WEBVTT - Ep. 5 Cat & Mouse 0:00:06.800 --> 0:00:10.560 Thank you, mister President, for giving us some time and 0:00:10.600 --> 0:00:13.560 some flexibility in today's agenda to make a very special 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:18.120 and important presentation. A year after Emory's death, her case 0:00:18.239 --> 0:00:23.000 was still unsolved and someone new became interested. Los Angeles 0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:27.680 City Council Member Josehuis from District fourteen. He presented a 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:31.200 motion to the City Council, which is broadcast on LA's 0:00:31.280 --> 0:00:35.559 local government channel. Emory's family lined up behind him with 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:38.480 a portrait of Emory. This was back in two thousand 0:00:38.479 --> 0:00:42.800 and seven. I am presenting a motion to renew a 0:00:42.880 --> 0:00:46.840 fifty thousand dollars reward that we put out a few 0:00:46.880 --> 0:00:51.360 months ago for any information leading to the arrest of 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:55.160 the individual or individuals who are responsible for the death 0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:59.920 of a beautiful fourteen year old girl, Emory Munos. Josehisa 0:01:00.200 --> 0:01:03.040 asked the LA City Council to renew a reward for 0:01:03.080 --> 0:01:07.600 any information in her case. The family is seeking answers, 0:01:08.200 --> 0:01:12.360 the family is seeking justice. His speech was a plea 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:17.000 for information, but it also had an underlying message. We 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:22.320 have reason to believe or the LAPD has told us 0:01:23.360 --> 0:01:27.640 that the death of Emory Munos might have been related 0:01:28.600 --> 0:01:33.360 to raid parties or fly parties. That drop up on 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:37.320 young people. His speech was a rallying cry for the 0:01:37.319 --> 0:01:40.360 city of Los Angeles to crack down on party crews. 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:42.399 The young people who go to these parties are not 0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:47.440 necessarily bad kids. It's any one of our kids who 0:01:47.440 --> 0:01:50.120 go to these parent parties who are allured by the 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:53.760 excitement of fun and enjoyment. But we have to put 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:57.680 everyone on notice that these parties may and can be dangerous, 0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:26.560 and the city should between more to staff. These from 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:30.520 my heart Michael Bura Podcast Network, Vice and Elia Studios. 0:02:31.160 --> 0:02:36.400 This is Party Cruz, The Untold Story. I'm Jannas Amilca. 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:16.040 I have a few memories of police raiding our parties. 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:21.880 One time, I remember the lights, music, smoke machine, everything 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:27.160 shutting off. The entire backyard went dark. Kids started running 0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:30.040 through any exit, trying to hide behind cars on the 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:33.799 street to avoid getting a ticket. Cops with flashlights were 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:36.520 shining them in our faces, forming in the back to 0:03:36.600 --> 0:03:40.120 clear out the house. I remember running away. I was 0:03:40.160 --> 0:03:42.440 wearing sandals and my feet got wet because of the 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:46.280 dewey grass, but I never got caught. Even when the 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:49.040 parties didn't get rated, the cops were always in the 0:03:49.040 --> 0:03:51.600 back of our minds, and that's because we were on 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:56.080 their minds. Generation like gang members, is emerging from the 0:03:56.240 --> 0:03:59.600 underground party scene. Oh they don't start violent, but it 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:01.760 doesn't take them along to get there. The people who 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:04.800 throw these kind of parties are called party crews, but 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:08.360 police say they're very similar to gangs. LAPD wasn't just 0:04:08.400 --> 0:04:11.600 shutting down our parties. It was way more than that. 0:04:12.360 --> 0:04:14.520 It felt like they saw our party crews as just 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:18.440 another version of a gang. It is a La City 0:04:18.760 --> 0:04:23.320 gang that started off as a tag banging gang. They 0:04:23.320 --> 0:04:29.200 are morphing into a traditional Hispanic turf gang. Law enforcement 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:33.200 officials say they're coordinating on every level to attack the problem. 