Stories
Print and online coverage of gangs, guns, the FBI and justice
- Crowd at Salinas crime scene | photo © Janjaap Dekker
GANGS
Since 2002, I’ve reported on the Nuestra Familia and the law enforcement efforts to bring it down.
The NF is one of the nation’s most violent and sophisticated gangs, a drug-dealing mafia that for more than three decades has exerted powerful control over the West’s agricultural towns. In the Salinas Valley, second, third and now fourth generations of children are literally being born into this gang and raised to be criminals. My work chronicles the gang’s power and a community’s struggle to defeat it.
Nuestra Familia, Our Family | The PBS documentary
Our award-winning film about a father, a son, a gang and the FBI.
News and magazine articles about Nuestra Familia
I also contributed reporting to these investigative projects:
Locked Down | American Radio Works
Gangs Thrive In Maximum Security | 60 Minutes
Operation Valley Star stories
The FBI’s latest case against Nuestra Familia:
Store a Red Flag in Gang Probe
Musician Convicted in Nuestra Drug Case
First NF Conviction in Valley Star
INFORMANT PLAYED BOTH SIDES OF THE LAW
GANG VIOLENCE — SOLUTIONS
When people ask me how to end gangs, I usually say something useless like “end poverty first.” But there may be more immediate hope for stopping some of the killings. The Ceasefire strategy is gaining support and believers.
Ceasefire: A series on the innovative program to stop gang shootings | Monterey County Herald
GUNS
In the world of gunrunning, money drives the engine. What starts with an illegal but booming worldwide arms trade ends with misery around the globe – including teen deaths in Northern California.
South Florida’s Elusive Arms Baron | Frontline/WORLD
The Guns of Opa-Locka | The Nation
Youths, Gangs and Guns | KQED-TV and Oakland Tribune
I also contributed reporting to these investigative projects:
Gun Land | NOW with Bill Moyers
Gun Runners | Frontline/WORLD
Critics: Terrorists Manipulate Loopholes in U.S. Gun Laws | NPR’s All Things Considered [ram audio]
JUSTICE: THE SYSTEM, THE CONCEPT, THE REALITY
From overcrowded prisons to life without parole for juveniles and problematic witness protection — our justice system offers plenty to write about.
Down for Life series | The Monterey County Herald Day 1 • Day 2 • Day 3
>>PDFs Day 1 • Day 2 • Day 3
Down for Life series | KAZU-fm Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 [audio]
Multimedia: A Long Night’s Wait at Salinas Valley State Prison
Witness Protection Not a Guarantee | The Monterey County Herald
Murder Victims’ Families Find Solace | The Monterey County Herald
AND MORE…
High-flying Investor Goes Into Free Fall | San Francisco Chronicle
Daniel Ellsberg: Whistleblowers wanted here | The Monterey County Herald