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They just busted members of the La Familia cartel in Austin. Obviously the larger Mexican drug cartels are in Austin in some capacity if the smaller ones are here.
Also I think everyone would be surprised what % of Austin's economy is in some way related to drug money. Laundering drug money, etc.
They just busted members of the La Familia cartel in Austin. Obviously the larger Mexican drug cartels are in Austin in some capacity if the smaller ones are here.
Also I think everyone would be surprised what % of Austin's economy is in some way related to drug money. Laundering drug money, etc.
Yes, if I remember correctly, they were living quietly in some suburban community, Pflugerville or Round Rock! Not the east side of Austin, not Dove Springs! And they were quiet too, not loud or obvious. Daily FedEx deliveries though and that was eventually what busted them!
Crime in Dove Springs is down! Way down. Front page in article in the Stateman about it, maybe two weeks ago. I'll look for the link.
Can't post the link but the article was dated December 29 and was titled "Renewal in Dove Springs" it noted that the area was a hotbed for juvenile crime and wanna be gangs in the 1980s and 90s but that coordinated efforts by police and community have changed the situation dramatically. The article included a crime map and Dove Springs now experiences less crime than almost anywhere east of I-35 and less then the downtown area!
This is good (obviously). The Dove Springs area has close proximity to downtown, is the hilliest area one can find east of 35, has multiple greenbelts running throughout, has an 18 hole golf course and one of the largest parks in the Austin metro area with McKinney Falls. This area has all the hallmarks of future gentrification. Not to sound overly optimistic, but when newcomers get priced out of South Austin, they will turn their attention further south to Buda, or to this area. There There is new construction with HOA's and some older areas that are more run down. The one big issue holding this area back is access, and it's an issue with the outdated I-35 in general. Turning left from 35 anywhere south of town is a nightmare until you reach Slaughter Ln. Why someone would make an off-ramp, then force the traffic through 2 stoplights before allowing them to take a left on W. Cannon is beyond me. There may be poor areas in this part of town, but they are hard working hispanic families (mostly) that would give you the shirts off their backs, not generational welfare cases. My wife was shopping at the HEB there on 35/Cannon, and I was sitting out in the car with the kids. She came out and told me that somehow I had her debit card, and that an older couple had bought her groceries for her to the tune of $32. She had fumbled in her purse visibly frazzled about it, and the couple behind her in line gave their card to the cashier and paid for the whole shopping trip. I was shocked. The people in this part of town are very genuine. I had preconceptions about lower socioeconomic areas of town, and avoided them whenever possible until I had my bearings. In the larger city where I came from, you learned the difference between "dangerous" parts of town, and "poor" parts of town because there was a distinction. "Poor" parts of town are welcoming of bohemian types and families, "Dangerous" parts of town are filled with people who think it's "their turf" and they let you know you're not welcome. Dove Springs may be "poor" but it is not the "dangerous" part of town.
Yes, if I remember correctly, they were living quietly in some suburban community, Pflugerville or Round Rock! Not the east side of Austin, not Dove Springs! And they were quiet too, not loud or obvious. Daily FedEx deliveries though and that was eventually what busted them!
And that was the smallest of the Mexican cartels. The members of the larger cartels probably are in downtown high rises, wearing suits, and totally transparent to all of us.
Most of the big fries in the Mexican cartels in Austin probably arent even Mexican. Thats right many of the worst drug dealers are white and dont live in ghettos.
i'm not sure why the majority of austinites get the impression that austin is this fairytale innocent suburbia where flowers bloom under your every footstep, but it is an incredibly naive and silly notion. the people spouting these inaccuracies have obviously been contained only within the environment they know and feel safe in, which is apparently very limited. its irresponsible and dangerous to tell people interested in moving to austin that there is no gang population.
there are most definitely hispanic gangs in austin, as well as white and black gangs. most notably, ms13 has members living in or passing through austin on a regular basis. we do not have a large amount of ms13 members in austin, but if you know anything about the brutality of this gang, you'll understand when i say one member is too many. if you know anything about the absolutely frightening gang activity in laredo, you would know that many of the mexican gangs infiltrating the drug cartel in laredo have started surges of members in austin. there are also a considerable amount of white biker gangs that constantly pass through austin, of which can be some of the most violent in austin. they generally like to showcase themselves during the redneck rally (rot rally).
you have to think of gangs like you would the mafia. it's about control, power and money. if there is something to control or money to be made, there is generally a gang nearby attempting to obtain these items. there is an enormous drug market in austin, as i'm sure many of you know. there will always be a gang controlling these substances to some degree. privatized drug creation and sales are few and far between. this is not meant to scare anyone, but compared to the ridiculous assumptions made from other posters on this thread, these statements seem frightening.
in reality, austin overall has a very limited gang population. but it is currently growing, mostly due to gangs from the decay of new orleans battling for new territory. gang violence is generally kept strictly to itself, and it is very rare to be a victim of any gang related crime in austin, unless of course you are in a gang yourself. i guarantee there are areas of austin each and every one of you have never ventured to, or don't want to know exist. but they do, and the more you get your head out of fantastical idealism, the more you're able to help the poverished areas of austin in need.
Last edited by absolutely; 01-18-2010 at 04:30 AM..
