Gangs are nothing new to larger cities...anyone who has seen Scorcese's Gangs of New York knows that by now. We have Our Gang, that rascally group of children getting into harmless yet funny shenanigans. That old "gang" you used to pal around with...a group of people from high school or college perhaps that you wonder about what they're doing today. All of THESE are relatively harmless by most standards.
But then we have THOSE gangs, whose sole purpose is mayhem, chaos, and yes, even terrorism. They are into every illegal aspect of society, proclaim it proudly, will use any violent means to enforce that belief, and think themselves invincible. Well kids, we might just have found some Kryptonite (in the form of this new gang unit) to quash that invincibility!
I find it curious that on the one hand, the Allen County prosecutor says we've always had gangs here in Fort Wayne (..."and anyone that thinks otherwise is fooling themselves"), and since we DO have these gangs, we MUST have a problem, otherwise we wouldn't be forming a "task force" to combat them in the first place, right? But on the other hand, while this gang violence is on the upswing, the police chief says something 180 degrees different (..."that's not to say that the average citizen is in danger...residents have nothing to worry about").
Now forgive me for being a bit slow on all this, but IF we DO have gangs...and THEY ARE a problem, AND are becoming MORE VIOLENT...shouldn't "the average citizen" BE worried, or at least quite concerned? So how (exactly) is the "average citizen" supposed to react to these two contradictory statements?
I have a few ideas:
A) Don't worry...Be happy.
B) Worry....but don't let it affect me.
C) Worry...and become concerned.
D) Spend more time at the pistol range.
E) Become paranoid trying to decide between the other 4 choices.
You can see the conundrum we "average citizens" can find ourselves in, especially in certain parts of the city that have been infiltrated with such vermin as these gang/clique members.
To make this gang unit successful will require more than just a "Few Good Busts". One thing it will need to do is get the word to the public en masse. That means educating the populace on what to BOLO* for (*oh...that would mean be on the lookout) such as clothing types, colors, and logos, graffiti and tagging, even similarities in vehicle types and colors. Behavioral nuances like hand gestures, which to the "average citizen" seem innocuous, can have dire results when those gestures mean "here's a pigeon (to rob) coming your way".
Education will be paramount.
Another aspect that will have to be addressed will be working in concert WITH the public, who can provide valuable intel regarding suspected gang activities. But the down side to that would be repercussions and retaliations FROM those gangs. I know...I've had the house and garage BB'ed (several windows pocked), paintballed, and egged (once yesterday...probably kids though), but that just strengthens my resolve to take these perps out (and NOT to Atz's for ice cream, if you catch my drift...heh, heh, heh).
Actually most of the problems with gangs in the cities stemmed from people who chose NOT to make a stand for what was theirs, but rather run to the 'burbs and feel secure. Got news for you people....gang activity is IN the 'burbs as well. You think some of these leaders are going to have ONLY one place to crib? And what better place to "hide out" than among YOU...out away from the city? I know if I was a gang leader, I sure wouldn't be living where everyone could find me easily, especially the "5-0"! I might have another place IN the city where I could "do business", but my MAIN crib would be far enough away to divert suspicion. That's just good sense. And don't think for a minute these gang members are ALL completely stupid.
There are so many facets to dealing with gangs today, and they can go underground more easily, but the good news is that the technology we have makes it harder for them to hide for very long. Whether it's a credit card, driver's license, the Internet, or what have you....invariably there WILL be some sort of "trail" to follow, and unlike a paper trail, an electronic trail is not so easily erased. Why do you think they STEAL things from "average citizens"....?
Which brings me to the fact that the unit will have to track a lot of the smaller crimes, which "feed the beast", as I said yesterday. Robberies, burglaries, car thefts, strong arm, assault...ALL of these play pivotal roles in funding gang activity (when they're NOT dealing drugs that is). And this "gangsta lifestyle" has "gots to be lookin' GOOD", which might mean a new paint job for the 80's Cutlass POS he's driving,...and some spinner rims and new rubber....and a stop to D&B sales for some more killer stereo components. After all, you WANT people to know you're livin' large, right? It's a lure to future recruits, because any good fisherman KNOWS that you need the RIGHT LURE to catch the right "fish".
But don't take MY word for all this...it's not like I know anything about ANY of this, right? (wink...wink, nudge...nudge)
Do some checking around for yourselves.
You'll be surprised what you find.
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