Thread: D.C. gang control

http://www.washingtontimes.com/metro/20 ... -9546r.htm

Officials seek more collaboration in gang control
By Gary Emerling
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July 15, 2006


Federal and local officials yesterday touted their successes against violent gangs in Northern Virginia but called for greater collaboration among District-area jurisdictions in gang prevention.

"It is really a regional issue, a national issue and when you're talking about gangs like MS-13, it has an international reach," Rep. Chris Van Hollen Jr., Maryland Democrat, said at a hearing before the House Committee on Government Reform held at Fairfax City Hall.

Yesterday's hearing, chaired by Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, Virginia Republican, focused on the relationship between law-enforcement agencies and the public and private sectors in combating gang violence.

The committee also pointed to the three-year-old Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force -- spearheaded by Rep. Frank R. Wolf, Virginia Republican -- as a model for fighting gangs and examined the roles of gang task forces in Maryland.

"The effort from the Virginia side has been a total cooperative effort," Mr. Wolf said. "This is a model for the nation."

The task force, which provides federal funding to 14 police jurisdictions in Northern Virginia, has fought gangs in that region with some success.

For example, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly said that only 10 percent of the county's crimes are committed by its estimated 1,500 gang members.

"Don't do it in Northern Virginia, don't do it in Fairfax -- that's the word on the street," said Robert A. Bermingham Jr., the county's gang prevention coordinator.

However, federal officials and Maryland legislators said the task force's success has caused many of Northern Virginia's gang members to migrate to the District and Maryland.

Gangs are moving because of increased police activity, or simply to find affordable housing, officials said.

"Instead of reducing gang activity, we're just spreading it around," said Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, Maryland Democrat and member of the House Committee on Government Reform. "We need to work as a regional team to solve the problem."

Much of yesterday's hearing was focused on officials' response to MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, a gang founded in Los Angeles in the 1980s by refugees of the Salvadoran civil war.

MS-13 has since become one of the largest and most violent gangs in the D.C. area. Since February 2005, 190 of 233 violent street gang members arrested in the District and Northern Virginia were identified as members of MS-13, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat, said yesterday that the city has an estimated 500 to 600 gang members, with 75 of them identified as members of MS-13.

Most recently, police said they think MS-13 is responsible for the July 1 fatal shooting of three men in Prince George's County. And, while there is no evidence in the D.C. area of any MS-13 ties with the terrorist group al Qaeda, officials said such an alliance is "a concern" nationally.
Officials said they have noticed MS-13 leaders from Los Angeles and El Salvador visiting the D.C. area.

"We see influences from the West Coast," said Capt. Milburne Lynn, commander of the Prince George's County Police Violent Crimes Task Force/Gang Unit. "People come from the West Coast to either set up cliques or direct cliques here."

There are as many as 10,000 hard-core members of MS-13 in the U.S., according to the National Drug Intelligence Center.

"The good news is we're making progress in our fight against gangs," Mr. Davis said. But "we cannot and will not surrender our streets to the violence of turf and retribution."

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The finally said it! It's MS13 gangs causing all the crime in D.C. I was wondering when we would hear who was causing all this violence...this P.C. world, they hardly ever describe the perp!

Ya...they just don't want you to know the truth. It's gotten crazy. Alot of times when they describe the people committing the crimes if they say 2 men...it usually means black men. There's no qualm at all saying it's a white man. And now if it's an Hispanic person.....they will say white or hispanic if they are still looking for them. But if it's a white guy, they don't say white or hispanic. Recently some young white boys did a horrible beating on other white boys and they went so far as to say they were Polish or German. It's taken PC to a bizzare level.

Originally Posted by crazybird

Ya...they just don't want you to know the truth. It's gotten crazy. Alot of times when they describe the people committing the crimes if they say 2 men...it usually means black men. There's no qualm at all saying it's a white man. And now if it's an Hispanic person.....they will say white or hispanic if they are still looking for them. But if it's a white guy, they don't say white or hispanic. Recently some young white boys did a horrible beating on other white boys and they went so far as to say they were Polish or German. It's taken PC to a bizzare level.

It's going to get to the point, when they put out a bulletin, we won't know what race to even look for.

It is well documented that most serial killers are "white men"....do I get upset? NO! Call it like it is and get these people out of our country!!!

It started here recently, too. No mention of race or color in regards to suspects. Just: police are looking for a man, or two men or a couple of women, like that.

I always thought the description of suspects given by law authorities was to help with leads in the case. You know, call the tip line and help solve a crime.

That fence around 1600 Pennsylvania Ave looks pretty substantial and there are certainly plenty of secret service agents stationed around.

Give gang members a sleeping bag and put them INSIDE the fence. El presidente could have his "willing workers with family values that don't stop at the Rio Grande" that he perfers over us mere citizens.

Wonder how long it would take the compound to fill up?

Senator Cornyn in Texas is concerned that they are still playing catch and release with Salvadoreans including easily identifiable MS-13 gang members. How did such a great country get such a screwed up government.

I can tell you from personal experience, MS-13 is out of control in the DC area. The problem has been festering for years.

I remember back in the late 80's early 90's all we ever heard about
in the news was about the two Black Gangs... The Crips and The Blood and how dangerous, destructive, and violent they were!

Now there is MS-13, and my first time hearing about them was 5 months ago,,,,yet many say they have been around for years.

I wonder why MS-13 never makes the headlines the way The Crips and The Blood did

The reason they don't mention MS13 is because they are from SOUTH OF THE BORDER. Anyone from SOUTH OF THE BORDER gets Carte Blanche. It is in the plan for our countries future. If you are from SOUTH OF THE BORDER and BREAK OUR LAWS you get PLATINUM CARTE BLANCHE.

Trouble

Cornyn sounded sincere in his statements about the M.S. 13 gang but then he turned around and voted against funding border security. Both Texas senators did. I don't know if it was Mark Twain or Will Rogers that said "no man's life or property are safe while congress is in session". Still rings true.