The War On Gangs

One thing that seems to also be left out of the conversation is that the gang injunction does not solely target the "worst of the worst" as people are suggesting. There are individuals on the injunction lists that have not had police contact in a significant amount of time; an individual for merely expresing himself through a song he wrote; and, in one case, an expectant mother. How is that the "worst of the worst?"

Mayn why I be always endin' up on da gang junctions and not da white mans? Dis sum bullshit all I be doin' iz sellin' rock on my block with da homies. I ain't be gettin' fucked wit cuz I be stashin' dat shit in the projects on the third floor where my homie be livin'. Dey just gotta leave niggaz alone to do what dey do mayn.

So was Rene Quiñonez ever jumped out of the Norteño gang? The article doesn't mention this, a glaring omission since it's one of the few ways out of a gang, you can't really walk away and start a new life without paying for it in some way.

Speaking of HOMEY, they had a large white banner with red lettering the other day at 24th and Capp (mural site) that said "Gang Injunctions = Racial Profiling." The banner came down the next day. Perhaps after neighborhood complaints, sure as hell pissed me off.

I've lived in the Mission since 1982. Let's give the injunctions a try- like the homeless problem, the city's gang problem has also worsened over time. It's about time the City tried a new approach to eliminate these criminal organizations. But I'm not the least bit surprised that a bunch of poverty pimp organizations are crying foul- Carecen, La Raza Centro Legal, El Tecolote, HOMEY, the Nation of Islam, etc. When will they stop coddling criminals?

You know, I wish I knew what was up with these stupid punk gangs of today. Is it poor parenting or just society in general that has allowed punk kids to become what they are today?

JT
www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com

I hate to give SF Weekly credit because I don't really like your paper. But you deserve credit for telling both sides of this story and writing about an issue that actually affects the community. Keep it up and people might actually start to like the Weekly.

I hate to give SF Weekly credit because I don't really like your paper. But you deserve credit for telling both sides of this story and writing about an issue that actually affects the community. Keep it up and people might actually start to like the Weekly.

Our government wants a certain amount of problems,
because there is "NO MONEY" in health and happiness or safety

Joker, what feeds ignorance? – A lack of education for one. I never omitted to belonging to the Norteño gang as described in the article you, like the author of this article, made a general assumption. I stated that I was raised in the neighborhood, specifically on 24th , based on this information an assumption was created, whether or not I was a Norteño or Sureño is irrelevant, truth is that the creation of these street organization have roots in larger political, economic and social problems/dynamics which most people ignore or prefer not to discuss. “Like the homeless problem, the city's gang problem” will continue as long as poverty, drug abuse, poor education, inadequate health care and lack of resources, exist. These policies do not work, not in Los Angeles (the gang capital of the world) nor will they in San Francisco one of the nation richest (smallest) cities in the world.

Poverty pimps??? I wonder if you’re referring to capitalist and imperialist or transnational corporations and not people like myself who not only understand larger political, social and economic problems/dynamics on a national and global level but who risk our lives everyday to make an impact.

Yet, I do agree there are some who do benefit from the misfortune of people who are in poverty and who can be seen as “poverty pimps” I come across them everyday. Unlike those poverty pimps, I struggle financially, like many who work from the heart. This may fall on deaf ears and in the end the only things I wish to accomplish is dialog not from ignorance but from people who have compassion and respect.

As far as being jumped out, well that doesn’t even warrant a response.