Gang Violence

[Luiz 4,253]

someone was killed last night here  i wonder if it was some sort of retaliation . my brother said people on facebook have been saying to stay off certain roads and avoid some areas at night due to some kind of gang war flaring up. 

http://www.news10.net/story/news/local/stockton/2015/08/05/man-killed-stockton-double-shooting/31162511/

 

Chicago Tribune Article

 

Violence does not define us

 

A recent Tribune article on the Back of the Yards neighborhood depicted a part of life in our community. It told a sad story about some of our kids and families who cannot escape the cycle of violence that stems from the gang mentality in some low-income, urban areas. I understand that this part of our story needs to be told. But it is only a part of the story. The vast majority of our residents are law-abiding, productive people who raise families and work hard to pursue the American Dream.

The perception is left that the Back of the Yards is a defeated community, devoid of hope, potential and goodness. This is a great disservice to the thousands of children and adults who are going to school and living a decent life here. It is unfair to the students of Chavez Elementary and the Back of the Yards College Prep High School, both of which are ranked as Level 1 schools in the Chicago Public Schools system.

Private investment tells a different story about the Back of the Yards. The recent additions of Wal-Mart, Marshalls, Checkers, Planet Fitness and Forman Mills show that these national companies believe this community is worth the investment. It is not "too dangerous" to operate and profit with access to a good workforce and loyal customers.

Community organizations like the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council can easily showcase the many families that live and work here to better themselves through computer training, GED and ESL classes, and summer jobs.

Every Friday night during the summer, you will find 140 players participating in our Hoops in the Hood program, a basketball league that brings together mostly African-American and Hispanic kids from all across the Back of the Yards, Englewood, Brighton Park and Pilsen neighborhoods to learn about teamwork, leadership and a productive alternative to street life. The BYNC, Chicago Park District, Chicago Police Department, local priests, principals and teachers all attend to engage and support our youth.

This past Father's Day, the Peace and Education Coalition in our community gave out 60 scholarships, as it has for the past several years, to kids from the Back of the Yards. Seventy-five percent of the 300 children who participate in the BYNC Ballet Folklorico are on the honor roll at their schools. In June, the BYNC hosted its 25th annual Fiesta Back of the Yards, one of the largest street festivals in the city, which draws huge crowds of people who enjoy carnival rides, local cuisine and live entertainment — all without any major incidents.

Police commanders and officers in our neighborhood, in particular the 9th District, have made great strides, reducing shootings and homicides while acknowledging even one is too many. The hundreds of parents who attend our events to support our mission of safety and the efforts of our police demonstrate that community engagement is paramount in combating street crime.

The children and families who live in the Back of the Yards know that violence is a part of growing up here; however, some press about the good people and good things in our community will assure it does not define them

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-violence-gangs-back-of-the-yards-perspec-0813-20150812-story.html

 

[Luiz 4,253]

The federal law that could end gang violence in Chicago

 We are half way through the month of January in a new year here in Chicago, and yet the old violent ways of the past are still very much haunting this city. Nearly 150 people have been shot and at least 20 homicides have been recorded this year. We are one violent city, and it appears to be getting worse instead of better. A solution to the problem seems to have constantly eluded our city leaders; the cries for help can be heard on a daily basis. We know for a fact that much of the violence is perpetrated by gangs. The violence has splashed out to children, young adults and even includes seniors. Their stories and cries of anguish are a daily part of our lives here in our Chicago.

I'm convinced that we all have had enough and a solution is badly needed. One thought comes to mind and I would like to share it. In 1970, Congress passed a law that eventually became the government’s most powerful weapon against organized crime. It was called the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. This law was almost single-handedly responsible for the successful prosecutions of some of the most vicious, violent members of organized crime who preyed on our country.

The gangs of Chicago — make no mistake about it — are surely organized. They conspire to sell and distribute drugs. They have been known to extort money. They threaten to kill anyone who informs on them. They shoot, kill and wound untold numbers of people in our neighborhoods.

My question is, what are we waiting for? We still have RICO as an effective tool. Why aren't we using it against those violent offenders who are bringing our city down with a constant stream of vicious attacks? A powerful force will not give up its arrogant power unless challenged by a far greater force. In my humble opinion, we need a joint federal and local task force to finally bring this epidemic-like violence under control. We need an anti-gang crusade in Chicago, and the time is now. Enough is enough.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/ct-the-federal-law-that-could-end-gang-violence-in-chicago-20160115-story.html

 

2 teens, 6 others wounded in separate shootings

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-shooting-violence-20160115-story.html

[Luiz 4,253]

Gang violence smashes record and is still rising

Gang violence shattered the previous record in 2015 and is already on track to surpass last January's total.

The Portland Police Bureau's Gang Enforcement Team was assigned 193 cases last year, almost all of them shootings. That is far more than the 118 in 2012 that was the previous record.

Last year's toll included 15 people killed, 75 people wounded, and over 1,000 rounds fired in the city.

"Last year was a difficult year," says Portland Mayor Charlie Hales. "It was a terrible box score for tragedy."