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:37.720 For us, dealing with the cops was just part of 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:41.400 being in the scene. Sometimes ten and fifteen cop cars 0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:45.600 blocking off the street. Our first party a bunch of 0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:49.520 cop tames, and of course we would hide the Naud tank. 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:51.160 If the owner of the house was there there, we'll 0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:53.640 give them the tickets. Sometimes, if they were like those 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:57.720 massive warehouse parties, that would be helicopters, they'll take the 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:01.400 amplifiers and the Sarato and then they'll give a D 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:05.200 a citation too. You lose your gear and you have 0:05:05.279 --> 0:05:11.000 a court date. Way back before Emery's death, the police 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:14.280 were already on a mission to shut down flyer parties, 0:05:14.800 --> 0:05:17.960 but the two thousands marked a new era in the 0:05:18.000 --> 0:05:22.640 battle between cops and kids. In this episode, I talked 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:28.440 to the people who try to shut us down. I'm 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:32.719 Captain j Roberts, James Roberts, I go by Jay. This 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:36.839 is Captain James Roberts. He's currently the commanding officer of 0:05:37.000 --> 0:05:40.680 Rampart Area. Back in the two thousands, he used to 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:44.839 bust flyer parties. I sat down with him in an 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:48.480 LPD press room. In the tape, you can hear the 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:52.240 squeaking of Jay's belt which held his gun and a flashlight. 0:05:53.520 --> 0:05:58.800 Who can afford it? So Jay was ready for our interview. No, 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:06.200 but I mean I actually had filed the party related stuff, 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:08.799 and in front of all the back he had pulled 0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:12.600 out all the files that he had related to flyer parties. 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:17.400 As a team, I would have never had the chance 0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:23.240 to interview or talk to an officer like this. Unequal footing. Now, 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:27.040 all these years later, I'm sitting across from someone who 0:06:27.080 --> 0:06:30.640 patrolled the scene that was a part of I was curious, 0:06:31.279 --> 0:06:34.719 how did he remember this? Time. I don't think party 0:06:34.720 --> 0:06:38.160 crews were attracted any attention had they not been wildly 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:44.680 successful with hundreds of people showing up. Busting parties ended 0:06:44.760 --> 0:06:46.760 up being a major part of his job. It was 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:48.560 a big deal and I had a big role in it. 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:51.239 Jay used to work as a sergeant at the Foothill Division, 0:06:51.880 --> 0:06:55.919 which serves the Northern Valley, the Pacoima to Hunga area. 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:58.880 He says they'd get a lot of phone calls from 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:04.599 the community. Were forty three thousand party related calls in 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:07.240 the city of la for two thousand and three. Leading 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:10.280 that was that Foothill area. It had three thousand, four 0:07:10.400 --> 0:07:15.440 hundred and four party calls. We were the party capital 0:07:15.640 --> 0:07:19.520 of Los Angeles. And in the early two thousands, his 0:07:19.680 --> 0:07:22.720 division would respond to these phone calls by going out 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.320 to parties, knocking on the door and say, hey, you 