Are gangs an issue where you live or work

I'm Surrounded By Little Bangers

I work in a residential treatment center for teens, I am literally surrounded by a bunch of little bangers & banger wannabes everyday. These kids are actually human beings W/ individual personallities & it really sucks to watch what the gang mentality does to them

Anyway I wasn't sure which pick on your poll to choose

Apparently, according to some people I know who work at organizations whose business it is to know such things, MS-13 is active in Marshall County, AL.

There isn't any open gang warfare or violence, currently, however. Regardless, I stay armed at all times.

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I live in Marshall Co, AL too and have had one run in with an "organized group" of hispanics. I keep the doors locked, the wife doesn't go anywhere she doesn't have to alone, and we carry at all times. It's sad that something like this is going on around here

The problem with your poll (and many others that are posted) is that you are trying to tie two disparate pieces of information together in one answer. You are in essense asking two questions, the level of gang activity in my area plus the amount of security precautions I take. Unless my answers to your 2 questions align with your preconceived notions of how those two items should always relate, I can't answer correctly.

No real organized gang activity where I am. Just drunk and disorderly college students. I don't worry about getting attacked here, but I try to stay vigilant and act accordingly because you never know.

Several on this thread have stated that there is no appreciable "gang" presence in their area. Perhaps... and probably.

But I felt that I'd relay a couple recent experiences of mine which as caused me to re-consider my assessment of my area.

December 2006, my rural (and I mean isolated) home was robbed. It was part of a string of robberies in the area. Upon questioning the sheriff, it is believed that the robbery "ring" was the work of a White-Supremists group with larger ties.


Recently, I retired from my investment practice and started teaching school. Coming from a family of teachers, I have really enjoyed it. A lot of the kids are great. However...

Upon a few encounters/discussions with the kids, I have seen that a large percentage of the boys have already been "jumped" into gangs. One told me with enough details to be believed that he goes to "gang" parties every weekend while carrying a 9mm and 40 caliber in his waistband.

We've had a few caught stealing lab equipment in order to make crack pipes.

One bragged to me about being involved in an armed robbery in New Orleans.

There has already been a situation where a young girl was caught in a sexual act with 4 boys on campus.


The point I am driving home is that this is a VERY small rural community. No one would expect that this activity would reach here. It's foolish to believe that really. With our close proximity to New Orleans, and with a couple smaller cities nearby where drug activity is at a peak, it is no wonder that the influence has spread into outlying communities.

Even if you don't have a particularly large gang presence in your area, there is likely one close enough to affect you.


-- John

Well, I can tell you that I just relocated from the gang capital of the world, Los Angeles, CA. Where gangs an issue where I lived and worked? Yes. Were shootings an everyday occurance? Yes indeed they were.

I now live in Las Vegas, NV which I love. The laws here are far more adept at protecting one's self than will ever be in the Republic of California. When I called the police department to inquire about a CCW class they asked me where I had moved from. I told them Los Angeles and they immediately said, "Welcome to America." For some reason I really relished in those words. I just finished my CCW class and will be getting my blue registration cards for my CCW firearms sometime next week and then its off for fingerprinting. Are there gang problems in Las Vegas? Absolutely. There's a very widespread knowledge of the rolling 60's crips here and if you go just a little ways downtown you'll see where their numbers are prevalent. However I live on the southside where its very upscale and in a gated community where night security patrol the premises. I feel safe here but I don't get lax because things happen.

The bottomline is, if you do live somewhere where gangs are a way of life, like I did for 28 years, you have to train yourself to always be aware. Even if all you're allowed to have is pepper spray or a taser. Always watch your back and always be mindful of your surroundings. One of the first rules of not making yourself a victim is to remove yourself from the area or vicinity where you know such things are considered common occurance. Use your head and you should stay safe.

-Dom

The bottomline is, if you do live somewhere where gangs are a way of life, like I did for 28 years, you have to train yourself to always be aware. Even if all you're allowed to have is pepper spray or a taser. Always watch your back and always be mindful of your surroundings. One of the first rules of not making yourself a victim is to remove yourself from the area or vicinity where you know such things are considered common occurance. Use your head and you should stay safe.

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Excellent advice.

I live in one of the more rural counties in southeastern NC. Yet a recent article in the local newspaper indicated an unexpectedly high level of gang activity even here, with MS13 included high on the list.

As far as I can tell, almost no place is really "safe" in that regard.

lpl/nc

Gangs are not an issue where I work, but they have been an issue where I live. However, my cousin, a neighbor and myself talked to the gangs and convinced them to go away. They did.

NASCAR

I am blessed to live in a pretty upscale area. The big crime in our local paper is when the kids steal some beer out the fridge in someone's garage. That being said I constantly urge my wife and daughter to keep the doors locked. It is hopeless. I am always armed. Evil can be anywhere.

However, my cousin, a neighbor and myself talked to the gangs and convinced them to go away. They did.

