World · North America · 5 hrs ago
Black women and girls in Los Angeles organize against violence
Tioni Theus, a 16-year-old from South Los Angeles, was found shot dead in January 2021.
Her mother’s serious injuries had disrupted her life, and Tioni had left school and moved between other people’s homes before she was killed.
No one has been arrested, and how she ended up on the highway where her body was found remains unknown.
Black women and girls make up about 4% of the Los Angeles region’s population but account for an outsized share of female homicide victims.
Families and organizers want stronger investigations, more study of the causes, and funding for programs addressing domestic and community violence.
Black women in Los Angeles are organizing themselves, through rallies, taskforces, summer programs and podcasts, to share their experiences and help protect one another.
Their work comes as federal funding for gun violence prevention has been cut, while families continue to call for local leaders to do more.
Black women and girls in Los Angeles are organizing to address violence against them.
The effort gained urgency after 16-year-old Tioni Theus was found shot dead on a highway on 8 January 2021.
Five years later, no arrests have been made in her killing, and families and organizers say too little has changed.
Organizers are calling for stronger public attention, deeper research and funding for programs addressing domestic and community violence.
Black women in Los Angeles are using taskforces, rallies, summer programs and podcasts to share their stories.
- Who
- Black women and girls in Los Angeles, including families and community organizers.
- What
- They are organizing and calling for action to address violence against Black women and girls.
- When
- The efforts followed Tioni Theus’s killing on 8 January 2021 and continue five years later.
- Where
- Los Angeles, California.
- Why
- Black women make up about four percent of the LA region’s population but represent an outsized share of female homicide victims.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Tioni Theus’s mother was critically injured after being hit by a car, and Tioni began living with other family members.
Theus’s body was found on a highway with a gunshot wound to her neck.
Community members called for a swift investigation, compassion from local leaders and measures to curb violence.
No arrests had been made in Theus’s killing, and families and organizers said not enough had changed.
- Tioni Theus
- 16 years old when she was killed
- Date found
- 8 January 2021
- Reward
- $115,000 for information
- Population share
- Black women and girls are about 4% of the LA region’s population
- Arrests
- None had been made in Theus’s killing five years later
What people are saying
We are in a climate where Black women are the most unprotected species
It feels like people just don’t care