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:27.480 need to turn your music down. Here's your warning slip. 0:07:28.560 --> 0:07:31.240 And then if I have to come back, I'll have 0:07:31.360 --> 0:07:34.520 to impound some sound equipment or you know, write somebody 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:36.880 a ticket. The black and white police cars that were 0:07:36.920 --> 0:07:39.760 sent out to do this, they were referred to as 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:43.720 party cars. Literally, it's like the opposite of a party bus. 0:07:44.280 --> 0:07:49.520 These cars were trying to prevent parties, but they weren't working. Well, 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:52.080 you'd never come back because you know, the person who 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:54.320 called the police in the first place is so frustrated 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:57.040 because nothing was done, and they won't call back. But 0:07:57.080 --> 0:07:58.720 if it did call back, by the time we got 0:07:58.760 --> 0:08:00.440 back around it was two in the morning, the party 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:06.120 was already over, so completely ineffective. Jay remembers one party 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:09.280 in particular in two thousand and four that he says 0:08:09.480 --> 0:08:13.040 sparked a change in his division. It's a birthday party 0:08:13.080 --> 0:08:17.000 for a kid ended up being a flyer party to 0:08:17.080 --> 0:08:20.160 put flyers out. The party was on a Saturday, and 0:08:20.400 --> 0:08:23.320 two kids were shot, you know, and I think they 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:26.080 were in their twenties, one from Panorama City and went 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:30.640 from Somar. That sort of began, at least as far 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:33.320 as the LAPD went, a shift in how we dealt 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:38.520 with just allowed or unlawful parties to begin with. We 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:41.640 had a press conference afterwards with the city Attorney's office saying, Okay, 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:43.959 here's the deal. You know, we're now going to respond 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:46.840 to these And it was my job at the time 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:51.880 to do something about it. So they switched it up. 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:56.680 They had to develop new strategies, to assess parties, like 0:08:56.800 --> 0:09:00.320 sending undercover cops to check them out. A couple plane 0:09:00.320 --> 0:09:06.200 clothes cops in a plane car. Two low key assess, 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:11.920 low p talk to whoever, no uniform, no scary cop presence. 0:09:12.760 --> 0:09:14.920 And if the party had to be shut down and 0:09:14.960 --> 0:09:18.280 it moved to another place, they were in the loop. 0:09:19.040 --> 0:09:22.960 They were party goers too. Office, there's an everyday close 0:09:23.640 --> 0:09:27.600 with a regular car. They just needed to blend in period. 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:31.960 They would provide intel, like if a party moved locations 0:09:32.040 --> 0:09:35.040 to avoid the cops, would it be a young undercover cop. 0:09:35.080 --> 0:09:37.160 How would you like go under the radar of a well, 0:09:38.360 --> 0:09:42.120 would it would be somebody would baby face? Yeah, somebody 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:44.200 you know that could pass. We have twenty something cops, 0:09:44.280 --> 0:09:46.280 We had young cops. They could do that. But you're right, 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:49.560 they did have to belue legitimate. Were they people up like? 0:09:49.600 --> 0:09:54.000 Were they Latinos? Like? Were they in Pacoima? I would 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:57.920 undercover cops. Yes, absolutely, I would say the fifty percent 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:00.800 of our officers were Latino. Most of the guys in 0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:08.280 that detail, we're Latino officers. It was the beginning of 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:12.720 what LAPD referred to as the Party Suppression Team the 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:19.080 PST for short, Having parties, even really big, out of 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:23.520 control ones is a normal part of teenage life. But 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:25.600 whether the cops show up and slap you on the 