Read our Monday chat with readers

We invite you to join us Monday morning to discuss the changes to the Homicide Report, as well as Sunday's story about the high rate of killings in the small unincorporated community of Westmont.

Reporter Nicole Santa Cruz, who is dedicated full-time to this project, and data journalist Ken Schwencke, who did the analysis on seven years of killings in Los Angeles County, will be available to answer your questions.

In the comments on our story about "death alley" and the violence plaguing Westmont, the conversation has been raw and provocative.

The goal of Homicide Report from its start in 2007 was to shine a light on the unequal toll of homicide. Why have some communities struggled to stem violence, even as overall rates have dropped to the lowest levels in generations in much of the nation?

We look forward to hearing more from readers, both on this story and on further analysis and reporting from the field that is planned for the months ahead.

-- Megan Garvey