dagblog - Comments for "Focus on Gangs in Chicago Puts Major Dent in Killing Trend"

I would like to add

artappraiser — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:57:32 +0000

In reply to I don't know if they tweaked

I would like to add something. Some might argue that people have a civil right to form gangs and similar associations and police targeting those who join them is anathema. But one thing I think everyone can take away from these stats that there's no arguing that gangs are a major part of the deadly violence problem in Chicago. Those that hate the targeting, what other suggestions do you have?

I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes by Juan Cole from a totally different context (this post), implying that security in a democracy is hard because tribes/gangs/cults will do what democratic government would ideally prefer to stay away from doing:

Legislators in democratic societies who are thinking about how to respond to this problem should give serious thought to RICO-like laws that could be used to curb religious cults, which typically isolate members, indoctrinate them, manipulate them, and sometimes coerce them. Cults avoid scrutiny by harassing critics and whistleblowers, often in ways that police find it difficult to respond to. The enormous problems modern societies have had with groups like Christian Identity, the Koreishites, Aum Shinrikyo, and now al-Qaeda, suggests that current legal frameworks are inadequate to address this problem. Ex-members, victims and critics of cults need a legal basis for protection from the cults.

If the rule of law in your 'hood is a gang, it's not so easy to tattle on them....you can start your own war or you can just put up with it.

I don't know if they tweaked

artappraiser — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:43:46 +0000

In reply to Given this article written

I don't know if they tweaked anything since this January NYT article describing having some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation for quite some time. I know I have read that illegal guns were their main problem. It would follow that targeting the gangs who help traffic in them with more police presence would help in that regard. I know that focusing on illegal gun sales and prosecuting with a heavy hand is one thing Bloomberg and like thinking mayor friends have long been a proponent of.

So I do think you may be barking up the wrong tree here, in that illegal guns are the main problem and tweaking of local laws wouldn't make much of a difference when they've already got some of the strictest around.

Let there be no confusion: to target illegal guns costs a great deal of money in police work and comes at a cost to civil liberties (especially to young men) in the targeted neighborhoods. And it often comes down to a question of whether the inhabitants prefer rule of law by gang or by police, and make no mistake, some law-abiding citizens do end up preferring the former. Strict prosecution for a young man caught with a gun but not doing anything with it isn't always highly popular either.

I believe one of the mayors' coalition's favorite things is to try to get more support on the federal end on the trafficking of guns across state lines. As far as internet sales, I know personally that they sure can get tough on cigarettes by mail or any other delivery service (an Indian tribe just lost the ability to deliver via it's own delivery service,) so it's not like that's not possible.

Given this article written

Verified Atheist — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:06:00 +0000

In reply to Focus on Gangs in Chicago Puts Major Dent in Killing Trend

Given this article written just over a month ago, I have to wonder if Mayor Emanuel has tweaked the gun control laws at all. I tried doing a Google search on the topic but didn't find anything that seemed very relevant. Given your sizeable political knowledge, I thought you might be able to point to any interesting Chicago (or Illinois or even Indiana) gun control laws that could also be linked to this decrease in killings.

SLIDESHOW: Soaring Gun

artappraiser — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:49:13 +0000

In reply to Focus on Gangs in Chicago Puts Major Dent in Killing Trend

SLIDESHOW: Soaring Gun Violence Declines in Chicago

GRAPHIC: Chicago Killings at 1960s Level