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:30.000 wrist when the neighbors call, or create entire teams devoted 0:10:30.040 --> 0:10:33.080 to targeting your parties clearly has a lot to do 0:10:33.160 --> 0:10:36.920 with where you live and who you are. And when 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:40.120 it came to us Latin X teams in LA, these 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:44.079 undercover cops would actually go out and assess when our 0:10:44.120 --> 0:10:49.040 parties were dangerous and when they were in their opinion, okay, 0:10:49.760 --> 0:10:52.200 we'd go out and we'd have undercover units that would 0:10:52.200 --> 0:10:55.600 just look and if it was just a key signor 0:10:55.640 --> 0:11:00.520 birthday party, family barbecue, make contact, you know, say hey, 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:02.360 can you guys keep the music down, you know, make 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:05.040 sure you're mindful of your neighbors. And then they'd say, hey, 0:11:05.040 --> 0:11:07.760 we got one over here. Let's respond over here, and 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:09.880 the black and whites will respond and they would deal 0:11:09.880 --> 0:11:14.040 with it in whatever way, whether it be you know, 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:17.240 we got here too late, there's already three hundred people 0:11:17.280 --> 0:11:19.000 here and we need to shut it down. They even 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:22.720 started coordinating with Los Angeles schools. I appeared in front 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:26.800 of the school board to educate them on what a 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:30.040 flyer party was they're just clueless as to what the 0:11:30.120 --> 0:11:34.640 kids are doing, so just putting on their radar. When 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:38.840 you see this strangely written you know, graphic, and somebody 0:11:38.880 --> 0:11:41.680 slaps it up on the school wall or bulletsin board, 0:11:42.000 --> 0:11:45.520 or leaves it underneath the windshell wipers of all the 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:47.520 cars in the high school parking lot, you'll know what 0:11:47.559 --> 0:11:53.920 this is. Officers were scouring the internet too. Remember in 0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:57.920 the early two thousands, party promotion was also happening online. 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:01.160 We would also start to monitor or the internet. Back then, 0:12:01.200 --> 0:12:03.720 it wasn't so much social media, but it was the Internet. 0:12:03.800 --> 0:12:07.720 Cops would monitor sites like drunken Faded dot com and 0:12:07.920 --> 0:12:11.320 club events dot com. Social media was pretty new at 0:12:11.320 --> 0:12:15.320 the time. My Space was a big player. They searched 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:20.040 online with keywords like underground parties, rave and flyer parties. 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:24.320 And they also monitored the phone numbers listed on the 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:27.640 back of the flyers, the info lines that were updated 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:30.520 with directions on the day of the party. We started 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:32.560 calling in the lines, We started finding out when the 0:12:32.600 --> 0:12:35.640 parties would be, We started showing up, We started nimping 0:12:35.679 --> 0:12:37.600 him in the bud and they started, you know, getting 0:12:37.640 --> 0:12:40.520 more evasive, and so you know, cat and Mouse. Cat 0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:45.600 and Mouse kids got really creative avoiding the cops. You know, 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:47.880 when you're at a party, you're in the backyard and 0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:50.840 the police coming and the music cutsdown. I kid you not. 0:12:51.520 --> 0:12:54.440 We would always start seeing happy birthday. This is Max, 0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:59.080 a Flyer partygoer in the sangyearbro Valley. Our senior producer, 0:12:59.120 --> 0:13:02.480 Sophia polisa Are spoke to him on the phone. We'd 0:13:02.480 --> 0:13:06.719 always think happy birthday. It's so stupid, right, what is 0:13:06.760 --> 0:13:12.640 that would work? No? It never worked, It never worked. 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:16.280 Oh my god. We'd always think happy birthday when the 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:18.720 police walked in, like it was some stupid birthday party 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:25.439 and not a freaking flor party. It wasn't black and white. 