Reader comments
Latino leaders hosting meeting today on impact of gang violence

THis is great, but they need to take it to the next step and turn in all the bang members whenever they do anything wrong, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant.

I am Hispanic and live on the westside of Salt Lake City and I participate in the City recognized Community Council. What makes Yapias think he speaks for the Latino community? What makes him think he can form a communiyt council based on the color of ones skin?

It sounds like the Latino Community is taking full responsibility for the gang problem in Utah. Is that true? If so pack your bags and get out!!!

No More Gangs!!!

Lets take a look at California --
95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens. 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens. Over 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal , whose births were paid for by taxpayers. Nearly 35% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.
Do we want this in Utah ?

Where are your numbers coming from? I can throw numbers out there too, but your comments are both reckless and without merit until you can provide evidence...

Even if it were the truth, when as a country will we get passed "people of color fill our prision systems" and start asking why?

There is two different systems, one for those with money/power and those without money/power. Don't believe it? Why are sentences for crack nearly three times as lengthy than those sentences, for the same about of cocaine? Because crack is a poor drug and cocaine is a high society drug.

Even the economical and educational playing fields for all people....However, especially in this state, that will never happen because as the reddest of red states, we don't believe in social programs. We don't believe in helping lift the bottom of society up.

Educate yourself. Color of skin does not mean you are more prone to crime. This is much deeper than skin color...

I found this article to be offensive and without merit. Additionally, I feel that Mr. Yapias, although his heart might be in the right place, to say he can speak for the Latino Community and suggest that we need to take "ownership for gang violence" is totally unjust and insulting. Where is the evidence that Latinos are responsible for high accounts of gang membership and violence? Furthermore, how is the unfortunate fate of the Latinos involved in the shooting the responsibility of an essentialized "Latino" Community? And lastly, I feel that if Mr. Yapias wants to be "the" community organizer that feels compelled to speak for me, I suggest that his sound bites and words are carefully chosen with merit and legitimacy so that he doesn't further marginalize the very community for which he is trying to advocate. The Latino community is one which is very diversified and with an amplitude of voices, it is unfortunate that the community gathering held today was reactive and not widely advertised thus not giving the many voices of this community the opportunity to come together for a discussion.

I can understand that legal aliens and citizens of Hispanic origin feel upset when they think someone is indicting them in the media of all being of criminal bent.
But before they get too upset--read the names on those arrest records! The question to ask is why so many of them are hispanic.
And my husband's grandparents were from Chihuahua, so please don't accuse us of being racist. But they came here legally and there would have been no criminal behavior tolerated among their children.
Something needs to change!

I agree that Mr. Yapias must be more strategic when jockeying for media atention as he so haphazardly does. He DOES NOT represent the collective Latin@ community and DOES NOT speak with authenticity of voice. He is merely a pawn for the media who sensationalizes stories and puts a ethnocentric spin on their coverage.
Why should one group "take owership" of this pervasive issue which is salient across social, ethnic, economic and geographic lines. By saying the Latino community should connotes that we are the root of the problem and provides a scapegoat for people who should take accountability for this issue but choose to be complacent.

It's sad that these tragic events quickly turned into a sound board for anti-immigrant and anti-Latina/o hysteria. Violent crime continues to be over-reported in mainstream media despite the fact that violent crime is and has been in decline for over a decade. Furthermore, immigrant populations committ the lowest percentage of crime. If we treated rich white corporate criminals the same way that we do impoverished people of color, we wouldn't be living in the mess we are in.

For the most part, kids join gangs to be a part of something that gives them a sense of worth. Gang members come from broken or unstable homes. They grow out of a society that they feel they have no place in or has rejected them. When immigrants (documented or undocumented) and refugees try to start a new life in a new country their are all kind of barriers awaiting them that most of us can not even begin to understand, physical and emotional. Its not about 'they all came here as criminals therefore they all have criminal tendencies', its about successful integration, which MUST be a two way thing between new comers and the receiving society. In regards to Mr Yapias�s comments, I think they implied that the gang problem is a Latino problem that Latinos need to begin to address it. I completely disagree. Again, it�s a two way thing. As our ethnic diversity continues to grow (I�m not talking about undocumented people, I�m talking about the 800+ refugees and other immigrants that arrive every year) we must become a receiving society that is willing to build off of everyone�s strengths and stop pointing fingers.

Tony, Your comment that we need to take "ownership for gang violence" is insulting. You may feel this way, but don't include everyone else. Peggy Wilson said, it is not only a latino problem. Tony, if you want to help out, be smarter and stop trying to be there to get media coverage. Be sincere about what your are doing and try to use better verbage when expressing yourself. Gangs are violent and we as members of our communities should be a united front; don't make it a Tony front.

Kids joining gangs don't only come from broken homes; and anyone who believes this, is wrong. My 4.0 student who graduated and was in college decided to join this life and I am here to tell you, this child had a good home and was raised with good family values. I was and I still am in total shock!