Power to the Gangs

I was struck by the honesty and traumatic impact of Jesse Katz’s “Gangland” (Feb. 19). However, as I read onward, eagerly awaiting new revelations about the complex and scary world gangs, I was somewhat disappointment. Katz’s conclusion was that more-or-less standard line: how gangs would disappear if basic injustices were remedied. More pertinent are the words of many gang members who talk about power and about not being victims. And that’s probably the truth.

Such grasping of power, and the resulting frightening aspects for the law-abiding majority, is not limited to African Americans. It is and has been used by all those tough enough to accept the challenge of acquiring power along with the dangers; witness the Mafia, the Tongs and so on.

B. Orkin

Chatsworth