0:13:25.720 --> 0:13:29.200 This is Jay again talking about the party suppression team. 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:32.560 There were party crews that were loosely associated groups of people. 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:35.520 There were people in it for the money. There were 0:13:35.520 --> 0:13:39.160 tag bangers that were associated that sometimes didn't get along 0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:42.280 with the cruise. The cruise you know, where everything from 0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:44.160 just good kids and trying to have fun all the 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:48.559 way over to criminal enterprises. You know, that was also 0:13:48.640 --> 0:13:52.320 what made it difficult. How do we figure out what's 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:55.719 going on here and deal with it appropriately? You I 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:58.080 mentioned criminal enterprise. I wanted to know, like what you 0:13:58.120 --> 0:14:03.440 mean by that. Well, it's it's illegal to charge. It's 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:08.480 illegal obviously to sell, you know, alcohol, illegal to sell 0:14:08.640 --> 0:14:12.400 nitrosotic side balloons, and that's the level I'm talking about. 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:17.760 Once there's money involved. I'm curious, like, how would you 0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:20.600 or like people on your team make the distinctions between 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:23.920 like whether a party was violent or not, Like, how 0:14:23.920 --> 0:14:28.280 would you decide that if there was the presence of 0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:34.240 gang members or a clear commercial enterprise. If it was 0:14:34.920 --> 0:14:38.640 you know, ten kids getting together that call themselves a 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:41.960 party crew and weren't charging anything, we'd still probably shut 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:47.360 it down because because it's well, I take that back, 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:50.440 it would depend. That's that's that fine line right there. 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:53.880 If there was no no commercial end to it, it 0:14:53.920 --> 0:14:58.440 would depend, you know, when you see it. Somebody asked 0:14:58.440 --> 0:15:01.800 the definition of poor graphy once to somebody and their 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:04.240 answer was, I can't define it, but I know I 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:06.400 want to see it. It was you knew you could 0:15:06.480 --> 0:15:09.000 feel it whether this was going to be a safe 0:15:09.080 --> 0:15:15.320 environment or a dangerous environment. I was going to mention, 0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:19.280 like gang members also go to kas Like they're also 0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:22.920 like going to wedding you know, they're part of the community, 0:15:23.000 --> 0:15:26.800 and so that's not to say there there there aren't. 0:15:27.400 --> 0:15:29.840 You know, these elements weren't a part of other parties. 0:15:29.880 --> 0:15:32.960 You know, there were plenty of you know, family gatherings 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:36.160 that weren't fine, and then there were other family gatherings 0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:40.520 for that reason that didn't go fine. I wanted him 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:44.400 to know from my own experience as a team that yeah, 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.360 the parties could get out of control, but the cops 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:50.520 showing up and the way they went about it, that 0:15:50.560 --> 0:15:53.720 could feel violent too, at least like my experience, Like 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:56.000 there was a lot of parties, There were a lot 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:57.720 of parties, they got broken up, and it was like, 0:15:57.800 --> 0:16:00.600 really it was like a scary on both though scary 0:16:00.600 --> 0:16:02.800 because they were shootings, but there was also scary because 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:05.800 the police would storm in there, Like I don't know, 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:08.160 like it's scary, Like it's scary for a fifteen year 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:12.040 old helicopters, Yeah, to like hide in a closet. It 0:16:12.200 --> 0:16:13.840 is like kind of it's scary now that I'm an 0:16:13.880 --> 0:16:17.480 adult and I can understand the danger is that we 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:21.400 were in, but like as a child, it's scary right now. 