Our
Town:
Compton’s Eric Martin Returns Home to Teach
Council Kicks Kilroy to the Curb
Charles Davis Takes Helm of Chamber
Compton’s MESA Team Triumphs Again
Compton Library to Close for Renovation
Water Replenishment Bill Pros, Cons Presented to Council
Gateway Towne Center Accused of Discrimination by Local Merchant
Gifted Youth Finds Sanctuary at YAL
Earl
Ofari Hutchinson:
Supervisors to Blame for King Hospital Failure
Museum of Mexican Artist Frida Kahlo to Exhibit Never-before-seen Drawings, Personal Items
Ride-along Gives University Officials First-hand Look at Students’ Work
By
Allison Jean Eaton
Bulletin
Staff Writer
As
the undercover car barreled down Compton streets heavy with 3:45-p.m.
traffic in a race across town to a robbery call, the two women in
the backseat held on tight.
Five young black males had just shoplifted from Rainbow Kids, a clothing
store in Compton Town Center on Compton Blvd. When confronted by shopping
center security, the suspects used force to get away, causing it to be
classified a robbery.
The five sped off in a black PT Cruiser and were within minutes apprehended
at the intersection of Wilmington Avenue and El Segundo Boulevard.
At the scene, Dr. Yael Hellman and Rose Nielsen, both of Woodbury
University, sat behind Deputies Vergilian Bolder and Daniel Viscarra as
they witnessed the young men’s arrest.
“It was exciting,” Hellman told The Bulletin of the high-speed
drive across town.
Nielson agreed. “I loved it,” she said.
Both said they felt safe the entire time, even as their vehicle reached
speeds of up to 80 miles per hour on Hub City side streets and thoroughfares.
Hellman, an assistant professor, and Nielsen, director of Development,
hale from the Burbank school established in 1884. It, along with National
University and others, has partnered with the L.A. County Sheriff’s
Department to provide higher education opportunities to department employees
and others working for the county.
Sgts. Greg Saunders and Jerry Cummins, both of Compton Station, are
two of Hellman’s students and invited the two women to Compton for
an afternoon ride-along. They are currently pursuing their bachelor’s
degrees in organizational leadership.
The degree is for those who are interested in management and leadership
positions in the public and private sectors, according to literature provided
by the school.
“They know how important it is for me to see what my students do,” Hellman
told The Bulletin.
Hellman has been on ride-alongs before, just never in Compton. It
was Nielsen’s first time.
Saunders and Cummins’ teacher said it’s important for her to
have “first-hand knowledge” of the stresses her students are
under. Many, she explained, have families, are risking their lives to support
those families and are pursuing high education, to bat.
Compton Station’s Special Assignment team last Wednesday escorted
the women throughout the city and surrounding areas and introduced them
to the daily encounters experienced by deputies stationed in Compton.
Several prostitutes were stopped and asked questions ranging from
their age to why they hook to how much they charge. A trio of crack-smokers,
who even offered up their crack pipe for inspection, were questioned similarly.
“My students deal with this all day long,” said Hellman. “It’s
a very stressful job, and you have to have really good interpersonal
skills because you’re dealing with the public and the community.
“It helps me understand where they’re coming from, what their
skills are,” she said.
This information she works into her curriculum, she said.
“It’s how you lead your own life and how you treat others on
the street, like the crack addict or the prostitute or whoever,” said
Hellman. “It
brings me awareness and empathy to the situation, and then I can
bring that to the classroom. Even if I’m seeing it in just a limited
fashion, at least it ’s
more than someone who’s never been here before.”
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