Gang Intervention Counselor Allegedly Murdered by Teenager

Ronald "Looney" Barron lived his life with a purpose. As a former LA "Crips" gang member, Barron chose to dedicate his life to taking kids off the streets and helping them to see another path. He eventually paid for this service when he was killed: a 16-year old was arrested Tuesday night for shooting Barron when he confronted him.

"He was all about helping children like the little kid who shot him," Barron's younger brother Anthony Blanks said. "He was out there helping children from making the same mistakes he made."

Police Commander Andrew Smith said that detectives are using video surveillance from a nearby business to investigate the crime. They are also working with the Los Angeles Unified School District's police department, since "they know taggers better than anyone."

The officers in the district were able to identify the suspect immediately, and he was picked up at his parents' house. The arrest was made within 36 hours of the incident.

"It breaks all of our hearts where something like this happens in our community," Smith said. "It's a tragic incident."

Police officials noted that they believed the shooting was random, an isolated incident. There were rumors of retaliatory violence, which they argue are not true. Barron's time as a Mansfield Crip and former inmate of Pelican Bay State Prison made him especially effective as a gang intervention worker.

"He had a tremendous personality," said Jim Brown, the former NFL player who founded Amer-I-Can, the anti-gang program that Barron carried out in schools and jails. "The kids loved him. He made a difference in saving young people's lives."

On the death of Ronald Barron, here are some quick thoughts:

1) As we mourn his death, we must celebrate his life: There is an old saying that it's better to die for something than to live for nothing. Ronald Barron could have sat on the sidelines watching the world go by. Even worse, he could have continued to live the same life he was taught to live. Instead, he made sure that his years on earth were worthy of being remembered, and that is what makes him great.

2) This should motivate more of us to engage in similar activities: Dr. Martin Luther King died while communicating the significance of living for something greater than yourself. If you are only concerned about your own safety and can't see the bigger picture, then you are missing the entire point. Ronald Barron's death should not make us fearful. Instead, it should inspire all of us to have courage. While one misguided youth ended the life of this great man, there were many more who benefited from his work.

3) Some parts of LA have become a war zone and it's not all our fault: An excellent documentary, "Crips and Bloods: Made in America," does a wonderful job of explaining how peaceful neighborhoods were turned into virtual prisons for the people who lived in those communities. One must wonder how neighborhood fights between teenagers were suddenly being fought with AK-47s and hand guns. Many tens of thousands of young people and their parents are victims of post traumatic stress syndrome, as the flood of guns and drugs into the black community created the life that no child should have to endure. We know that black people don't own the boats and planes that brought the drugs to America. We also know that the citizens of South Central Los Angeles were not the government officials who looked the other way as drugs were being allowed into certain communities and not into others. When I listen to the song "Gangsta Gangsta" by NWA in 1989, I hear young men who are a product of that environment. Ronald Reagan was every bit as much as an accomplice in the creation of gang culture as Ice Cube, Eazy-E and any other rapper in America.

I've never met Ronald Barron, but he is my hero. My other heroes are the many thousands of men and women who've dedicated their lives to helping our youth. While some of these kids show signs of severe psychological damage, nearly all of them are screaming for our love. This is doubly true when it comes to black men.

Rest in peace Ronald, we're going to miss you.