This is good (obviously). The Dove Springs area has close proximity to downtown, is the hilliest area one can find east of 35, has multiple greenbelts running throughout, has an 18 hole golf course and one of the largest parks in the Austin metro area with McKinney Falls. This area has all the hallmarks of future gentrification. Not to sound overly optimistic, but when newcomers get priced out of South Austin, they will turn their attention further south to Buda, or to this area. There There is new construction with HOA's and some older areas that are more run down. The one big issue holding this area back is access, and it's an issue with the outdated I-35 in general. Turning left from 35 anywhere south of town is a nightmare until you reach Slaughter Ln. Why someone would make an off-ramp, then force the traffic through 2 stoplights before allowing them to take a left on W. Cannon is beyond me. There may be poor areas in this part of town, but they are hard working hispanic families (mostly) that would give you the shirts off their backs, not generational welfare cases. My wife was shopping at the HEB there on 35/Cannon, and I was sitting out in the car with the kids. She came out and told me that somehow I had her debit card, and that an older couple had bought her groceries for her to the tune of $32. She had fumbled in her purse visibly frazzled about it, and the couple behind her in line gave their card to the cashier and paid for the whole shopping trip. I was shocked. The people in this part of town are very genuine. I had preconceptions about lower socioeconomic areas of town, and avoided them whenever possible until I had my bearings. In the larger city where I came from, you learned the difference between "dangerous" parts of town, and "poor" parts of town because there was a distinction. "Poor" parts of town are welcoming of bohemian types and families, "Dangerous" parts of town are filled with people who think it's "their turf" and they let you know you're not welcome. Dove Springs may be "poor" but it is not the "dangerous" part of town.
Great post. I used to work near Dove Springs and I could never understand people saying it was such a dangerous place. Poor yes, but dangerous, no. I shopped near there and felt perfectly safe. I'm not saying there's no crime there, but it's certainly not the ghetto people make it out to be.
I would tend to agree with you on that one. The few gangs that would be here, would almost certainly be east of interstate 35 and most likely in the Motopolis/Riverside area. Yeah, i wouldn't be surprised if many of the austin gangs move to San Antonio. SA is a haven for violent crime, gangs, and welfare. Yet, somehow this dump of a city attracts more annual tourists than any other city in the state. I guess people are excited to walk along a dirty, stinky river that almost never is cleaned. I swear, the last time I was down there (several years ago), the smell of that sesspool nearly killed me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TXperson
Austin does have gangs, but they are EXTREMELY small in numbers and inactive. I'm thinking that either the APD is phenomenal and doesn't play around, or that most gangs find Austin 'lame' and relocate to San Antonio and other larger cities instead (found quite a few down there, though). Either way, it is truly a blessing and you should enjoy Austin and its virtually non existent violent crime.
i'm not sure why the majority of austinites get the impression that austin is this fairytale innocent suburbia where flowers bloom under your every footstep, but it is an incredibly naive and silly notion. the people spouting these inaccuracies have obviously been contained only within the environment they know and feel safe in, which is apparently very limited. its irresponsible and dangerous to tell people interested in moving to austin that there is no gang population.
there are most definitely hispanic gangs in austin, as well as white and black gangs. most notably, ms13 has members living in or passing through austin on a regular basis. we do not have a large amount of ms13 members in austin, but if you know anything about the brutality of this gang, you'll understand when i say one member is too many. if you know anything about the absolutely frightening gang activity in laredo, you would know that many of the mexican gangs infiltrating the drug cartel in laredo have started surges of members in austin. there are also a considerable amount of white biker gangs that constantly pass through austin, of which can be some of the most violent in austin. they generally like to showcase themselves during the redneck rally (rot rally).
you have to think of gangs like you would the mafia. it's about control, power and money. if there is something to control or money to be made, there is generally a gang nearby attempting to obtain these items. there is an enormous drug market in austin, as i'm sure many of you know. there will always be a gang controlling these substances to some degree. privatized drug creation and sales are few and far between. this is not meant to scare anyone, but compared to the ridiculous assumptions made from other posters on this thread, these statements seem frightening.
in reality, austin overall has a very limited gang population. but it is currently growing, mostly due to gangs from the decay of new orleans battling for new territory. gang violence is generally kept strictly to itself, and it is very rare to be a victim of any gang related crime in austin, unless of course you are in a gang yourself. i guarantee there are areas of austin each and every one of you have never ventured to, or don't want to know exist. but they do, and the more you get your head out of fantastical idealism, the more you're able to help the poverished areas of austin in need.
spot on. there is no such thing as utopia. where there lots of people, chances are there will be crime. there are ms13, crips, bloods, you name it. i don't like it, and yes, i would love to find an area that is totally gang free but the fact remains that gangs in the most basic sense are fraternities and always attract the kids who tend not to have a strong foundation at home, the kids who feel they need to fit into something, the wannabe gangsters...and these people can be in suburbs, $$ subdivisions, anywhere. It's their parents that make the money to live in a home in the suburbs..their kids are another story. As for people running cartels out of suburban homes, think about it - if they have the money to afford the rent/mortgage, what can be done about it? The high level drug dealers have the means/ways to integrate into society - they have to. Remember the "nice young man" that got gunned down in central austin with his girlfriend? He was a pot dealer. Drugs, with its big money, will always seduce regardless of social status or race.
That said, what makes a difference is community vigilance and action and police response. If people see a gang tag, WASH IT OFF. And keep washing it off, until the message is sent that if you want to do your gang thing you're going to have to do it in your home or elsewhere.
As for people running cartels out of suburban homes, think about it - if they have the money to afford the rent/mortgage, what can be done about it? .
Hypothetical: If you were to grow pot in your house, and you had to pay $1600/mo in rent, why wouldn't you grow it in a 4000sf McMansion in the suburbs?
1. You could increase your output 3X compared to growing in a central Austin hut.
2. You're closer to your customer base: suburban kids with money (let's face it).
3. You have a fast track out of the city when things get hot, and quicker access to other markets - all without the constant police presence of a densely populated area.
C'mon, pot dealers are people too, and they too, deserve the American.
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