Posted by
Playful Walrus on Wednesday, February 04, 2009 12:58:08 PM
Are mourners of killed gang members sitting ducks? Ruben Vives and Richard Winton of the Los Angeles Times have a story about mourners getting shot at makeshift shrines for gang warfare casualties.
The flowers and candles began piling up Friday at the corner of 104th Street and Budlong Avenue, after a suspected gang member was fatally shot there.
To residents in this rough section of unincorporated South [Central] L.A., that killing was bad enough. Then Monday night, a group of mourners were gathered there when a gunman walked by and opened fire, killing two men -- both suspected gang members -- and gravely wounding a third.
Hey, I have an idea! Let's ply this area with more taxpayer-funded handouts, housing projects, and other goodies. Those tactics seem to be working so well. Or maybe we can lock up violent criminals and deport any that are not American citizens while also encouraging law-abiding residents to carry and practice using firearms to protect the innocent?
Violence at shrines and memorials for suspected or known gang members is far from widespread, but it's enough of a problem that a growing number of cities including Oakland, Berkeley, Boston and Hartford, Conn., are trying to regulate them.
Yet another unintended consequence of property ownership being public.
Despite the concerns, there does not appear to be support for restricting the shrines in Los Angeles County. Some officials who represent South [Central] L.A. argue that the street-side memorials are an important tool for healing, not just for gang members but family and friends.
An important healing tool is not getting shot in the first place by not being a gang member. Yes, others get shot, too. But the odds are worse if you're a thug.
I am so tired of this murderous subculture. We need to clear and hold, like we started doing in Iraq.
(Note – Someone decided a few years back that calling South Central L.A. South L.A. instead would make a difference in improving things in that area. More symbolism over substance. The area is not bad because "South Central" is tainted. It is the other way around. You could call the place Shangri-La, and all it would do it taint "Shangri-La".)