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:24.520 Out of all the new strategies, the biggest change that 0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:28.760 the party Suppression Team made was to site people right away, 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:32.760 don't knock on the door and warn them. Instead, give 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:35.800 people a ticket for loud music or selling alcohol without 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:39.960 a license right away. Jay says his team wanted to 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:43.480 find the parties and shut them down before they could 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:47.440 get big, especially before a helicopter gets sent out. This 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:50.920 sort of more strategic, surgical way of dealing on a 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:54.360 more low key way wouldn't involve tons of police cars 0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:58.360 and a big presence and a helicopter with a night 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:01.120 sunlight over. That's how things were dealt with when things 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:05.439 had gone bad already. In this model, we try to 0:17:05.480 --> 0:17:08.600 avoid that. We're not just gonna warrant anymore. We're going 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:12.760 to say, hey, this is illegal and unlawful and there's 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:15.399 a high potential of violence. Here's your ticket right now, 0:17:15.760 --> 0:17:20.040 or this thing's shut. That's what changed. In two thousand 0:17:20.040 --> 0:17:23.400 and four, Jay says, the party Suppression Team was seen 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:27.840 as a beacon of success. Jay remembers presenting their strategy 0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:31.359 to Alihiti higher ups. I made a presentation at that 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:35.040 meeting and that became part of the citywide response. The 0:17:35.119 --> 0:17:38.400 recommendation that if you have a problem with regard to 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:43.280 flyer parties, rave parties, crew parties. This is a best practice. 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:45.480 This on how to deal with them. This party suppression 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:49.359 team concept and the idea that you assess parties for 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:54.720 their violence potential. Our department policy changed in two thousand 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:58.920 and seven to allow for that immediate sighting or arresting 0:17:59.640 --> 0:18:03.959 upon the first response if the situation warranted it, whereas 0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:07.000 before it was always a warning and it was so 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:11.399 effective that it became a thing and was adopted citywide. 0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:35.040 That's after the break. This program will provide you with 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:39.960 basic information to assist you in your duties. Identify flyer parties, 0:18:40.560 --> 0:18:43.800 understand the drug and alcohol use common at flyer parties. 0:18:44.119 --> 0:18:46.840 By the end of two thousand and four, LPD created 0:18:46.880 --> 0:18:50.000 a training video for the entire department on how to 0:18:50.080 --> 0:18:53.919 handle flyer parties based on the Party Suppression Team. These 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:56.879 are clips from the video. The most effective tool that 0:18:56.920 --> 0:18:59.480 can be used by law enforcement in the policing of 0:18:59.560 --> 0:19:04.199 flyer parties is rapid response. What started small with just 0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:08.280 the Foothill Division woodspread. These are a few of the 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:11.920 points that should be considered from the Foothill Party Suppression Plan. 0:19:12.720 --> 0:19:19.080 Maintain zero tolerance for loud or unlawful parties. Gather intail before, during, 0:19:19.200 --> 0:19:27.240 and after parties have been identified, identify, assess, terminate, deploy 0:19:27.320 --> 