Excerpted from the L.A. Times
Violence against Black women and girls is a longstanding national epidemic that has long been overlooked and underreported. Though they make up less than 5% of Los Angeles’ population, Black women are far more likely to experience multiple forms of violence and trauma than other groups.
According to a March report by the L.A. City Civil and Human Rights and Equity division, from 2011 to 2022, Black women made up one-third (32.85%) of female homicides and nearly one-third (28.2%) of all missing women. During this period, they also were nearly one-fourth (22%) of all female rape victims. In comparison to non-Black women, Black women are three times more likely to be killed by an intimate partner.
The report was commissioned by the L.A. City Council as part of a January 2022 motion requesting an equity analysis on violence against Black women and girls. The motion cited the case of 16-year-old Tioni Theus, a missing African American high school student whose body was dumped on the side of the 110 Freeway early last year. Theus’ unsolved slaying elicited outrage within the African American community because of the initial dearth of coverage on her killing.
