Travion Toler, 20

I give my heartfelt condolences to this young man’s family, may God keep them through their time of grief. It is heartbreaking and a waste of life to lose someone so young. Where are the Black activists? They should be protesting in mass. Where are the Black Clergy? Surely, Black community leaders are sickened by the unrelenting murder toll of their citizens. Or, perhaps they are not.

May god give u the streanth to endure this traggic misfourtune. Men our boys and community are in need of our guidance, Lets bond together all colors to help save our yongmen. May God bless the Toler family.

delores epstein, the activists dont care. Its all part of the dysfunction of these communities.

The activists go chase windmills while their brothers and sisters are being slaughtered.

Lime and 20th is a definite hot-spot for gang activity. A young black man out and about at 3am in a gang infested area is not a good combo. I am assuming this young man was either associated or a mistaken identity. Most likely the first. Whatever the case, its frustrating seeing our tax dollars going towards "handling" senseless violence like this. When will these youngsters learn?

Syscom3 is correct. The only time the activists care is if they get some face time in front of a camera.
You cannot depend on them to speak for you or represent you. Simply put, they do not care about you.
Condolences to the family of this young man.
May the killers find no peace in this lifetime or the next.

This is another case of the gang violence that is destroying our community. Please turn to God and he will give you another way of living your life.....

Black activists are criticized when they come out, and criticized when they don't.

When whites commit crimes, I don't hear people asking, ''where are the white activists''?
When Latinos commit crimes, I never hear people ask, "where are the Latino activists"?

The ones who should be out in the streets protesting against violence in your community, IS YOU!

My heartfelt condolences to the family of this young man. God comfort you all.

stop the violence, black and latino activists only come out of the woodwork when they can protest about white people.

The "Compton Cookout" garned lots of publicity. But multiple homicides in Compton? Nothing of interest to them.

I live 3 blocks from this location...Sunday I heard somebody got killed...and now I see it on HR...Two weeks ago...a four blocks east another man was gunned down....Its gettin hot on the east side again...cant trust nobody...and we got crack head central on PCH n MLK.....Clean up this city powers that be

The reason you never see any white activists is because that would be "RACIST". All other races are allowed to have them but OH NO, DONT YOU DARE be a white activist! Its called the double standard.

Stop the violence-

There is nothing in the "white community" that even begins to rival the epidemic that is found in black and hispanic ones. Unlike black and hispanic communities, you don't have white neighborhoods that have turned into war zones with daily murders, rampant gangs, and destroyed neighborhoods.

@Chris

not in the US. Worldwide you have white areas that are worse than any black ghetto in the US.
Its about societal fragmentation that creates these areas and not a matter of race or individual choices.
In areas where there are few choices to be made, most people will make bad choices. Someone who has never experienced that situation will never understand it. Just like syscom3 too.
Black activists are sometimes hippocrites, but they can only do so much. When they really want to change something, they get murdered. Think about it and think about a society that creates these places and think about why some societies dont have these problems.
My condolences to Travions family.

Mr. Wolf, name one white area in the US that has a homicide rate like that in the black and latino dominated neighborhoods.

As for the lack of choices to be made; don't you think that is a self inflicted wound made by their elected leaders that they voted for? As I keep saying, the people there complain about no jobs, yet vote for "job killer" politicians. They complain about educational opportunities yet never hold their school boards accountable. And they complain about the collapse of public services, yet vote for politicians who seem intent in supporting the mass import of poorly educated illegal immigrants.

Nothing happens in a vacuum. And the facts are clear. These are self inflicted wounds made by the people who live there.

ths was e/s rollin 20s hood right.. wasnt no mistaken dentity, if you out there at that time your from there! u fit the discription. Might have been the longos, might have been the baby insane crips. Who knows.

