To the editor: I would like to thank Heather Mac Donald for "The Immigrant Gang Plague" [Summer 2004]. As a Mexican-American born in South Side Chicago's Brighton Park, I see how the gang problem is destroying our cities and our nation.
My family was among the first Hispanic families to move to (predominantly Lithuanian and Polish) Brighton Park in the 60s, and we were not treated like foreigners. I can remember how quiet and pristine the neighborhood used to be. People would sit on their front porches while kids rode Big Wheels up and down the block.
This neighborhood is now a war zone. I can hear sporadic gunfire as I sit in my living room. Broken glass and used condoms litter the sidewalks. It is impossible to park on my street now, since there are five families in each house, all with cars lacking plates, city stickers, and insurance. This is tolerated because King Richard Daley always gets the Hispanic vote.
The Mexican government held a conference last month about helping illegals into America to become U.S. citizens so that they can vote several states out of the Union. I know this sounds crazy, but it's true and was even covered on Univision and Telemundo.
Thanks for an outstanding article.
Mark Gutierrez Chicago, IL
LOL