0:19:30.760 a party suppression team or a party car. We obtain 0:19:30.840 --> 0:19:34.680 the training video through a public records request. Watching it 0:19:34.720 --> 0:19:37.040 reminds me of how much we are being watched and 0:19:37.119 --> 0:19:40.680 studied and how we had no idea, or at least 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:45.000 I had no idea. Inside these locations and during the party, 0:19:45.240 --> 0:19:50.240 promoters go the distance to provide a stimulating mix of drugs, alcohol, 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:56.480 and music that encourage it dancing, competition, and promiscuity. The 0:19:56.600 --> 0:20:00.040 video features greeny footage from fire parties with the this 0:20:00.240 --> 0:20:04.000 blurred out, and pictures of flyers. One of the parties 0:20:04.040 --> 0:20:07.240 had the name Reggaeton versus Hip Hop Part three. The 0:20:07.359 --> 0:20:12.440 video also showed partygoers inhaling NAZ from balloons. Nitrous oxide 0:20:12.440 --> 0:20:14.720 stations are set up to feed the crowd with a 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:19.960 mind altering substance that can create a volatile situation. Actually, 0:20:20.280 --> 0:20:23.000 NAS was a big part of the training video. You 0:20:23.160 --> 0:20:25.800 can arrest someone for nitros oxide as long as they're 0:20:25.800 --> 0:20:28.880 possessing it with the intent to consume. When I see 0:20:28.920 --> 0:20:31.640 stuff like this, I can't help but think, but they 0:20:31.680 --> 0:20:36.040 become part of the permanent record, traces of my teenage years, 0:20:36.720 --> 0:20:41.520 examined and filed away by their nature. Flyer parties include 0:20:41.560 --> 0:20:47.240 elements that create a fertile environment for violence. They become history, 0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:51.760 at least one version of it, one version of us. 0:20:55.920 --> 0:20:59.439 We took an interest because that may have been the 0:20:59.480 --> 0:21:05.800 most island a year of flyer or raved parties in 0:21:05.920 --> 0:21:08.359 our history. I mean, there seemed like they were going 0:21:08.400 --> 0:21:12.240 every month, somebody was being shot or injured. BERNARD'SI. Parks 0:21:12.440 --> 0:21:14.880 was a chief of the LPD in the late nineties. 0:21:15.480 --> 0:21:19.160 He was the chief during the Rampart Scandal, the investigation 0:21:19.359 --> 0:21:22.520 into an anti gang unit in the Rampart Division that 0:21:22.640 --> 0:21:26.560 was accused of massive corruption. He later became a city 0:21:26.560 --> 0:21:31.240 council member. He represented the eighth district for over ten years, 0:21:31.880 --> 0:21:35.119 which serves South la. We had of what appeared to 0:21:35.160 --> 0:21:37.600 be almost every weekend, even though they may not have 0:21:37.640 --> 0:21:42.760 been a shooting, there were these activities that were unsupervised 0:21:43.280 --> 0:21:47.800 and people were taking advantage of abandoned houses, of abandoned buildings. 0:21:47.840 --> 0:21:50.440 In two thousand and four, the same time Captain J. 0:21:50.640 --> 0:21:54.399 Roberts was setting up the Party Suppression Team, council member 0:21:54.400 --> 0:21:58.199 BERNARD'SI Parks put out a motion to create a party 0:21:58.280 --> 0:22:03.040 task force. According to the motion, thirteen people died from 0:22:03.119 --> 0:22:07.399 gunshot wounds at flyer parties in La County. He wrote 0:22:07.400 --> 0:22:10.960 that quote party crews advertise wet T shirt and g 0:22:11.119 --> 0:22:16.240 string contests or hot women, or that quote parties act 0:22:16.280 --> 0:22:21.520 as nightclubs, though without fire codes, security checks, and dorman 0:22:21.680 --> 0:22:26.120 asking for idea. During our interview, the only time Bernard 0:22:26.240 --> 0:22:29.440 really got excited was explaining to me how he would 0:22:29.480 --> 0:22:33.000 go after party crews by citing people for things like 0:22:33.200 --> 0:22:38.640 putting up a flyer. People use other people's properties, such 0:22:38.680 --> 0:22:44.480 as city lighting poles and telephone poles to advertise something 0:22:45.160 --> 0:22:49.120 that they're getting a financial benefit, which is illegal. And 0:22:49.160 --> 0:22:52.600 then the other issue is is who cleans them up 0:22:52.640 --> 0:22:56.639 when the party's over. No one, and so it's not 0:22:56.760 --> 0:22:59.680 like they go and post them and then go tear 0:22:59.760 --> 0:23:02.720 them down after the party. I never knew that you 0:23:02.880 --> 0:23:05.840 couldn't put a flyer on a city pole or a 0:23:05.960 --> 0:23:09.800 lamp a lamp post, So all those concert posters I 0:23:09.800 --> 0:23:15.920 see off the freeway are like they're illegal. It wasn't 0:23:15.920 --> 0:23:19.400 the first time illegal raves or underground parties were brought 0:23:19.400 --> 0:23:22.880 to the attention