@ syscom3
I dont even know if this is the right place to have this debate, because this blog is meant to share memories of Travion Toler, but since i see you commenting the same stuff all over the place i'll give it a shot.
White people in America were the first to have gangs. They invented it. Look up 5 Points, Roach Guards, the Bowery Boys and Dead Rabbits. Its said that they had the highest murder rate of any slum in the world. All white. Gangs have a long history in the US and it seems as if there is something nurturing the existance of gangs in all of history. People are a product of their environment and the choices they make resemble what they have learnt from that environment. Under bad circumstances much more people will make bad choices and sometimes they even have none. These Ghettos in the US are not a result of individual bad choices, that is a very poor excuse for a society that creates vast legions of impoverished people. Im white myself. I didnt grow up in the ghetto, but i grew up in a very dysfunctional home. I had a hard time struggling in life, got into trouble with the law and all that, but now im a college graduate. I made some right decisions and im proud of it. Many of my friends with the same background as me didnt take that path though. I can relate to the struggle of these people and i fully understand, that a dysfunctional environment creates dysfunctional people, no matter what choices they make. And people like you have the nerve to blame those people being put into this environment.
Its easy for you to say "he shouldnt have been out at night" or "he shouldnt have been friends with those people". All that tells me, that you know nothing about it and are just being judgemental from an outsiders perspective, who doesnt have the slightest clue what it means to have no good parenting, no economical choices, to grow up around violence and drugs, etc.
Yea there are bad guys that need to be locked away out there. But the average kid doesnt grow up with the dream of getting killed in a drive by.
Its not a problem of these communities, or a problem of blacks or latinos, its a problem of society as a whole and people like you refuse to acknowledge that. Im not even getting into racism, the economic devastation that was unleashed on many ghettos of SoCal in history creating these circumstances.
Your approach towards these things is very onesided and in my opinion part of the problem and not the solution.

Toller was a known gang member with a long criminal history. He robbed, assaulted, and lead a violent life. He died the way he lead his life. for all of you who are commenting on this young mans life you must be in denial. He was a member of the Insane crip gang "babies" and terrorized the Long Beach community.Instead of using this person as a role model for others have some self dignity and go into your community and help law enforcement to identify gang members like Toller.It is ashame that Toller found out too late that being a gang member only gets you one thing...dead.

— E .... thank you for telling us the truth about the deceased.

E - are u sure dude? 20th n Lime is most def Rollin 20z hood. All dem young catz dat kick it on deck iz frm YTL (young twenty locz) If dis boy wuz frm Insane, dat wud be insane - (no pun intended) Insane n 20z HATE each otha. Both is cripz but both is battlin foe da city. Foeeva dey been battlin. anotha thang, Insane got a small little set called YFC (young foundation cripz) dats da "baby insanez". If dis boy wuz from YFC and wuz in 20z hood, dats a def wish. Man, dudes need to bring back dem olde dayz. Dayz wen peeps cud walk and walk n not worry bout being murked! I luv my city but damn, bodiez be droppin! Too many!

562 Rez.. thanks for explaining what gangs are in the area of the victim. Im not from cali but where i live we have gang problems as well. but thanks for helpin people like me... RIP Travion

Yea no doubt. ppl need 2 be aware of dey surroundings. most def here in da LBC. u got grip of mex gangs, blk gangs, asian n samoan gangs. most all beefin. den cats frm cpt be rollin into da beach beefin. i still trippin on "Ez" comment. hard 2 believe dat ole dude is frm icg. most likely frm r20. but wit no suspects n all da gangs fightin hard 2 no who did dis. i will say mex gangs been wild dis yr. shootin ppl left n right. no offense but dey tryin 2 push a line. come see da writin on da wallz. wall-bangin tell a story. dey writin NK IK 20K AK CK. gotta watch yo back. stay up!

Mr. Wolf: you make some very good points. It is true that if you raise a child poorly, with bad role models, no discipline etc, that you have a higher probability of that child turning bad. However, it is quite possible to properly raise a child even in a bad area and without much money. Many parents have done so and their children grow up to be responsible resourceful adults. Still there will always be those that don't put the effort in to do the job properly and so we end up with the gang scourge. The question becomes what to do about it. Some of us think the answer is to crack down hard on the ones that go bad irrespective of the cause. In other words, while we may be sympathetic to the tough upbringing a child may have had, we will not accept that as an excuse for engaging in criminal gang behavior. Bad is bad in the end and all of society pays the price. Better to stomp on these guys hard in every way possible to protect those who have not gone bad.

I totally agree with you, Citizenjohn. My parents taught me to make choices and accept the responsibility of them. I grew up dirt poor, not enough food, drunken father beating mother, etc. However, both taught us to obey the law! and to treat people as we wanted to be treated. It's basic Humanity 101, not Law Of The Jungle 101. We knew if we didn't obey our parents, there were consequences. I NEVER once even thought to disobey them. And I have always had a respect for the law. Too many parents are allowing their children to do whatever they want to. If I were a parent in LA, my child would NOT be going out at night without me, and if I had to handcuff them to their bed to keep them safe, I would do so! Children are setting the rules in the home rather than the parents. If parents don't care about their children, then the children should be removed from the home. We can set up homes for neglected children as we once had orphanages. In essence, that's what a lot of these children are: orphans! They have absent parents. The Latino and Black communites better start policing their own. That's what the white parents are expected to do, and they do it! Stop making excuses for your poor choies.

