East Side Story

I did a ride-a-long with the Gang Unit of the Sherriff's department in Bakersfield's east side recently. The east side is seeping with poverty and is a virulent breeding ground for the violent gangs that have been plaguing the city.

Because Bakersfield lies in between Los Angeles and northern California, it has become a traditional boundary line for northern and southern gangs. Violent rivals, many gang members from the north and south find themselves walking the same streets in Bakersfield. There are now 79 different established gangs here in a town of just over 700,000 people.