Free Republic

Some nights, Maria Vazquez is afraid to leave her home. After living in Corona all her life, Vazquez,31, has begun bolting herself inside her Nicolls Ave. apartment once the sun goes down, for fear of being terrorized by the neighborhoods street gangs. "You can always hear them outside, yelling, breaking bottles and harrasing people," said Vazquez, a home healhcare worker who lives with her 4 year old son and her 63 year old mother. "Sometimes, they even shoot their guns up in the air, and all we can do is pray." Though overall crime rates throughout the city continue to...