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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2011)
Street roots 5 'E l Aug. 5, 2011 — GANGS, from page 1 has similar things, if you have three felonies, and they don’t have to be violent felonies, they can put you in prison for 35 years to life. It didn’t stop anything. It just made it worse. I really do think you have to turn people around. You can’t give up on anybody. I know it’s going to be hard. Some of these people are hard people to work with, and some will never change, but you have to work in that direction because the end result is more danger. I know in Portland, orte of the big problems you’re having is L.A.-based gangs. Sureño gangs, primarily based in Southern California, are now spread around the % country. I saw Sureño gangsfighting Latin Kings in Delaware, and the reason why that is so is because L.A. has suppressed and squeezed gang communities. We have 40 gang injunctions in the city of L.A. All we’ve done is make crime slightly less in L.A., even though it’s not really that better. But we’ve spread out the problem around the country. In Storm Lake, Iowa, / they were worried about MS 13 (Mara Salvatrucha) and the Latin Kings going to war. This is going on in Chicago too. You have the same problem: L.A. and Chicago are squeezing the gangs, but all they’re doing is spreading it out. So now part of that 800,000 to a million new gang members are guys that are imitating L.A. gangs or being recruited by L.A. gangs, but most have never been to L.A. So we’re just spreading the problem. It’s not just U.S., it’s global. In Mexico you have a large number of L.A.-based and California-based gangsters raised in the U.S. and deported. In Central America, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, you see the presence of LA..-based gangs. From 1996 to today, they deported close to 700,000 criminally involved' undocumented people around the world, bqt primarily to Mexico and Central America.'*’* That’s a whole lot of people. That could change a culture in a place like El Salvador. Part of the problem in Portland is the rise of LA..-based or other major areas gangs, like Norteños. Some of them aren’t even guys from those places. All it takes is one or two guys to set up shop in that area and recruit people and establish a gang in that area. I think that’s one of the big problems. J.T.: Are we seeing a new age of gang globalization? L.R.: Yes, absolutely. But where people think it’s coming from is Latin America to w us, it’s the other way around: It’s coming from us to Mexico and Central America. Now there’s been drug cartels in Mexico that have been around for several generations. They’re recruiting some of these tattooed, jobless, homeless mostly, gang kids that are building up these drug cartels, which is a problem in those countries separate from the U.S., but unfortunately it’s being fueled by a large number of deportees that have criminal récords and are being deported in large numbers and don’t know where to go. zones you would have churches wherq kids think people support these deportation could come in and use those services. policies. They sound good because it Schools would open up later. There would involves deporting criminals, but a lot of the be jobs training. All the businesses would problems too are being exported to other try to hire kids from the community and countries. For instance, there was no crack train them. Even the police would be in El Salvador in the early ‘90s. Now crack involved by not harassing the kids but by is big in those countries because it’s working with the kids. become a jump-off point from Colombia to It would be a place where we work toward Central America to Mexico. I just think that the well-being of our people have to be children and our aware of those youth and provide polices. Expedient services, jobs isn’t workable. We’ve training, anything so become a global "Gangs, to me, are a J.T.: In Portland, the mayor is advocating that these children economy. We’ve have special zones where people who’ve had gun or won’t be taken into reflection of vacuums, an impact globally. gangs. If you have drug violations are excluded from certain empties: social, economic, vacuums, the kids get areas. J.T.: When urban political empties. In almost taken in. If you have areas are gentrified, every community where L.R.: Those are kind of like the gang decent long-range how does that affect injunctions that L.A. has. This model relationships with gangs? people have revitalized doesn’t work. Kids are under scrutiny that adults and youths and themselves, where they've they wouldn’t be put under in any Third teachers and students L.R.: We did a brought in arts, culture and World dictatorship. Kids can’t have cell and even the police, study on some of phones. Two or three kids can’t be on the have created new ways to you’re going to find these gang