Documenting deputy gangs

A trailblazing journalist talks about her journey during a Media Arts speaking engagement about covering law enforcement corruption.

CLEMENTE PASILLAS Reporter

The Media Arts Speaker Series featured awardwinning multimedia journalist Cerise Castle to the Multicultural Center on Monday to give a presentation on police gang reporting.

Castle is a Los Angeles-based journalist. She produces videos and has a true crime podcast called “A Tradition of Violence”.

Castle received the 2022 International Women in Media Foundation Courage Award.

“It honestly was surprising,”

Castle said. “That was the first award that I ever won for any of my recordings. And it’s on a story like this, which at the time when it was published was taboo and not a lot of people wanted to talk about getting that recognition from the International Women’s Media Foundation. It truly altered the course of my career, and I couldn't be more thankful.”

Cerise Castle presented a PowerPoint presentation about the Deputy of Gangs called “A Tradition of Violence.” She worked at KCRW. In 2020 while covering a protest, she was shot. She has done a 15-part series on the history of deputy gangs called A Tradition of Violence.

Castle defines Deputy Gangs.

Castle said that she likes sharing her journey with students.

“ This is the stuff that gets me fired up and excited about going back to do my reporting,” Castle said. “Getting the chance to share this story with people that may not have heard it before and who will then take it back to their friends and family is probably one of my favorite things about doing this.”

Film major Kezia Gania said that she learned about police gangs, which she