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The solution to end gangs in this country is to legalize, decriminalize, and start to treat people's addictions.
How far are you willing to take it? Legalize marijuana and they just start selling something else. Do you think we should just legalize everything - heroine, meth, cocaine, crack? I'm not willing for that to happen. Legalization gives legitimacy and acceptance to drugs. It becomes a right-of-passage for young people.
What had they moved onto in between initial alcohol prohibition and drug prohibition?
Do you think they'd eventually move to oil?
There are plenty of things they could move on too. They could even still sell drugs to people who are not eligible for them legally. You know there would be heavy restrictions on who can and cannot buy legal drugs. There are still moonshiners who didn't stop just because alcohol became legal again. People still sell cigarettes illegally.
They could move on to selling illegal guns, or increase property crimes, or any number of things. I don't think the oil companies need to be concerned though. They couldn't compete.
And, the Nation of Islam. Picture taken in Baltimore yesterday - Crips, Bloods and Nation of Islam(red bow ties, some portraying the ISIS symbol)
Rev. Bryant is calling for those who are rioting to not riot today. In the middle of his interview he stated the following...
"..we have a line of gentlemen from the Nation of Islam who are going to build a human wall.." - Rev. Jamal Bryant Baltimore pastor: Young people out of control - CNN Video
The mayor had also thanked the Nation of Islam for their 'support'.
I'm on the fence with the Nation of Islam and THIS insurrection as they've not shown (yet) where their actions would lead people.
If you follow their historic rhetoric having the "Nation" involved will lead to nothing good considering they are as racist (using the actual definition of the word) as any KKK or White Supremacist group.
Maybe they've changed, maybe they are different in Baltimore (now), we'll see but I'm not holding my breath.
I'm on the fence with the Nation of Islam and THIS insurrection as they've not shown (yet) where their actions would lead people.
If you follow their historic rhetoric having the "Nation" involved will lead to nothing good considering they are as racist (using the actual definition of the word) as any KKK or White Supremacist group.
Maybe they've changed, maybe they are different in Baltimore (now), we'll see but I'm not holding my breath.
They are racial separatist but in no way would they preach random attacks on business and "enemy" public workers in their own community. Even with the well known Malcolm X rhetoric they would be closer to Reverend King than to the Black Panthers.
Looks like there is something planned for Los Angeles... Michael Brown's father will apparently be speaking.
A day after the L.A Riots anniversary..which started on April 29th.
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While the nation is focused on the civil unrest in Baltimore that grew out of the still unexplained death of Freddie Gray at the hands on that city’s police department, a rally for Freddie Gray is scheduled for Los Angeles.
Specifically, the National Action Network a leading Los Angeles civil rights organization will hold a vigil and rally in memory of Freddie Gray, the young African American man who died in police custody in Baltimore. Michael Brown Sr., father of Michael Brown killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri is a confirmed special guest speaker.
When: Thursday, April 30
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Leimert Park
Crenshaw and Vernon
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Read more at Freddie Gray Rally Set for LA – Michael Brown’s Father to Speak
What had they moved onto in between initial alcohol prohibition and drug prohibition?
Do you think they'd eventually move to oil?
Before alcohol it was opium. But gangs have moved into prostitution (especially child prostitution), gambling, extortion, smuggling, racketeering, fencing, counterfeiting, laundering (especially things like EBT funds), identity theft, even cigarettes (when trans-boundary tax differences are big enough). And even if we start legalizing some drugs, there will still be black market trade in those legal drugs like we see now with pain pills or in derivatives of those drugs (e.g. cocaine could be legalized, but there would still be a black market for more powerful derivatives like crack).
Most of the gap between alcohol prohibition and drug prohibition was filled in with gambling and prostitution though.
Military isn't allowed to act as police; Constitution says so. The state can call in their national guard but the USA military is out of the picture unless foreign entities are attacking.
Posse Comitatus Act, not the Constitution. And that only applies to the Army and Air Force. It does not restrict the use of Coast Guard, Marine Corps or Navy. Also, Congress can expressly override Posse Comitatus.
Which they did in 2006, authorizing the use of armed forces to restore public order (as a response to Hurricane Katrina). That act was repealed in 2008, but it is an example of how Congress can override Posse Comitatus.
Pressure on the gang itself. A more targeted police solution with even greater resources could cause problems for a gang.
Micro targeting is gaining traction in law enforcement. Police don't go after every one who has a gang affiliation because that can end up being much like herding cats. Instead they find out who actually runs the gang, target them, follow them constantly, arrest them whenever you have legal cause, and never let up until they give up the gang or move out of the area - by doing so it makes it less likely that other gang members will be vying for the honor of running the gang as they may have if their leader had gone to prison or died in a glorious gun fight. (you have no idea of the impact of every cop in town smiling, waving, and greeting a gang leader by name every time he appears in public)
This. They're gang members. I'm pretty sure they never cared about a cop's life to begin with.
My friend was shot and killed by a gang member, just for standing next to someone with the wrong color t-shirt. I'm not kidding - all in all, two people were murdered, one was shot but survived, and the fourth was able to run away fast enough. And all because one guy in the group was wearing the wrong color t-shirt (and they didn't look remotely like gang members - no tattoos, no bandanas, and they were standing in a family park in a city not known for gang violence). So I'm not exactly sure why a gang member wouldn't hesitate to kill a cop.
I hate to break it to you, but gang members almost never riot. If there are people arrested who claim to belong to a gang they are generally just 'wannabees'. Gangs exist mostly to deal drugs. They don't want anyone or anything disrupting their business. Looters are usually really young, totally out of control kids.
There are plenty of things they could move on too. They could even still sell drugs to people who are not eligible for them legally. You know there would be heavy restrictions on who can and cannot buy legal drugs. There are still moonshiners who didn't stop just because alcohol became legal again. People still sell cigarettes illegally.
They could move on to selling illegal guns, or increase property crimes, or any number of things. I don't think the oil companies need to be concerned though. They couldn't compete.
Hard to say what would happen for sure. I do think that a lot of people do drugs because of the illicit/illegal nature. Most people seem to get into drugs in their younger/rebellious years too.
People would still use drugs if they were legal, people still abuse pain pills. Some do sell them illegally, but it seems less so than illegal drugs.
I think buying Heroin or Cocaine at the local pharmacy or walmart or target would take a lot of the cool and allure out of it. I could be wrong though.
Just because something isn't necessarily good for people don't mean it should be illegal.
We would also actually get some tax money from it , while now there is no tax money gain.
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