Keep Bailing

The scene was like something out of a Hollywood action movie.  Helicopters buzzed Riverside’s East neighborhood while officers in flak jackets and helmets served warrants.  This sweep has been dubbed Operation Promise, and it was the culmination of a sixteen month long investigation aimed at crippling gang hierarchy and cutting off its cash flow from drugs and weapons.

On the morning of January 27, 2010, six hundred and fifty officers from thirty-four local and federal agencies swarmed the Riva Gang’s territory and arrested fifty alleged gang members, including Riva leaders and members of their rival gang, the 1200 Blocc Crips.

For years, the East Side Riva gangs Read more »