of the city Council. In nineteen ninety six, 0:23:23.400 --> 0:23:27.800 council Member Richard Aracon filed emotion ask him for a 0:23:27.840 --> 0:23:31.320 few things, including recommendations on how to crack down on 0:23:31.359 --> 0:23:36.440 illegal parties. Then in two thousand and four, Bernard filed 0:23:36.640 --> 0:23:41.320 his motion and base of the files we found that 0:23:41.400 --> 0:23:43.639 was the last time flyer parties were brought up in 0:23:43.680 --> 0:23:48.600 the city Council until three years later two thousand and seven, 0:23:49.280 --> 0:23:52.199 the year that Jose we Said brought Emory's case to 0:23:52.240 --> 0:23:56.040 the council. Joshi said is someone you may have heard of, 0:23:56.920 --> 0:24:00.560 especially if you live in La Breaking New La City 0:24:00.600 --> 0:24:03.640 Council and Jose Weezar has been charged with a thirty 0:24:03.680 --> 0:24:08.960 four count federal grand jury indictment alleging wide ranging political corruption. 0:24:10.240 --> 0:24:14.840 Not the most popular Angelino anyway, long before we saw 0:24:14.920 --> 0:24:17.840 it made headlines. In two thousand and seven, he brought 0:24:17.880 --> 0:24:21.040 the motion to the City Council asking for them to 0:24:21.080 --> 0:24:25.280 renew the reward for fifty thousand dollars for any information 0:24:25.400 --> 0:24:29.000 in Emory's case. He also asked the city council to 0:24:29.000 --> 0:24:32.920 crack down on flyer parties and party crews. This is 0:24:32.960 --> 0:24:35.639 part of his motion, which was read to the room 0:24:35.720 --> 0:24:39.520 by his Chief of Staff, Joseph Abila, at a public 0:24:39.600 --> 0:24:43.639 safety committee meeting. The Los Angeles Police Department believes that 0:24:43.720 --> 0:24:46.080 Emory is one of many young people who died as 0:24:46.080 --> 0:24:50.040 a consequence of the violence that surrounds flyer or rave parties, 0:24:50.040 --> 0:24:53.159 as they're sometimes known. Over the last few years, police 0:24:53.160 --> 0:24:55.439 have made attempts to crack down on these parties by 0:24:55.520 --> 0:24:58.840 enforcing state and local criminal laws, but unfortunately, hundreds of 0:24:58.880 --> 0:25:02.760 young adults continue to and these parties. Again a reminder 0:25:02.800 --> 0:25:06.040 that there was and is no actual evidence that we 0:25:06.160 --> 0:25:09.840 know of of Emory's murder being directly tied to a 0:25:09.880 --> 0:25:16.400 flyer party. LPD responded to we sat his motion with 0:25:16.520 --> 0:25:21.040 various ideas to combat parties. They suggested working with the 0:25:21.080 --> 0:25:25.000 Los Angeles School District to make pamphlets for parents and kids, 0:25:25.760 --> 0:25:30.080 and even lesson plans for high school health classes on 0:25:30.119 --> 0:25:35.320 the dangers of flyer parties, including substance abuse. They also 0:25:35.359 --> 0:25:39.840 suggested looking into stricter penalties for promoters who violated the law, 0:25:40.640 --> 0:25:43.880 or making them reimburse the city for any costs if 0:25:43.880 --> 0:25:47.800 police had to intervene. The city attorney looked into it 0:25:48.359 --> 0:25:51.560 and ultimately reported that there were already enough laws on 0:25:51.560 --> 0:25:54.800 the books and that LPD just needed to use them 0:25:54.920 --> 0:25:57.560 to stop the parties and all the problems that come 0:25:57.600 --> 0:25:59.760 with them. There is a responsibility on the part of 0:26:00.000 --> 0:26:03.639 owners to secure vacant properties. That's on the books, and 0:26:03.680 --> 0:26:07.120 the finds associated with that are actually the maximum allowable 0:26:07.160 --> 0:26:10.680 under the municipal code one thousand dollars and or six 0:26:10.720 --> 0:26:13.960 months in jail. But what I heard in these recordings 0:26:13.960 --> 0:26:18.240 of committee meetings is that it wasn't so simple. I'd 0:26:18.320 --> 0:26:20.080 like to see that. At the same time, the caution 0:26:20.359 --> 0:26:24.760 is that when you start talking about homeowners having events 0:26:24.760 --> 0:26:27.639 where money changes hands, if people are often a certain 0:26:27.840 --> 0:26:31.520 it's in the same neighborhoods having charity fundraisers, They're having 0:26:31.560 --> 0:26:34.159 all sorts of events where people are making contributions, and 0:26:34.200 --> 0:26:37.560 that's allowed to do that in your own home, And 0:26:38.119 --> 0:26:44.000 so it's a it's a real thin line. It's a 0:26:44.080 --> 0:26:48.159 real thin line, a real thin line between what city 0:26:48.160 --> 0:26:52.720 council or LPD saw as a legitimate party and what's 0:26:52.800 --> 0:26:56.520 not or more like, who is allowed to hold these 0:26:56.520 --> 0:27:02.000 events homeowners having charity fundraisers. I know it's a small detail, 0:27:02.800 --> 0:27:05.439 but it feels like it's not noise or exchange of 0:27:05.480 --> 0:27:08.840