What makes you think that some of the parents of gang members do not know that their children are involved especially those underage children that are drug runners and bring home the extra cash that supports their parents and pays their rent? In these cases, the parents look the other way. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri, 8 Dec 2006 10:51 AM Subject: [AsburyPark] Re: Call in the troops
What worries me about this gang problem in AP is how many fronts the fight against it is going to have to be fought on. First, there's the gangs themselves. You have to ask, why do they exist here? What makes becoming a member of a gang more attractive then not being in a gang? Next, we have the underlying problems that support the existence of gangs. AP has been known as a drug destination for decades. Perfect place for gangs to set up business. Next, there's the prostitution issue, which seems be waning in my neighborhood at least. Then, there's the business of keeping the gangs in business, i.e. supplying guns and things like that. And what about the families of gang members? How do they not know what their children are doing? I've used the example here before of my former next door neighbors who had a teenage bike thief in the family. It seemed to me that the parents were always too busy arguing to notice what their kids were doing. So how do we combat all of that? Yesterday, I mentioned the issue of environment, and nobody responded to that. I'll state that again. Asbury has many ugly and depressing areas, particularly in the west side. Abandoned and boarded up buildings, litter everywhere. It's very hard for a community to have pride in itself when the very environment in which it exists is such a mess. This is a proven fact, and it has been addressed in many cities much bigger then ours. Has Asbury ever had a community based volunteer program to clean up our city? I'd volunteer for that if one existed. It would be nice to work side by side and get to know people from other walks of life. I could spare a couple of hours each week to help clean up our city. I think kids need to be shown an alternative to being in a gang. --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "justifiedright" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Good points Scott, and I'll add that ending segregation in the High > School will help too. > > > --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "asburycouple" <asburycouple@> > wrote: > > > > If you'd like to take credit for the obvious I'm cool with that. > > > > I don't think anyone has questioned that stepped up enforcement > and > > police presence is badly needed to deal with the immediate > problem. > > It can't be the only solution, though. The article you quote > below > > accurately frames the stepped up enforcement as "what is needed in > > the short-term". What is really needed is something that gets > > beyond an ongoing police vs. gang battle. We need a long term > plan > > that addresses both the immediate need to battle these gangs today > > with increased police presence and enforcement combined with plans > > and programs designed to prevent the next generation of potential > > gang members from making the choice to go in that direction. > Again, > > the article below clearly says that these kinds of programs are > > important. > > > > Neither increased police or increased programs can succeed in a > > vaccum. They are both tactics desperately in need of a strategy. > > It is the lack of a real plan, and the venomous political > > environment that exists right now which may not allow one to > emerge, > > that worries me the most. When you are at war, those who don't > work > > together die together. We are clearly at war with these gangs. > > > > > > > > > > --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "justifiedright" > > <justifiedright@> wrote: > > > > > > So the Press is saying the appropriate response to these > killings > > is > > > police cracking down, not recreation. > > > > > > I wonder who was the first on this board to say that? > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "Fred" <asburydogma@> wrote: > > > > > > > > Declare war on gangs, guns > > > > Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 12/8/06 > > > > Another young person has been killed in Asbury Park, > triggering > > > > renewed calls for an end to the senseless violence, for the > > > community > > > > to pull together to combat it, and for expanded social > services, > > > job > > > > programs and recreational opportunities to help address the > root > > > > causes of the violence. > > > > > > > > All those things are important. But what is needed most in the > > > short > > > > term is a bolstered, visible police presence — one dedicated > to > > > > getting guns, and those who illegally sell and possess them, > off > > > the > > > > streets. > > > > > > > > The shooting death Tuesday night of a 21-year-old woman in > what > > > > authorities say was a gang-related murder was the seventh > > homicide > > > in > > > > Asbury Park this year. That's the city's highest one-year > total > > in > > > 22 > > > > years. And the seven murders are just one less than the number > > > > committed in all of Monmouth County last year. > > > > > > > > Things are out of control in Asbury Park, and something > dramatic > > > > needs to be done. Adding a few more street cops isn't enough. > > The > > > > city needs additional manpower from the county, the state and > > the > > > > Drug Enforcement Agency. And the extra personnel must remain > in > > > place > > > > until the city is stabilized. > > > > > > > > The environment that has spawned the violence can't be > > > fundamentally > > > > altered until the gangs and the thugs are brought under > control. > > > That > > > > is an essential first step. The state, the county Prosecutor's > > > Office > > > > and Asbury Park officials owe it to the residents of the city > > now > > > > living in a perpetual state of fear to give them the > protection > > > and > > > > peace of mind every citizen deserves. > > > > > > > > Ironically, the day after the latest shooting occurred, the > > Press > > > ran > > > > a front-page story about a statewide anti-gang initiative > called > > > > Operation Ceasefire, which is to focus on 13 cities, including > > > Asbury > > > > Park and Lakewood. That program needs to be ramped up in > Asbury > > > Park. > > > > > > > > The head of Operation Ceasefire, State Police Lt. Col. Frank > E. > > > > Rodgers, rightly refers to gang members who wreak havoc on > their > > > > neighborhoods as domestic terrorists. Those terrorists must be > > > > stopped. Attorney General Stuart Rabner must make certain that > > > > Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin, state police and > > city > > > > police work together, using every weapon at their disposal, to > > do > > > > just that. The response to the terrorism taking place in > Asbury > > > Park > > > > streets must be equal to the devastation it is causing in the > > > > community. > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.