Yup, he was definately from Insane Crip and I agree with E's comment 100% and had to deal with Toller personally.

Dang its been 6 months siince you been gone brother I just can't get over the fact that your really gone..every day I thiink bouttt you your always on my miind..I cry an cry an ask why you..I know you would want me to be strong but I just deal with the fact thet your gone brother..R.I.P Travion Toler..love Trashane

Dang its been 6 months siince you been gone brother I just can't get over the fact that your really gone..every day I thiink bouttt you your always on my miind..I cry an cry an ask why you..I know you would want me to be strong but I just deal with the fact thet your gone brother..R.I.P Travion Toler..love Trashane your little siister

@E thank you for your comments..idk if you have children or not no matter what a young woman or young man does there still a child of god..and for you to know so much you must know more and not telling it,do you know who did it?since you feel you know everything..a lost is a lost you really not helping the family at all with your negative comments God do not work like that.God Bless You and Your Family I Hope that Nothing Happens Like this In Your Families Life Or Friends..I HOPE YOU DONT GET THE SAME NEGATIVE COMMENTS BECAUSE YOULL KNOW HOW IT FEELS!!!WE LOVE YOU AND GOD LOVES YOU TO..ITS NOT WHAT YOU DO ITS HOW YOU DO IT..THANK YOU MR,& MRS.T

— Ms.T, care to talk about the people who were violently victimized by the deceased and his gang? Care to talk about the wasted resources from the taxpayers on this individual?

And I am sure god was not very receptive to having another violent criminal come knocking on the gates, expecting everything to be forgiven.

Reading some on the comments in this blog is out right distasteful. As a young black man growing up in the so call hood it was very very hard. You are faced with so many adversities it's not even funny. Some make it out but the majority fall victim to the ghetto. If you are on the outside looking in you would never understand. If you are not a black man growing up in the hood you could never understand what we go through on a daily basis. I'm not here trying to through a pity party but the reality of it is, you are a product of your environment. Like I stated earlier some make it out, I did but there are so so so many of my peers that were not fortunate. You may say well you did it why couldn't your peers do it. It's not that easy. I'm still paying for some of the bad decisions I made while growing up in my hood. One bad decision could of cost me my freedom or my life like many of my peers. When you grow up and your surrounded by gangs and drugs you tend to gravitate towards the streets because that's all that is there. These are the friends you grew up with, played ball with. Even if you decide not to join the gang you are gonna have some ties with them. There's no way of getting around it. There are no jobs, parks, or other activities to occupy our time. What you see is what you get. This is a everyday thing. You feel trapped and often times give up because you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. There are no real role models in our community. There are some but they are far and few. If you make it out your blessed. Most father and mother are drug addicts or in jail leaving the kids to pretty much raise there selves. Some work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. That means we as kids had to miss out on a proper parent upbringing. Some were raise by one parent families often time it was the mom trying to raise a man. They did their best, but a young boy needs a positive male role model in his life. Young men were not given a proper upbringing. So they join gangs or get involved in drugs. It's a cold cold reality. Sitting on this computer saying what you otta do, or should do, or could do is very easy but walk a mile in a black man shoes for a day and you can then understand the dynamics of life in the hood. As a child of God there's no one that deserves to die the way this young man died. Even if he was a gang member, he did not deserve to die. We are not living in the Old Testament were it was an eye for an eye. Were living in the New Testament were God died for our sins. We are all sinners and will sin until the day we die. There is no sin greater than the next. Every human being will be held accountable on judgment day. Only God can judge.

@keeping it real,

"There is no sin greater than the next.....Only God can judge... twelve words just discredited everything you said.

@keepin it real- yours is among the most insightful comments I've encountered on the Homicide Blog since I began following it. Please continue to contribute.

Thanks MR for your comment. Appreciate the response. ONE!

To "keepin it real", well said my friend

To "keepin it real"... it doesn't take good parents to know right from wrong, hood or not. And the very fact you state "God died for our sins" dilutes your message. Actually, the Bible does say "woe unto you who call right wrong... and wrong right." Gang-banging and all it's trickle down circumstances are just WRONG. PERIOD. No excuse for it.

