News-Record.com

They will only do something about gangs when something happens to them or one of their friends or family. NC is a reactionary state not a proaction state.

A locality's level of gang activity is strongly correlated with its response to illegal immigration.

Eager for a lot of gang activity? Then make yourselves a "sanctuary" city as is Los Angeles:

"In Los Angeles, for example, dozens of members of a ruthless Salvadoran prison gang have sneaked back into town after having been deported for such crimes as murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and drug trafficking. Police officers know who they are and know that their mere presence in the country is a felony. Yet should a cop arrest an illegal gangbanger for felonious reentry, it is he who will be treated as a criminal, for violating the LAPD's rule against enforcing immigration law. The LAPD's ban on immigration enforcement mirrors bans in immigrant-saturated cities around the country, from New York and Chicago to San Diego, Austin, and Houston. These �sanctuary policies' generally prohibit city employees, including the cops, from reporting immigration violations to federal authorities." ("The Illegal-Alien Crime Wave" by Heather Mac Donald, City Journal, Winter 2004):
http://www.city-journal.org/html/14_1_the_illegal_alien.html

Want to cut down on gang activity? Take advantage of the 287(g) provisions of the 1996 immigration law, which allow local law officers to be trained to idenfify illegal aliens they come in contact with in the normal course of their activities and then send them to ICE for deportation. Mecklenburg County Sheriff Jim Pendergraph is a pioneer. He says says his department's 287(g) powers have greatly reduced gang activity in his jurisdiction . Request a CD of Sheriff Pendergraph's one hour interivew with Mike Collins of NPR's "Charlotte Talks," 3-8-07 at charlottetalks@wfae.org

States, the next level of government up, are beginning to take action themnselves to reduce illegal immigration, which will bring down gang activity. See a pair of two-minute videos on two other states attempting to discourage illegal immigrationn: Georgia and Oklahoma:

Illegal aliens are self-deporting from Georgia
Sara Parker, CBS46 News (Georgia)
July 10, 2007 (YouTube Video, 2 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxe1WO27B_I

Immigration Reform Billboard Protests
KOTV, Oklahoma, August 1, 1007 (2 minute video):
http://kotv.com/e-clips/?id=7578

M

If law enfocement can not handle the gang problem by themselves. And, most can not! A well organized community, everyone working together can do more than law enforcement. Law enforcement by its nature is only reactionary. Forget about prevention! I've been in law enforcement sworn and unsworn for over 35 years. Everything that's done is a reaction to a crime. You had to have a victim to have a crime, and then you try to find the bad guy. That's the essence of pure law enforcement.
I and my group from Piedmont Crime Control, Inc. have helped a couple of communities in the Triad to organize and run drug dealers and hookers off their neighborhood street corners in the past. It takes a concern, committed community working together to accomplish the goal. THE WHOLE COMMUNITY!
A gang is made up of cowardly miscreants that band together to boost each others false courage and some sense of bravado. Most of them walk around together in groups of 5 to maybe even 18-20 with a thug-like attitude. A group of community residents young and elderly numbering 50 - 100 can let a gang of these sniverling yellow-bellies know that they are not welcomed! A community group with a couple of police officers and couple of news reporters and almost everyone with a camera or video recorder getting the action lets these low-lifes know that a permanent records are being made, they are identified. Aand life in freedom and happiness for them will end if anything negative happens in that communitee. PCC stands ready to help any community that wants to take it neighborhood back. The streets are yours, not the criminal's! Reach out for us through this letter.
Or, just hide your scared ass within your home and just hope these preditor insects don't kick your door in one night. Just your neighbor's door! The Dog's pissed off and I'm outa here!
Crime Dog

It's not only about immigration. We have a strong gang presence in our schools and the majority of the members are not immigrants but native born 4th & 5th generation members of families who are living in the ghettos of our fair city.

They recruit very young children to commit many of their crimes - sometimes as young as 7 and 8 years old. These kids find family in the gang and the kids cannot be prosecuted the same as those 15yo+. There is a sense of protection and love for a lot of these kids that they aren't getting at home. And don't get me started about gang members with babies born into the life...it's no different than the white supremacy colonies who raise their children to hate.

This issue is convoluted and there is no one panacea. But we do need stronger penalties and a zero tolerance policy in place in our schools. Young recruits need to get the message that gang membership usually ends by getting dead or in prison. Kudos to the neighborhoods and citizens who have put their foot down about this.