News-Record.com

At first sight the thought of a nationwide coming together of criminal organizations sounds ominious. Coming to the table to talk is good and has no downside. Asking for acceptance, understanding or assistance from the man on the street or gov't programs beyond what are already offered (scholarships, job training etc ) more problematic, but stopping robbing, home invasions, initiations were people get raped or have the crap knocked out of them, and random murder like doing driveby's on unsuspecting people as part of intitations, would go along way toward getting what they want.

I see from the article and picture that Rev. Nelson Johnson is involved in this.
Be afraid, be very afraid. If Nelson Johnson is involved there's an agenda somewhere and it's to Johnson's benefit, not ours.

But I'd try not to let opinions of Nelson Johnson distract from the bigger issue.
It appears the Kings leader sought Johnson out ... and if Johnson can help broker peace among gangs, I say, more power to him.

Alan:

"Peace" for whom? Will this be a "peace" where the gangs divide up territories and consolidate their grips on particular neighborhoods?

I sure hope not, Dave, but who knows? Suddenly images of Prop Joe's gang council in "The Wire" come to mind.
But we shouldn't dismiss this effort out of hand, should we?

I sure hope not, Dave, but who knows? Suddenly images of Prop Joe's gang council in "The Wire" come to mind.
But we shouldn't dismiss this effort out of hand, should we?

I sure hope not, Dave, but who knows? Suddenly images of Prop Joe's gang council in "The Wire" come to mind.
But we shouldn't dismiss this effort out of hand, should we?

I sure hope not, Dave, but who knows? Suddenly images of Prop Joe's gang council in "The Wire" come to mind.
But we shouldn't dismiss this effort out of hand, should we?

I think in many ways Nelson Johnson should be applauded for his involvement with this and other causes. He doesn't have to do this. He could go off and go fishin'.

The thing he seems to focus on is the conspiracy theory that somewhere there is this secret cabal of white guys clustered in some back room somewhere who have plotted throughout the ages, are plotting now as we speak, to expressley f#$% over black, Hispanic or whatever other color people are worthy of getting f%$#'ed over. He thinks that this cabal forces people to rob, steal, leave their native country, have kids out of wedlock and blow off school and if only this godd@&#ed cabal would realize what they are doing and change their ways and come across with some grants, dollars or XYZ program that it would all correct itself.

This is not to say people (of all groups and races)cannot be prejudiced, petty, greedy,-self- interested,miscreants-quite likely this is probably the default mode for the human condition. You can't expect other people to change. It has to come from within. If the people above show that they realize this, then they are on the road.

Look for Nelson Johnson to start begging the City for taxpayer $$$ in the near future for his "gang initiative." Wouldn't be surprised to see Skippy and Earl sign on for some more free $$$ with which to buy votes and influence.
Nelson Johnson has never done anything for anybody but Nelson Johnson.

Yes, dismiss the effort out of hand. Gang leaders aren't going to solve the "gang problem." This is SOP for gangs for millenia: find a semi-respectable front man or two, claim a political (not criminal) agenda, throw a few "charity" bucks (read: advertising) at an after-school program, and gain legitimacy thereby.

A certain number of the excessively optimistic will always bite.

After reading the article today, again the thrust seems to be a unification of gangs to "combat racism". Very little or no acknowledgement of in-house problems but again, in the well-worn Johnsonesque vein- that if this oppressive, racist, external group would only change their attitude, deliver the magic elixer that they have been witholding, that everything will be allright.

If there has been the slightest indication of any self-blame or willingness to change(other than change attitudes towards other gangs) here I'm missing it.

Allen, you alluded to the Guilford's Most Wanted feature above. I think there may be a silver lining here, of sorts, that if a guy failing to register as a sex offender who's last known offense was ten years ago is truly the "most wanted criminal" we have to worry about and not some murderer... How is this designation arrived at?

Savage, nice to see you over here!

The police select the most wanted candidates. We encourage them to send us the worst of the worst, but it is probably a little skewed. They base it the warrants they have and when, along with the probability they think they have of picking somebody up.

Thank you, John. I guess I can run, but I can't hide

I kind of come over to Allen's blog when I want to have some quiet time alone. Peaceful here.

Just when you thought it was safe ...