Deseret News | Reader comments: Salt Lake police respond to more gang violence

Reader comments
Salt Lake police respond to more gang violence

SLC gal | 11:53 a.m. July 21, 2008

Why am I not suprised? The key word here is GANG HISTORY!!! The judicial system needs to start focusing on the history before acting.

Oh, great! | 11:55 a.m. July 21, 2008

Now we aren't even allowed to wear whatever color clothing some bunch of punks don't want us to? In our own yards?

It's time to get tough on these immoral, immature, greedy, insane people. I don't care if they are juveniles--the bullets aren't. It's time to stop giving violent criminals a slap on the wrist and considering them "children".

How old was Billy the Kid when he killed his first man? And he didn't stop at one killing either.

If you are old enough to take a gun to a total stranger or rob or burglarize someone's car or home for your drug money, you are old enough to do some serious time. And chain gangs wouldn't be out of line here either. These guys think they're tough--let's at least expect them to work as hard as we taxpayers have to do.

Anonymous | 12:24 p.m. July 21, 2008

Why does the news feel it is important to emphasize that this was a mistake in identity? Is it meant to scare us?

On night a few months back I got turned around and ended up in Glendale. I drive a red vehicle and apparently the gang of kids in blue did not like me in their area. When I saw them I drove off in the opposite direction as fast as I my car would go. I must have gotten lucky because they did not even shot at me.

Do us all a favor, lock them up and throw away the key.

Comments continue below

Was the dollar store shooting | 12:28 p.m. July 21, 2008

gang-related? I thought it was cash-money related.

SLC gal | 12:42 p.m. July 21, 2008

Was that dollar store shooting? - they only got away with 60 each. WOULD YOU consider that cash related?

Anonymous | 12:59 p.m. July 21, 2008

As in any major city, when the economy goes down - crime goes up.
Live with it and find a way to get away from it all.

Really? | 1:17 p.m. July 21, 2008

How naive to think that the gang bangers would cease and desist from their violent behavior just because the community had a couple meetings.

chicken or the egg? | 1:35 p.m. July 21, 2008

our society has failed to accomodate the needs of our underserved -
therefore the young people from the underserved areas of our community turn out to be failures.

re Really? | 1:17 p.m. | 1:35 p.m. July 21, 2008

I am surprised. I would have thought that the harsh charges brought against the last shooters would have some deterence.

Silly or Naive me?

bub | 1:34 p.m. July 21, 2008

SEames To Me The Police Arent Doing Enough , Nor Is The City Councel,Its Time To Start Hiring Legal People To do The Work That Needs To Be Done And Tell All These Whiners , You Break The Law You Will Pay . You Fit The Punishment To The Crime ., And No Apeals.

"We The People" | 1:36 p.m. July 21, 2008

The Police are doing their part, now it's time for us to step up and help them out. We need to watch out for these gangs and report there whereabouts to the Police. Let's weed them (gangs)out of our neighborhoods and communities. The Police can only do so much...

Really? | 2:02 p.m. July 21, 2008

Re: re Really?

Do you really think that they care what the rest of us think?

How often do they get a slap on the wrist and how often do they get punishment that actually fits the crime?

They don't have to be a mathematical genius to figure out that their odds are in favor of a slap on the wrist.

Do you really think they'll change their behavior after one case?

Anonymous | 2:07 p.m. July 21, 2008

It's good to help the police in this regard.
It's better to try to find out why our young people think they need gangs.
Perhaps this is what happens when human beings are being thrown away in our society.

sbza | 2:14 p.m. July 21, 2008

FINALLY the D-News addresses the gang problem in Glendale/Poplar Grove...Win some SLC subscribers, write more about the people actually living in SLC

JMR | 3:32 p.m. July 21, 2008

The News article still doesn't address the issue of outlawing any kind of gang activity. The only reason there are gangs is to claim territory, prove how maucho someone is by violating someone else's civil rights, selling drugs, prostitution, and outright blatant I don't give a d..n about society attitudes. These two-bit scum have no desire to be responsible citizens and only want to cause trouble and yet our judicial system gives them nothing but a slap on the wrist. Juveniles or not they should pay adult penalties for any crime they commit. I'm sick and tired of juveniles with rap sheets several pages long, being told that society has failed them. They are nothing more than selfish brats that need to be taught a lesson and it may come down to an old time version of the OK Corral to eliminate these vermin from the streets of Utah. Sad, but the real blame lies right on the heads of the lazy, irresponsible parents for not keeping their children in check and for our law enforcement most of the time, looking the other way hoping the gang problem will go away. There will be a reckoning.

Re; Oh Great | 3:52 p.m. July 21, 2008

You have said better than I could, I totally agree. These guys are cowards and punks. I don't care if they are black, white, red or brown. They make me sick. All we can hope for is for them to kill each other because our law enforcment is not working.

DD | 3:57 p.m. July 21, 2008

Interesting how those arrested are "documented gang members". If they are documented, why are they out n the street? Obviously this group didn't reform.

Anonymous | 4:01 p.m. July 21, 2008

It is a sad day when we have to admit that it took death and near death for the gang issue to be addressed. The areas where this crime is from are places where you donï¿½t walk outside your home during the day, and never at night. However, gangs are taking over cities and towns all over Utah and we need to do everything we can to stop them.

Gangs are beyond out of control!

to JMR | 4:04 p.m. July 21, 2008

One thing you left out--many of these gang members are now coming from parents who see nothing wrong with criminal activity. Of course, some don't, some even have good parents who have tried to teach. But throw in meth addiction, and even "good" kids go bad real quickly. Serious punishment works--30 days in juvie isn't even enough to get a kid real sober, let along work on his issues.
And at least serious incarceration keeps them from going back to their old ways quite so soon--which does tend to protect the rest of society.