Brougham if a kid is brought up and is never taught right from wrong who do you place the blame on? It has to be his upbringing. A good parent teaches the kids right from wrong and set limits. Then it's up to that kid to make a choice. You are gonna have some kids who make the wrong choices in life no matter how they were raised; however most kids are gonna fall back on there positive upbringing and stay away from the negative. When I stated God died for our sin I was trying to point out that we are sinners and no matter what type of sin we commit if we ask for forgiveness our sins will be forgiven because God died on the cross for our sins. Now that’s a loving God. You are right gang banging is wrong; however the way our society operates it's never gonna end. If you look at the dynamics of our society most of the killings and gang violence is coming from the inner city (the so call hood). Why is that? You should no the answer to that. I can tell you this it's not by accident. ONE!

I believe the reason most of the killings and gang violence is coming from the inner city is because many/most of the folks living in the really rotten areas identify with and are more or less comfortable with this violent criminal culture. A large proportion of them don't work, rely on government handouts, don't take care of their children, and have gotten used to that way of life. It's pathetic actually because there really is nothing holding them there but their own lack of motivation and ambition. Your story sounded pretty good by the way, but when you say: "When you grow up and your surrounded by gangs and drugs you tend to gravitate towards the streets because that's all that is there.", I just have to ask you, what about focusing on school? Every single child in this country has access to a free education and there's plenty to learn and keep a kid busy. Why is it that certain communities/cultures put such little importance on education? Is it some vast conspiracy designed to ruin the lives of inner city minorities as you seem to be insinuating in your post? Or...maybe it all boils down to garbage culture and crappy parenting. BTW, I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but 'keepin it real' has certain cultural overtones which aren't positive either.

@sycome if it wasnt for God you wouldnt have tax payers money if it wasnt for God we wouldnt be here an by the way i pay taxes too. Please read Matthew 7:1.. i hope no one in your family or distant family nothing happens to them..God Bless You Ms.T

Ms. T, with all due respect, that was borderline incoherent.

Citizenjohn I agree with in on certain points. When you say why not focus on school that's a valid point; however you have to keep in mind the kids mind set. I'm not saying it can't be done but sometimes the dynamics of the community makes it difficult. I'm all for education by any means necessary but you also have to keep in mind that most schools in the inner city are deplorable. As for folks being comfortable with violence, that's way off base. If one could do anything to escape this environment believe me most would; however economics plays a huge part. Most live in the inner city because that's where they can afford to live at. Do you really think one would live in a violent culture because they are comfortable, come on. When you say a large portion of people in the inner city don't work, rely on government handouts, don't take care of their kids, and have gotten use to the way of life is way off base also. You do have some that think and act that way but for the most part people want to work, raise their kids in a stable community, and live in a non violent community. I live in the inner city myself and I'm connected with my community. This is something I witness on an every day basis, not something the media is reporting. Emphasis has always been put on education in the inner city; however when you are surrounded by violence, death, drugs, a poor school system, and kids who have lost hope it's hard to stay focus. Some make it, some don't. I try to do my part by being a positive role model and influence them to overcome the odds. I'm a very positive person by the way. I've seen and been part of it all. I'm not here just writing about making positive changes I’m actually in my community trying to make a difference. When I say it's not an accident that most of the violence is predominately in the inner city you can come up with any opinion you want to as to why I made that comment. The numbers don't lie.

Excuses, excuses. quit banging, weak parents stop looking the other way or keep reaping what you sow. The gangs are similar to cults, enablers (family members/friends) are just helping drink the kool-aid these cult members desire so much.

keepin it real: Sir, I am still wondering two things about your post. First, can you explain to me why it is so terribly difficult to move out of a bad area into a safer one? I myself have managed it numerous times. It's called save a few bucks, pick out a new place to go, pack up your stuff, and go. There are many places in this great country of ours that are safer and cheaper and with lower unemployment rates than inner city LA. I think it's borderline child abuse to raise a child, particularly a minority child, in these terrible hell holes. Second question if I may: just what is it that you are insinuating when you say "it's not an accident that most of the violence is predominately in the inner city"? You can speak freely here; you are among friends and for the record I do enjoy your posts.

Rest in peace brother we holding you down forget what everybody else has to say nd your nephew says hi uncle:(