corner at the same time. If you’re a former that gangs will have a have work, a ll these injunctions and we gang member or you were a prison gang hard time getting a found that most of communities don't have member and you talk to another gang foothold in those them were not in the gangs or hardly any gangs." worst gang member, you could be picked up. You can’t communities. Those have bats at certain hours. The curfew, for are the long-range communities. Some non-expedient them, is 6 p.m. They make things worse. of them were areas I don’t know your mayor, and I don’t policies we have to that were being start looking at now. doubt he’s doing what he thinks is the right gentrified. For thing to do. But I really want people to know Everything else is example, if you take making the problem worse. that it’s only politically expedient, it’s not a downtown L.A. which for a long tune was long-range solution. Skid Row. You had this enclave of homeless J.T.: You had a long career working as a people, mostly African-Americans. What J.T.: Does that sort of a approach end up journalist. What do you think the media happened is they started building downtown targeting minorities? misses on this issue, and how well do you art galleries and cafes. And they had a gang think the public really understands what’s injunction against some little gang, no one happening? L.R.: Absolutely, All those gang had ever heard of them. And what they did injunctions. All 40 of them (in L.A.) are in is they used that to clear out parts of Skid black or brown communities. But there are L.R.: I think what happens, unfortunately, Row to make way for gentrification. In white gangs. There are Asian gangs, but all is that they tend to go with the official another area here in L.A. is a place called the 40 gang injunctions are in black or police statements and tend to get the Avenues. They’re mostly Mexican. brown communities. You’ll see in Portland misinformation. I’ye worked with some good They’re part of Highland Park, and recently th a t th a t’s w here they’ll end up being. police officers, and some of them are very they had one big effort where they brought ¿Mother police departments. But Highland honest and very knowledgeable. But law J.T.: What are we as a society getting right enforcement often has to make the problem Park is now becoming gentrified and there’s in dealing with gangs? So bad and so scary that people vote for all monied people coming in. In Chicago, I saw these policies that result in more crime. the same thing. L.R.: Gangs, to me, are a reflection of It’s good they’re revitalizing communities; vacuums, empties: social, economic, political J.T.: Local law enforcement is being used to it’s good that they’re rebuilding, but empties. In almost every community where carry out national policies on immigration unfortunately they’re squeezing the people have revitalized themselves, where •and terrorism. Specifically, what I ’m thinking community and not keeping it intact they’ve brought in arts, culture and have about is Portland’s collusion with the Joint They’re just throwing people out. And now created new ways to have work, all these Terrorism Task Force and how the ICE has you’re seeing gangs in suburban communities don’t have gangs or hardly any been used by local law enforcement to enforce communities. They-’re now in Riverside. gangs. There’s pot that many communities, immigration policies. Does this impact the They’re now in Lancaster. I’m sure the same but a few are getting it together. issue of gangs? is happening in Portland. What I would propose is that instead of gangs zones we create peace zones. In those L.R.: Yeah, I think it’s unfortunate. I ■ I II : ■ ■ ■L- Street Books, 4 bicycle-powered mobile library, coming to a street near you! LOOKING FOR AN AFFORDABLE PLACE TO RENT? Your online housing search just got easier. Thousands o f listings • Free service Includes special needs housing . Call 2-1-1 or 503-802-8562 HOUSING Library Location & Hours: For ju s t $5 a m onth, you c help support P o rtla n d s only street paper a n d homeless a t tow-income vendor program. Learn how to set up a n e 4 I Mi (1 a i ■ ■ I ■MB Wednesdays, 10-2 Skidmore Fountain. Saturdays, 10-2, Park Blocks @ SW Salmon. Street Books will use an old-school card catalogue system, checking out and accepting returned books, twice weekly through the summer. You do not need an address to be able to check out books, The website streetbooks.org will feature photos of patrons who wish to be featured with their book of choice, on-line book reviews submitted by patrons, and updates about Street Books news and library hours. At the end of the summer, Street Books will host a reception, Inviting patrons to come talk about their favorite books, and share their experiences with the project. To find out more about the project, or to donate paperbacks, contact Laura Moulton: laura@ideacog.net.