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Anyone else think this deserves its own thread in S&T with more elaboration? Enquiring minds want to know....


-- John

Gangs are an issue in most areas of where I live (DFW Metroplex).

It is simple...if gang bangers know they will get SHOT when commiting crimes, they won't go there. When Bernard Goetz did his thing on the subway, right or wrong, subway crime dropped 43 percent. I don't have the exact numbers, but when they enacted the city ordinance in Kennesaw, Georgia that you had to have a firearm in your home, crime dropped dramatically.

I have spent my entire adult life handling abnormal people for a living (Corrections and Law Enforcement). I have come to the conclusion that there are only two things that criminals are really and truly afraid of. They are afraid of average joe law abiding citizens with guns, and really big dogs.

Everybody should have both.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Leon, what we really need is a gun that shoots out big dogs!

I'm located in an area where the local news media considered it to be the most dangerous in the city a few months ago. A lot of people have been robbed in my immediate area including ME. It got so bad, that the local police had to create a task force with aggressive police practices to weed out the criminal activity (the community welcomed it). Crime has calmed down so far. We will see if crime has truly decreased in my area after some time.

Where I live right now, in Washington State, I've had no problems with Gang activity, although I wouldn't ever leave me doors unlocked.

Although, I grew up in Providence, RI. Right in down town, and there are lots of problems around there. Gang violence is all over the place and spreading, although I must add the LEO's are def trying to shut it down. But it seems like a losing battle.

One of the first rules of not making yourself a victim is to remove yourself from the area or vicinity where you know such things are considered common occurance.

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Now that we are here you are no longer welcome in our hood. You need to move out before something bad happens to you.....

Of course wherever you go we will follow.

Now that we are here you are no longer welcome in our hood. You need to move out before something bad happens to you.....

Of course wherever you go we will follow.

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Um what? What I said is common knowledge. I grew up in L.A. my whole life and although I didn't live in the safest of areas I didn't directly put myself in harm's way if at all possible. I knew where it was safe to go and at what times. I'll agree that crime is everywhere. Bad neighborhoods, upscale neighborhoods, middle of the road, its everywhere. But if you're able to mentally prepare yourself for it it shouldn't become something that hampers your day to day activities and your own road to success. You're thinking too linearly.

Mr. Tokugawa,

That would add new meaning to the term wide mouthed hollow point .

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Um what? What I said is common knowledge. I grew up in L.A. my whole life and although I didn't live in the safest of areas I didn't directly put myself in harm's way if at all possible. I knew where it was safe to go and at what times. I'll agree that crime is everywhere. Bad neighborhoods, upscale neighborhoods, middle of the road, its everywhere. But if you're able to mentally prepare yourself for it it shouldn't become something that hampers your day to day activities and your own road to success. You're thinking too linearly.

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My apologies. It sounded like an urban flight comment to me. In my mind there is no point in arming yourself if you give up the things that are precious to you freely (Home, community, friends, freedoms) in the name of safety. I have never actually lived in a central metro area. I have lived very near and around a number of cities and see time and again people trying to escape the city problems... only to bring the problems... and the bad "solutions" with them.

I live in Pakistan. In the capital and the tribel area. Gang per se are not an issue here. You can walk down the street 3am without any fear. Its rivlaries in the tribal area which are problem.

Gangs ---many, many gangs. So many they have their own weeks through out the year.

Motorcycle, Old car, Wine-O's, Food, Dogs, Artist, Re-Inactors, and the list goes on. I live in Gettysburg Pa.

Neighborhood I move out of six months ago: total war zone. It was a good year when no one got killed on our block. One year there were three murder scenes we could see just opening the front door. Fortunately it was usually just the savages killing eachother over drug trade issues or just looking at someone wrong. Visited my old roommates last week, some had goon got himself lit up with an AK two blocks down a couple nights ago.

http://www.sfgate.com/oaklandhomicides/interactives/map

Where the 980 and 580 meet, that was my old neighborhood... good times

My girlfriend an I now live in a small city next to Okland with a good police force and low violent crime. What crime there is comes from Oakland and is usually auto theft or shop lifting. There are some local wannabe gangsters who generally just look snotty but are really only capable of intimidating old ladies.

I still work in the Mission district of San Francisco though. So a knife and pepperspray got to work with me everyday. The Mission is a the perfect synergy of tax payer supported drug addicts/delelicts and illegals trying to recreate the third world cesspools they came from. It pays to keep your eyes open there.

Originally posted by LeonCarr: I don't have the exact numbers, but when they enacted the city ordinance in Kennesaw, Georgia that you had to have a firearm in your home, crime dropped dramatically.

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Are you sure it was in response to this little clause? I doubt that very much. Do you have a source for this?

Living in the Houston metro area....even out here in the 'burbs, yes we do. I checked "noticeable", unfortunately.

Springmom