Eric Dively 
The impact of the economic situation has touched most, if not all of us in some way, shape or form. It has hit some communities around the globe harder than others. There are many consequences of a poor economy, one of which being cuts to the education system. Another is crime. Whereas crime as a whole has been decreasing for decades, there is one aspect of it that has continued to grow. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, this division of crime is gang activity.
Each day in the United States, 7,000 children drop out of high school. That’s over 2.5 million students every year. Brian Warwick is a teacher in Los Angeles, Calif. With regard to the economy’s impact on education, he says, “At first since there was a downturn in the economy, we saw a large increase in enrollment because I think people were trying to find new careers. Maybe they had their hand forced and were like well, if I’ve lost a job, I’ll go back to school, learn something that I truly love and come to school. Now though I think that little bubble has burst and we’re seeing less enrollment as teachers.”
Multiple family members may have to work to provide the necessities for survival when economic times are tough. Some kids have to quit school. Robert Delgadillo is another instructor with over 5 years experience teaching in L.A. He states, “As a teacher we’re getting less students that qualify for loans. The loan system is getting tougher. For people to qualify, they have to have better credit or cosigners. It’s harder times so momentum‘s been down. We’ve gotten our hours cut, lost money. People have lost jobs. It’s bad all the way around.”
Delgadillo is a property manager in Hollywood as well. “The apartment management is kind of the same thing. More people now have lost their homes. That means they have worse credit, less money. Being an apartment manager, we have to check peoples’ credit scores and stuff. It’s making it harder for them to get an apartment.”
He was also the witness to a sobering event on Wednesday, October 30, 2013. “I just really heard stuff first. I heard cars screeching and people yelling and people cussing. Then I heard a lot of cops. This neighborhood’s just crazy. It’s an ongoing thing.” He is referencing an event that took place in the CVS Pharmacy parking lot, next to his building, at the intersection of Yucca St. and Cahuenga Blvd in Hollywood.
Street gangs are able to recruit children easier after they drop out of school, especially if employment isn’t found. According to Delgadillo, there’s a lot of street gang crime in his neighborhood. Four months prior, a man was shot twice right in front of the apartment complex. Gang bangers previously resided in the same complex he manages as well.
Delgadillo continues, “I saw cop cars, about seven or eight. They had a girl. I saw her in handcuffs and like about to get arrested… I heard cars, people yelling. Then I heard the sirens and I looked out and that’s all I saw. [There was a] helicopter flying over the building. [That was about] midnight.”
