Sorry Windflier, I have a different perspective.
You see, I am one of those police officers that work gangs, narcotics and violent crime. I have seen far more vigils against the police doing their jobs than against gang violence. Oh sure, everyone wants to clean up gangs (not really) until it’s their kid that is caught up. I cannot count how many times over the last fifteen years I told someone that their kid was running in a set, and was told that I was lying.
Mothers, (there are no dads) simply won’t even believe it when you show them the Myspace or Bebo site their kids created with all the gang trappings. They just make excuses like, oh that’s just the style, or that’s someone elses gun.
I have met with a few mothers who desperately tried to keep their kids out of gangs but because they are working two jobs to keep food on the table, (something a real man who gave a chit about his kids would do) they lose track of their kids. Those kids have to join a gang or be a punching bag everyday. The gang becomes the leading influence in their lives.
Someone made a comment that the US is looking at third and fourth generational gang families. That is absolutely true.
Folks, gangs are a huge problem. The best way to keep one out of your neighborhood is to crush it right away. Don’t let your children adopt thug behavior. Keep the police informed about what is going on. Work with them. The first house that shows signs of gang activity, the men need to go down there and make it ABSOLUTELY known that gang activity will not be tolerated.
You can’t save the inner cities. They are done. Fini.
But you can save your suburban neighborhoods if you want to.
Oh sure, everyone wants to clean up gangs (not really) until it’s their kid that is caught up. I cannot count how many times over the last fifteen years I told someone that their kid was running in a set, and was told that I was lying.
I defer to your expert testimony on this. Perhaps my personal experience with this has become too stale-dated. I haven't lived in the black community for over 25 years now.
But, I'm all too familiar with the sort of denialist mindset you spoke of. That, I have seen firsthand, many times. Heck, I used my own mom's naivete' and disbelief to my corrupt advantage when I was a teenager. I think all kids do.
To your last statement, yes, it's important for the men of a community to stamp out any budding gang activity they see springing up, before it grows too entrenched for them to stop. When I was a youngster in the late 50's and early 60's, the men of most communities would have cleaned out that sort of thing without question.