Gang ‘Wave of Terror’

Re “A Role for All in Halting Gangs,” March 8.

The ongoing gang violence must be contained or else we will face anarchy within our community.

Innocent people have been victimized by the wave of terror in the streets. Obviously, this activity seems to be accepted within the gang community due mainly to the lack of enforcement and discipline to control their actions.

A prime example of this chaos is the fact, as reported by the news media, that we cannot afford to house the juveniles in detention halls due to budget restrictions. This is ridiculous; to allow these criminals back into society without punishment only leads to increased violence.

Possible solutions:

* Set up outside detention facilities with tents / trailers if necessary as a full-on boot camp with hard labor activities (minimum five years for possession of an automatic weapon).

* Specialized enforcement squad assigned to clamp down on all gang-related activity in order to protect schools and public gatherings.

* Increase patrol on prime crime areas of known gang violence and detain any suspect who resembles obvious appearances of gang affiliation.

* Hold parents responsible for major crimes committed by their offspring.

The federal government must take immediate action to curb this major problem before it applies protection for overseas countries (clean up our own backyard).

E.B. LINCOLN, Ventura