Gangs Are Domestic Terrorists
A child shot and killed. An innocent bystander wounded (“Slow-Motion Mass Murder--Standing Up to Street Gangs,” editorial, March 17). Both are victims of another drive-by shooting. How many of these gutless, cowardly acts does it take until we realize that we are all victims of gang violence, of “domestic terrorism”?
As our military roots out terrorism internationally, so must domestic law enforcement agencies intensify their efforts to root out, hunt down, cut off and kill the gangs, the evil, the domestic terrorists who stalk our neighborhoods and keep us prisoners in our own homes and who deny every citizen the constitutionally guaranteed rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Darwin M. Ochs
Lancaster
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A decade ago, there seemed to be consensus on how to deal with gangbangers and their senseless killings. Today, I’m not sure if people haven’t forgotten what they said they were going to do, or if they’ve simply lost their will to deal with the problem. Here’s a quick tutorial on the subject of handling the “slow-motion mass murder”: 1) execute every convicted killer on death row--including juveniles; 2) deploy military artillery in the war against drugs; 3) arrest the parents of children who join gangs or commit violent crimes; 4) break the cycle of poverty that drives most of today’s shootings.
The alarming increase in the number of gang-related killings shouldn’t surprise anyone. With more kids having less to do each day, it was only a matter of time before the death toll started rising again. Unless law-abiding, taxpaying, voting citizens demand that massive amounts of resources be redirected to meaningful after-school, evening and weekend programs for young people, there simply aren’t going to be any safe neighborhoods left in Los Angeles.
A.L. Cynton
Laguna Beach
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You lament that we have had 200 years to figure out ways to eliminate domestic terrorism and pledge to discuss what works here and elsewhere to quell gang violence. I hope you take a hard look at the small but growing movement to legalize drug use. In the same way that alcohol prohibition increased the price of liquor and helped finance the gangs of a former era in U.S. history, today’s prohibition of drugs increases the price of what would otherwise be cheap commodities and finances the gangs in our neighborhoods.
Stan Warford
Malibu