If gangs form as a result of youths feeling like outsiders to provide what they don’t get from families and community, perhaps this is a way for them to become a part of the law abiding community. Or it’s the biggest con job a gang has ever pulled.
City tackles violence by legalising brutal gang
In an attempt to halt gang violence, Barcelona has taken the unusual step of legalising the Latin Kings, registering them as a cultural association that could receive state aid.
The feared gang, which was born in 1940s Chicago and has recently spread to Spain, was this week granted the grand title of Asociación Cultural de Reyes y Reinas Latinos de Cataluña (Cultural Association of Latin Kings and Queens of Catalonia), making it sound more like a medieval court than a band of street thugs.
However, the city believes that the way to curb escalating violence is to involve the gang’s teenage members in city life.
The deputy mayor said that the Latin Kings would receive “the same treatment as other associations” and be eligible for local government grants “depending on the repercussion of their activities”. It was not immediately clear what sort of work they had in mind for the gang, which is thought to have acquired more than 400 members in Spain since setting up the local chapter about five years ago.
Outside the US, ideas beyond never-ending conflict and war are on the table. Things are tried. Some succeed, some fail.
Good luck to them.
I’m always amazed when this kind of lumpen solution is tried one more time. Gaze at the stellar history of the Blackstone Rangers, sometime.
I read something the other day about how bigger prison penalties and stiffer law enforcement in the US, a traditionally violent country, are triggering a reduction in crime rates. Though in Europe we’ve traditionally enjoyed lower crime rates, they are soaring and it seems the American rates are closer and closer to ours. In face of this, harboring criminals and legalizing them doesn’t seem that clever to me.
#1 I agree, non-war solutions to complex problems are probably the best way of solving them
Years ago,
California told the gangs…
Why are you shooting each other?
You are the same races, and you shoot each other, to prove yourselves, and LEt your neibhorhoods Go to CRAP.
How about we Judge your Hoods, and the winner, gets a prize..
It worked..
Problem:
Cut backs..
What really amazes me is how american society can produce a movie call “Gangs of New York” and fail to realize that the basis of the movie is based on real events that took place in NYC between two street gangs all they did is throw in a love story and now it’s a great storyline! In the street fight that those two street gangs had over 100 people where killed and injured including women, children, police officers, and innocent bystanders but that’s ok because that was a long time ago, right? If people took the time out to study history they would see how many politicans families like JFK’s family were involved in criminal activity during the 1920’s and broke the law by selling and transporting liquor in a time it was illegal. They ran street gangs and were part of a big criminal society. Mayor Daley in Chicago, his father was a gang leader as a youth and when in office was very tight with the local mafia! But why is all of that ok!?! When a group of youth that have been oppressed, rejected, and taken advantage of and they give themselves a name it’s a problem. I am in no way saying that the violence that happens is ok because it’s not it is something that needs and is being worked through but as everything it takes time. My problem is that we forget the roots of our american politics and all the baggage we where left with to deal with. It has only been a bit over 30 years since white folk in america stopped and realized that calling someone that is black a nigger was a bad idea so before americans start pounding on the table about what is right and wrong, as a society, we still have plenty of growing up to do.