Gangs are big problems | 4:12 p.m. July 21, 2008

I work with Juvenille offenders for a living... and a high percentage of them are gang-bangers.

Many of them could change with the right role-models, the right training/education, and the right environment after they leave a facility. I can still find good in most of them.

But there are those few (My studets sometimes call them O.G.'s) that are totally and completely evil. There is no hope for them. They destroy people's lives by getting kids to do their dirty work for them. They don't care whom they hurt. They get off by making others' frightened. They are self serving terds. Life in prison, or the death penalty is too good for these losers. I cannot ephasize that enough.

Eventually kids in gangs will end up as the "OG's" if they are not imprisoned or killed before then.

Early intervention is so important. But also...we need to send a message to the gang-bangers. The harsher the punishment for an OG, the better.

Anonymous | 4:29 p.m. July 21, 2008

Until our society can figure out why young men need gangs to feel they are part of something - the gang problem will always be with us.

Judicial get-a-way | 4:49 p.m. July 21, 2008

The Judge will let them off with a slap. VOTE NO ON ALL JUDGES. Make the Judges place the harshest punnishment on these gang-idiots. We place the terrorists on an island, lets do the same for gang bangers. I'll bet life will change if they know they are going to an island where they actually have to support themselves.

GANGLAND | 5:10 p.m. July 21, 2008

And people wonder why Salt Lake gets its own episode of Gangland on the History Channel in October. They were in town shooting all last week. This stuff has been getting worse over the last 20 years, and it doesn't look like its going to stop.

BushCo's economy at fault | 5:24 p.m. July 21, 2008

The further the Bush Administration-generated economy goes down the toilet - the more the poor people are appearing.
The more the poor are generated- the more gang membership.

These Kids have no JOBS | 5:49 p.m. July 21, 2008

The pay is poor and they have been in jail before.
Quite clear the system is broke
Jail just educates these kids, and they find new freinds with more bad ideas
Parents are not doing their part educating with the 10 COMMANDMENTS and a big stick
What do you expect from kids with no proper up bringing with Boys and Girls with Children?
Some of these people are on the City Councils
No education
The Judges are not one with any wisdom as well.
I have sit and watched them in their work.
Ignorance prevails in the Courts.
This is also what you have for Law Makers
Spare the rod and spoil the child
Where are these kids PARENTS?
What do you expect these kids to do?
They have no skills and to lazy to work
So just who is the Monsters?????

Anonymous | 6:23 p.m. July 21, 2008

No worthwhile jobs.
No wealthy parents to assist them.
No compassion from society.
No future.

Put them all together and you have a potential gang member looking for a sense of comraderie.

Send them to San Francisco | 6:50 p.m. July 21, 2008

In San Francisco they will take anyone, and if these people happen to be illegals, they will welcome them even more. Cause San Fran is nice to everyone, they open their arms to all, look at the guy that just killed a woman's husband and two sons, the kid was illegal and had committed two other crimes. But San Fran was nice to him, cause they are a Sanctuary City. So give these gangs a one way ticket and a weeks stay in a hotel up there and let them know that the city will look after them.

Blame everyone but themselves | 7:11 p.m. July 21, 2008

The Bush comment was hilarious. For a second I thought it was meant to be funny.

Evil has been here from the dawn of time and will continue to flourish till the end. Contain the problem by infiltrating the area with police gang squads. Shake these kids down morning, noon and night. Then punish them like all criminals should be punished in this country: in the public square.

Blame the economy, our system of government, whatever. Bottom line: kids need good role models. Parents need to be the proper role model. Until the television stops being the babysitter, and kids get serious one on one time with their parents, kids will continue to be a product of the popular culture...which is garbage. What do you expect from a society that glorifies profanity, pornography, violence and drugs?

What do we need, a 30 year case study on the effects of popular culture on our kids before someone in the know actually says this crap is bad for them? Gimme a break.

Kill your television.

no excuse | 8:06 p.m. July 21, 2008

Quit making excuses for these lazy criminals. It's easier to steal than to work and if you get caught it's societies fault.

Gangs and Utah | 9:23 p.m. July 21, 2008

We have had gang related problems in the Salt Lake valley probably since the late 1980's or early 1990's. The tragic death of a seven year-old girl has just brought increased media attention to a problem that has existed for a reasonably long time.

As Utah becomes more ethnically diverse our gang problems will only increase and will likely spread to other areas not especially known for gang problems right now such as Utah County. The unspoken elephant in the room is that youth gangs are very much linked with ethnic and racial identity. I would suppose that over time white youths of a general poorer background will increase "gang activity" but often these groups are labeled as "white supremacist organizations" or "straight edgers" instead of the traditional gang label.

Decaying economics in inner-city and poorer neighborhoods in suburbia such as West Valley, Kearns etc. will only promote more gang affiliation and identification. Gangs in the LA area are also greatly linked with drug trafficking and other crimes and this link will only grow stronger in Utah over time.

Youths want to be in gangs often times because they lack strong family ties. Stengthening of the family will help greatly.

It is a waste of time... | 9:43 p.m. July 21, 2008

even talking about it. We are soft on crime and those who commit it. It is getting worse. It is time to pack the heat by permit if you have to live with these people threatening you. Learn to shoot straight if threatened. Too many gangbangers around. Reduce the population of these thugs. Get tough with them. Quit tolerating their misbehavior and put them under wraps with a tough Sherrif in charge. like in Phoenix. Life on the desert in a quanset hut would cure some of them eventually. Get and keep them off the streets. It has become intolerable. Do something about it.

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