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Black girls in LA keep seeing women around them getting killed. They’re driving change
Black women and girls make up about 4% of the Los Angeles region’s population but account for a disproportionate share of female homicide victims. The killing of 16-year-old Tioni Theus in 2021, whose case remains unsolved, sharpened calls for action and highlighted families’ frustration with police and political leaders.
Five years on, relatives, organisers and violence-prevention workers say too little has changed. They want stronger public recognition, deeper research and funding for programmes addressing domestic and community violence; meanwhile, Black women in LA are organising taskforces, rallies, youth programmes and podcasts to support one another, amid cuts to federal gun-violence prevention funding.
In short
- Black women and girls are disproportionately represented among LA’s female homicide victims.
- Tioni Theus was killed aged 16; no arrests have been made.
- Local women are organising community-led efforts to prevent violence.