Eight more incidents were assigned to GET during the first two weeks of this year. Only 10 incidents were assigned in all of last January.

The figures were released during the first Community Peace Collaborative public forum of the year on Friday. It brings representatives of regional law enforcement agencies, social service agencies, community organizations and others who work with at-risk youth together to reduce gang-related violence. The North Precinct meeting was chaired by Hales, who credited those in attendance for helping to keep the figures from being any higher.

"You're doing good work," Hales said. "It may not seem like it some times, but you're doing the right things."

Hales also noted the meeting included Portland police officers and members of the city's minority communities.

"The relationship you see in this room is something you don't see in some other cities these days," Hales said.

The new gang violence figures were distributed days after the Portland Police Association released a survey of its members showing low morale among its members. The vast majority of officers who responded to the survey blame staff shortages and poor bureau leadership for the crime increase.

http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/289112-166257-gang-violence-smashes-record-and-is-still-rising

[Luiz 4,253]

Los Angeles officials on Wednesday attributed last year's crime jump to increased gang activity and homelessness, among other things. 

With every crime category increasing last year in the city, total crime stood at its highest point since 2009, according to data released by Los Angeles Police Department. 

Violent crime was up 20.2% last year compared with 2014, and property crime rose 10.7% during the same span, LAPD figures show.

Standing in front of a banner showing crime trends since the 1950s, Mayor Eric Garcettinoted that the city's crime rate remains lower than in many decades.

But the short-term trends were less favorable. Police reported 283 homicides last year, up 8.8% from 2014. Rapes were up 9.1% and robberies rose 12.5%; the biggest change in violent crime came in aggravated assaults, which climbed 27.8%. 

Garcetti said he was confident that LAPD strategies launched last year would help curb crime this year.

Those initiatives include the ramping up of the LAPD's elite Metropolitan Division, strengthening gang outreach efforts and an expansion of domestic violence awareness teams throughout the city.

He pointed to numbers showing that the violent crime increase peaked at more than 30% earlier in the year and was reduced through the department's efforts.

full article: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-crime-rises-in-los-angeles-20160112-story.html

 

sorry for all the posts  

[venusian 4,686]

On August 3, 2015 at 3:39 PM, Luiz said:

deaths due to gang violence happens every damn day but barely anyone seems to give a ****. we save our outrage and twitter SJW hashtags for police brutality, racist terrorists, theater shootings, feminism and dead lions.

while those are all worthy causes and all, gang violence goes widely unnoticed so i'm here to make sure you notice  

im pretty sure they're noticed people dont pay as much attention to it because it's so widespread

[Luiz 4,253]

Just now, venusian said:

im pretty sure they're noticed people dont pay as much attention to it because it's so widespread

it being widespread should make this an even bigger problem to worry about. it should be nonstop national news but of course its ignored. its not something they should just be used to and be ok with ignoring

[Luiz 4,253]

this entire article is a good read but i'll just take a small portion from it

 

Homicides in Denver hit 9-year high with 50 people killed in 2015

Denver Police Chief Robert White: “It’s not a number to me. ... We realize the impact it has on a family’s life.”

Of the 50 homicides, arrests have been made in 28 cases, a 56 percent closure rate, said Sonny Jackson, a police department spokesman. The closure rate drops when looking at the gang-related killings with suspects charged in only 40 percent of those cases.

Chief Robert White expects his department to close out more cases in the next few months. Investigating cases and preparing them for the district attorney’s office are time consuming, he said.

“When we talk about gang murders those are the most difficult to solve,” White said.

________________________________________

While Denver is not as violent as other major U.S. cities and while its murder rates have been trending downward, White said he is concerned.

“It’s not a number to me,” he said. “It’s not a number to any of them. We realize the impact it has on a family’s life.”

A one-year jump should be concerning for any city, but it’s impossible to know if it is an indication of coming crime wave, said Darrel Stephens, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which has 76 members.

“When you have that many cities that are having increases in homicides and violent crime it seems like it’s more than a coincidence,” Stephens said. “We’re wondering if this is the beginning of a trend but we just don’t know.”

Chiefs, mayors and prosecutors from 41 cities met in October to discuss the issue. Some cities, like Denver, pointed to gang violence. Others blamed a resurgence in drug trafficking, particularly heroin.

Gang violence is a long-standing problem in the United States, and it is unacceptable in any city, Stephens said.

In Denver, the gang violence captured officials attention after a particularly violent weekend in March when four people were killed in a 24-hour period.

Three were related to gangs, including the deaths of De.Anthony Williams, 31, and Tyrael Adams, 29, who were gunned down in the parking lot of a Lowry apartment complex as police were on the eighth floor of a building clearing out a loud party.

Jeffrey Starks, 28, also was killed that weekend.

He was shot while smoking on the front porch of a home on North Pontiac Street. Starks once had been involved in a gang but had left Denver to work at his father’s auto glass business, his family said. He was in town to attend a baby shower with his girlfriend.

 

good info here: http://extras.denverpost.com/homicides/2015/