Netflix’s “Night Stalker”: A sour look into Los Angeles’ recent past and present
Los Angeles has been through countless dramatic changes throughout the years — Each city and street shifting purpose as strangers move in and out of the city. What was once the infamous Sleepy Lagoon crime scene is now a barren factory lot somewhere between Commerce and Maywood; Hotel Cecil, the powerhouse of demonic entities, is now a bubbly hotel for incoming tourists; And Echo Park is no longer a hub for Chicanos but a popular spot for boat rides and photoshoots.
This redefinition occurs for many Los Angeles residents and visitors when watching Netflix’s most recent crime documentary, “Night Stalker”, where lead detective Gil Carillo takes the audience through a tour of Los Angeles through serial killer Richard Ramirez’ reign of terror. The documentary brought to light a slice of LA’s history that was dormant for many residents, including myself. From Diamond Bar, to Pico, to Glendale, Ramirez terrorized every city via LA’s convenient freeway systems. The morbid retelling lets us know that for one entire year, LA was a hunting ground for one of the most psychotic killers of all time.
For those familiar with LA culture, it is not easy to miss the imprint of the 1980’s on what we see today. In the documentary, it explains LA’s culturally attractive image is nothing short but a thin blanket of what was beneath: serial killers, violence, and madness.
Old women, couples, children were all in danger — there was no one who was spared from his target. I knew that the reason I felt fear was the same reason why the Night Stalker was blasted all over the media. The targets were us — Us and our defenseless homes, grandparents, and sweet neighbors.
Detective Carillo described Ramirez’ as the type of deviant that gets satisfaction from seeing the look of terror on someones face before pulling the trigger. His spree was about more than just killing, it was about causing hysteria among people who didn’t see him coming.
“Serial Killers are not far and few in between… There are thousands of them right here right now in Los Angeles.”
However, Los Angeles didn’t just breed one serial killer. Aside from the well known serial killers we see in true crime documentaries and podcasts, there are more devious monsters that we don’t know about. In an interview conducted by the Soft White Underbelly, Riley, a sex worker and serial killer survivor tells a compelling story in which she survives the grip of a serial killer.
“Serial Killers are not far and few in between… There are thousands of them right here right now in Los Angeles”, says Riley. Though we must take these stories with a grain of salt, it is not uncommon for people like Riley to be in danger. Unlike Ramirez, these modern day serial killers often target people that don’t typically make the headlines — sex workers, homeless people, and drug addicts.
From 1984–1985, Ramirez killed 14 people and injured many more. Today, 17% of homeless people in Los Angeles are victims of homicide despite only being 1% of it’s population. As we breathe a sigh of relief when people like Ramirez get put behind bars, we need to recognize that the fear continues for many vulnerable sex workers and homeless people who are exposed to dangerous people on a daily basis.
While the documentary redefines and reminds us of the horrors that define our streets, homeless Angelinos are far too familiar with the truth.
Watch Netflix’s riveting documentary “the Nightstalker”, here. Donate to Beauty2theStreetz here to help feed and clothe the homeless in Skid Row.
