GANGLAND: Salt Lake City (Taylorsville, South Salt Lake: sale, crimes, neighborhood)

[illinoisboy]

Originally Posted by VC dreamer

I had the opportunity to talk to a local cop last monday, gang unit out of slc. we were comparing crime out here, compared to crime back in SoCal, and he was telling me that the gang problem in slc is extremely bad. I laughed, telling him he was full of it, but then he started rambling off some numbers and stats. It was surprising.
I asked him how come they're so low profile out here (compared to ca), and he said because it was easier for them to blend in, and take advantage of people's ignorance of gangs in general, and that they all sport their colors, just not in the obvious ways like they do it SoCal.

What I'd like to know is why the hell the cops don't arrest these idiots when they have the chance!! I mean, sure they'll talk to em and ask them there name but then what? They let em go! And I'm just talking in general.

The show said that there is a big amount of gangstas in SLC because many of them are escaping from the 3 Strikes Law in CA. Although I don't get why they just can't go to Vegas or Phoenix. I mean, they're closer anyways

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

There are a lot of reports of gangs on the news, things like "shooting thought to be gang-related" but it's small number so people involved, i.e., 3 males attacked a man. Whatever, it's a problem here or we wouldn't have a gang unit in the police dept. I'm just saying the numbers quoted were way too high.

[DP525]

As far as crime and gangs go, I'll take my chances in the Salt Lake metro area any day compared to most large cities. The crime rate is still relatively low here. There are certain parts of the city you might not want to hang out in but most of it is just fine. There does seem to be an increase of thefts in the burbs lately but I am not sure if it is gang or economy related.

[dcisive]

It most certainly is NO joke and IS a reality. I originally came to Salt Lake city back in 1978 for 3 years. It was astounding how naive the folks here were. But back then they could afford to be. The population was easily 87% LDS with next to no crime. The 3 years I lived here there was ONE....yes ONE murder, and let me tell you the people were shocked at that. There weren't enough african americans to count on your hands and toes. The Hispanic community was isolated and limited to "Central City" an area perhaps 4 city blocks long near downtown.

There was absolutely NO....and I repeat NO graffiti whatsoever no matter where in the city you roamed. I used to visit a friend up in Rose Park, which back then was NO paria of a place to live. Of course there was no urban sprawl. There was essentially NO Draper....it was all fields. South Jordan was large acreage of horse properties with farms still in existance. You never hesitated to go anywhere at any time PERIOD. I lived in a small apartment in the East Millcreek area which was next to heaven back than. Still decent today but changing. It truly was a different world....then as the show illustrated........enter some terribly huge mistakes on the part of "The Church" and the State of Utah.

In the early 80's the Church promoted mass moves for the Tongan communties traditionally located in LA, where their kids had largely become infested with gang involvement. To add to the infestation of this mass migration to the Salt Lake area, the State of Utah opened it's doors to the overloaded LA penal system and invited their overflow of criminals to come to our spacious accomodations in our penal system here as we had no significant crime. Well I don't have to tell you when you take a person with the flu and place him in a home of perfectly healthy people you get a houseful of sick people.

Just as the show illustrated as soon as the Crips become dominant the splinter groups from the Bloods found out about the easy pickins in Utah they moved right in. We've been easy prey for the slaughter ever since. It has been very sad to see the transition as we moved back in 93 after having left prior to this infestation in 1981. Anyone that says its not a problem is a typical ostrich who has chosen to place their head in the sand. It is absolutely pervasive now. We built a nice new home out in the far stretches of Herriman in Rosecrest to get as far as we reasonably could and still get to our jobs. Well, they are there as well. And the culture of the gangs is pervasive as well. I saw Herriman's first tagging a month ago. Fortunately it was erased by the city within 24 hours.

I am aware of a house with gang affiliations several blocks away, and a couple of houses with older occupants associated with drug trafficing (which I'm keeping an eye on to hopfully help law enforcement eliminate asap). It is just like a bad virus. Unfortunately with our brain dead society they aren't willing nor able to address it the way it should be.....like surgery....CUT IT OUT! so we remain like lambs to the slaughter to a degree as we are somewhat powerless to stem it's tide as it moves forward in our society. And frankly....the ****ty parents I see who act powerless to control their kids behavior only fosters the whole mess.....this includes the most holy of them all LDS folks. So were we are. Just another metro area waiting for the other shoe to drop regarding out of control gang proliferation. It is anything but subtle, but for many they like to play it down. it is a HUGE problem make no mistake. To say otherwise is to be completely in denial....and that is what got Salt Lake into this mess in the first place....like I said....they like playing ostriches with their heads in the sand around here..........

[ckostler1]

Originally Posted by Chicagoland60426

I seen the Gangland episode on SLC too and I don't remember them saying there are 100,000 gang members. I doubt that SLC area have 100,000 gang members consider the city alone is just 180,000 in population. What I found interesting about the episode is that most of the crip gang members in SLC are Samoans/Polynesian and church/religious people.

what you didnt listen to is those somoans/polynesians are apart of a different gang (s.o.s) Sons of somoa Crips they are the TCg rivals trust me there are no somoans in a Tongan gang! i have a friend in the TCG and they apsolutely hate somoans even if they arent in a gang.. and the only reason why they go to church (once again you didnt listen) is to keep their reps low so they stay out of the radar of the cops.. and the Mr. C guy on the gangland show i have actually talked to him about his experience and he said Church was a get away for him.. especially when he wanted to stop Bangin.

[ckostler1]

Originally Posted by DP525

As far as crime and gangs go, I'll take my chances in the Salt Lake metro area any day compared to most large cities. The crime rate is still relatively low here. There are certain parts of the city you might not want to hang out in but most of it is just fine. There does seem to be an increase of thefts in the burbs lately but I am not sure if it is gang or economy related.

do somemore research on the crime rate its more then double the National average now.. and for the gang the only reason why we dont hear about more gang activity is because the Metro Gang Unit keeps it bottled up so we can go on living our happy lives and stay in denial

[Huckleberry3911948]

crime should not be measured it should be eradicated. americans hate punishment and abhor justice. when this stops it will get better.

[dcisive]

If I'm right (and I only wish I was wrong) with the attitudes of the folks here in happy valley (next to ostriches heads in the sand) they will continue to ignore as much of it as they possibly can, and the gang (both big major gangs and punk wanna be gangs) will flourish more and more. They would never admit it, but it is already far beyond out of control. They will NEVER reign it in at this point. I blame parents ( or lack thereof) as much or more than anyone for this. There is NO parenting going in, the little bangers all grow up thinking its some kind of game. I have to witness the future gang bangers of America all around the neighborhood. I'm not saying they are crip, blood or sos material. They are some of the worst kind. They have NO regard for others property or life. They just want to instigate and intimidate. If it weren't illiegal I'd take a baseball bat to their empty little heads before they get any older. By the time the're 14 it's already too late. This is a true direction of the youth today. OUT OF CONTROL....and sh-t for brains parents that should have been sterilized prior to their births.

[mktavish]

Yes the Ostritch is not the best approach for sure , but the whole US and Them attitude sure doesnt win friends and influence people either.

[mhcLyon]

Gangs have become very sophisticated. It seems SLC would be an opportune place because it's insulated from other large cities and it a good stopping point in the West. There would be lots of competition in Phoenix and Vegas.
These gangs aren't going away. People are tribal. Those that don't fit into a religious culture, are uneducated, and are in a minority group want to associate with others like them. Water seeks it's own level. And if Polynesians are large in number then so are their gangs.
These gangs aren't going away. It all falls into the hands of the police.