As bodies pile up, Guatemalans ask: Who's killing the criminals?

suntimes.com ^ | October 18, 2005 | SERGIO DE LEON

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

Hmmm... wonder if this could happen in Toledo.

[Perdogg]

[Youngman442002]

Social cleansing...I call it fighting back...take back the streets...take back the night...good over evil...so what is so wrong with this????

[2banana]

When government can not do its job (due to corruption or other factors) - eventually - the people will...

[television is just wrong]

I guess they have found eliminating the gangs works.

[Dallas59]

I believe they feel it's the only way...

Click here to watch Brazil Police Take Care of Gang Member (somewhat graphic)

[Brilliant]

Human rights groups claim vigilantes, possibly including rogue cops, are engaged in ''social cleansing.''

Just remember that vigilanteism is generally the result of the fact that the authorities are not doing their jobs. The liberals who handcuff the authorities and give criminals a slap on the wrist are essentially inviting this result.

[gridlock]

If people choose to lead a criminal life, it is likely to be short and end violently.

[BushisTheMan]

If it is vigilantes or rogue cops, good for them. Gang members need to be wiped out. This might appear harsh but the justice system has coddled these losers for too long.

[basil]

Gangs have been swelled by Guatemalans who immigrated to the U.S. and were deported back for gang activity.

I'm trying to figure out what the point of this sentence is. Is it saying that America turned these people into gangsters?--that the fact that they were deported somehow made them bad? (apparently they were gang members while here).

Exactly what caused Guatemalans who were deported from the US to return home to "swell the ranks of Guatemalan gangs?

I guess as long as they were gang members in the US, Guatemala had fewer of them--LOL! Somehow, people find a reason to blame the US for just about everything.

[Mustard Plaster]

Boss Tweed was quoted as saying, "You can pay half of the poor people to kill the other half." It's a problem solver.

[Vaquero]

[Dallas59]

The gang members in the vid were in a shootout with the police...the driver is shot. Bullet holes in the van...

[R. Scott]

In recent weeks, at least two unknown groups have left fliers in parks claiming to be civilian vigilantes at war with gang members.

When authorized law enforcement personnel can no longer ensure public safety, the public will step in.

[r9etb]

Social cleansing...I call it fighting back...take back the streets...take back the night...good over evil...so what is so wrong with this????

You have to ask what's wrong with murdering people?

[r9etb]

When authorized law enforcement personnel can no longer ensure public safety, the public will step in.

Of course, if the "proper" public response is murder, I'd say that public safety is probably more in jeopardy now than it was before.

[R. Scott]

Gangs have been swelled by Guatemalans who immigrated to the U.S. and were deported back for gang activity.

The point of this sentence is that it is all our (Bush’s) fault. If we were just more understanding and humane and allowed these poor immigrants to stay here in the land of opportunity Guatemala would not have this terrible problem. < /barf>

[AngryJawa]

We'll eventually need a little sprinkling of this to address our burgeoning MS-13 problem here in los Estados Unidos.

Los Pepes 2005, eh?

[DumpsterDiver]

THE PROBLEM: Guatemala is experiencing a wave of mysterious killings targeting gang members.

I consider that to be a non-problem.

Some are shoved into cars with dark windows and never seen again. Sometimes bodies turn up with messages left on paper or carved into their bodies: "Car thief." "I behaved badly." "I'm going to hell." "This is how snitches die."

This is a zero tolerance policy I can get behind.

[Youngman442002]

Gang members are not people..they are not Humans..they are ANIMALS....