Pope Benedict's writings on the subject hold that organ donations are fully acceptable if a patient or representative has agreed to the procedure and makes the gift as an act of love. Pope Benedict has said he is registered as an organ donor.

The official position of the Catholic Church on organ donations appears to be unclear to many of its faithful, though — another challenge for Martinez as he seeks greater acceptance for the practice.

"This can help a lot of people," Martinez says. "It could mean the difference between life and death."

Martinez continues his campaign through it all, urging Latinos to participate in organ-donation programs, and encouraging them to register through the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). He's making some progress, too.

Elizabeth Adame, also an auto insurance broker, says she supports organ donation programs.

"I think it's a good idea because it helps people and their families to enjoy life a little more, so they can live better," she says. "I'm registered in that program, because I would like to help my loved ones when needed."

Miriam Reyes is a writer for Impulso. Labeez.org Group Editor Jerry Sullivan contributed to this story.

Photos from Impulso.

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