Mooney Take5
Submitted by mooneytake5 on Fri, 2008-05-02 11:48.
Hello, bloggers! My name is Mike Mooney -- The Bee's once-a-week columnist (every Friday). I spend the other four days of my work week pursuing arts, entertainment and human interest stories. In my spare time, I play the saxophone (when I'm not getting stung in the neck by a buck moth caterpillar at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans). Anyway, welcome to my brand new blog. Just one ground rule: that we treat each other with respect, no matter how much we disagree with each other. So, let's have at it, shall we? While gang violence must be stopped, do we really need to suspend the Constitution to get the job done? Consider this: Young men of color already are disproportionately targeted as suspected gang bangers by law enforcement. Now, Modesto officials are talking about seeking court orders that would prevent "suspected" gang members from congregating in public places, wearing colored clothing associated with gangs, etc. So, if you're an African-American or Latino teen-ager, wearing a red T-shirt and standing on a street corner, talking with your friends, is it fair for the police to roust and-or arrest you? If that's all it takes to become a "suspected" gang member, something is VERY WRONG with this picture!
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Suspend the constitution?
WHAT! Are gang members the only one's with constitutional rights around here. Is that a shared opinion at the Bee? I certainly hope not.
Can you please provide a link to where in the constitution it clearly states that terrorist groups, such as gang members, have some constitutional right that trumps mine? Is that what you're saying? PLeeeze.
And-- again, this is not about race, it's about violence. 87% are latino. That's a fact not a judgement.
Mike said "Now, Modesto officials are talking about seeking court orders that would prevent "suspected" gang members from congregating in public places, wearing colored clothing associated with gangs, etc."
Yes, and they already do it in our school's. It seems to work. I like the idea.
Mike also said "So, if you're an African-American or Latino teen-ager, wearing a red T-shirt and standing on a street corner, talking with your friends, is it fair for the police to roust and-or arrest you?"
Oh come on... If you are a teenager wearing a red t-shirt while standing on a street corner, you should know better. I'm sure someone has told him/her the risk of doing so. If not, all a parent has to do is to point out that rival Sureno gang members could possibly shoot them for the color of that shirt. It's only two colors, red and blue. Now if you are a Sir Isaac Newton fan, you might think taking away two colors from the colorwheel might only leave you with 5, but actually, there are thousands of color variants. For instance-Any two year old can open a box of crayons.
Mike said -"If that's all it takes to become a "suspected" gang member, something is VERY WRONG with this picture!"
Yes, there's something wrong alright and in case you haven't heard, we're fed up with it.
Activist1
Please....
young men of color? Who cares? They are criminals who happen to not be white. And law enforcement knows what they are doing. It ain't that hard to tell someone who is envolved in a gang from someone who is not. Nobody is targeting people who just happen to be wearing attire that appears to be gang related....oh, except gang members themselves who kill people for wearing the "wrong" clothes. Respectively...you have not a clue.
May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't.
- General George Patton Jr
"A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money."
-- G
l
It must be nice to live in Fantasyland, where mistakes are never made -- especially by law enforcement. Speaking of law enforcement, take a look at what's happened in Los Angeles over the past 25 years -- billions spent to eradicate gangs with the opposite result -- more gangs and gang members plague the city today than ever before. But don't take my word for it. Check out the July 2007 Justice Policy Institute report for yourself: http://www.justicepolicy.org/content.php?hmID=1811&smID=1581&ssmID=22.
PS: The last time I checked, it was the "Compassionate Conservative" sitting in the White House who's been running up some of the largest deficits in the nation's history. I guess we'll need to put a "Liberal" back in the White House if we want a balanced budget and prosperity to make a return.
Realllllly.
Is that fantasyland located next to the one where teenagers can actually wear red or blue and not expect to get shot while standing on a street corner?
In case you haven't figured this out yet, relying on any information provided by The Justice Policy Institute really turns people off, we already know the information they provide is extremely slanted to say the least.
Let's keep this debate local, believe me there's no need for us to concern ourselves with what's hapening in LA at this moment. We have our own gang situation to deal with. So who would you prefer to bash first? The Sheriff? Chief Wasden? Are you accusing them of wrongdoing? Excessive force? Corruption maybe? Or are you simply anti law enforcement period? Well, expect us to disagree on almost everything. Respectfully, I'm sure.
A liberal in the white house, what an original thought. Why didn't us compassionate conservatives think of it first. You mean all it takes is to put a liberal in the white house and all of our problems will be solved Well, kiss my grits, we should have done that 10 years ago.
Values and Respect
Lets take a look at why gangs flourish?
All of them come from a pathetic existance where they have no family values and their self respect is non existant. Gang bangers think they are respected if they cause fear, but in reality they are only powerless expendable pawns in a dangerous games of drugs and murder.
It's only when they get older and their life is in the shitter with no future do they realize the Gang life is for losers.
Why would anyone want to advertize they are a loser by wearing gang emblems. It's too late for present generation of gang bangers, their desiny is already doomed. Perhaps new generation can be better enlightened about how gangs are for losers anda chnage of attitude needs to be emphasized by their peers in movies and music?
Wow
yes, that's the way the