https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/The latest user comments.en-usTue, 07 Dec 2021 10:48:50 -0000https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c138473Thanks for the marvelous posting! I seriously enjoyed reading it, you can be a great author.I will always bookmark your blog and will come back sometime soon. I want to encourage you to ultimately continue your great writing, have a nice morning!https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c138473https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c29747Throughout The Ghettos Of Our Country You Will Find Groups Of People: Young, Old, Brown, Black, White, Asian, e.t.c Nearly Everyone In Our Society Frowns Upon These Groups Of People Because These Groups Of People Are Labeled As The Infamous Gangsters That Plague Our Disennfranchised Communities. Even The People From The Same Communities From Which These Gangsters Are Bred See These Beings As "Less Than", Ignorant, Incompetent Beings And Most Media Portrays Them As "Monsters" "Terrorists" & "Problems" Alot Of People Do A Great Job In Dehuminazing These Groups Of People Because Gangsters Are Notoriously Known To Use Intimidation, Violence and Corruption As Means To Get What They Want; Paradoxically, Law Enforcement Officials Are Historically Known To Use The Same Means To Establish And Keep Order In Their Cities. The Difference Between The Law Enforcement Officials And Gangsters Is That The Law Works To Protect One Group While Working Against The Other. I Think It Is Time We Shift Our Minds From Dehuminazing One Another And Realize That We Are All Brothers And Sisters And We All Have Flaws, Once We Realize This We May Be Able To Unite And Better The Living Conditons In Our Communities And Stop Using Violence As Means Of Empowerment, Whether That Be Psychological Violence, Physical Violence Or Emotional Violence. https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c29747https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c22218well i live in south central myself, and its not that bad. we have are youth in the streets doing what ever they want, and its bad. when are we as leaders in are community going to stop talking about it! an do something about it ! .. https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c22218https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c21617I have no problems with the article itself, but I wish we as a society would not idolize these individuals. The way the article is written, it makes it sound like its okay to be part of a gang because eventually you will grow out of it and become a productive member of society. While that might be the case in a very small percentage of individuals. The truth of the matter is that, the majority of the kids who join a gang will end up in jail or dead. I think its important for our media outlets to put emphasis on that. When I see an old man with gang tattoos, I can't help but wonder how many people he robbed and beat up in his life. Even though he is old now, it is a fact that if you want to be a well respected member of a gang you have to "put in work" or commit crime. So I guess my final point would be to ask you guys (The media). If you are going to make a feel good story of growing up in South L.A. Feature people who grew up there but found a way to never be involved in gangs and are now successful. https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c21617https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c20507And our government wants to let more of these people in my country. And what point when your teenage child comes home with tattoos do you start parenting? Deport them all. We don't need ignorant third world poor, we have enough.https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c20507https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c20506I personally believe that this was an excellent article. Many people that have commented must not have had the misfortune of growing up in poverty, in bad areas, in high crime locations. I am an upper class individual, living the suburban life. I wasn't always though. I was raised on welfare by my great grandmother after my mother had abused and abandoned me. We did not live in a good area and crime was high. Although there is a high crime aspect of gang affiliations, there is a protection and family aspect that is more solid than many of you would ever feel in your life. While families break apart all of the time, many youth that comes from broken and battered homes look for people that care, protect and look after each other. I was one of these and the neighborhood gang never asked me to commit any crimes, nor push me into doing anything I didn't want to do. My conscience is untarnished. But they did protect me, made me feel like part of their family and when I walked home late from my friends houses, if any of them saw me they would walk me home while lecturing me, to make sure I was safe. There will always be people that commit crimes, that are mentally disturbed, or gangs that as a group over exert their boundaries with criminal intent. But not all are like this, and even those that have some criminal tendencies still have a very human element that many people have lacked https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c20506https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c20505I came to the US right before my 13th bday. My mom told me "IF YOU EVER JOIN A GANG, OR SEE YOU HANGING AROUND WITH THEM, FIRST I'LL BEAT YOU UP AND THEN SEND BACK TO THE EL SALVADOR." Let me tell you that she would have done it. Besides I've never had the need to join a gang, I was poor, my mom never got welfare, but taught me the value of hard work. Becerra, is an insensitive man who still believes it's ok to join gangs. I believe that in the beginning they may have been about protection, but now they are all about protecting their criminal enterprises. If he was to go straight and severe all ties to that gang then I would applaud him. But since he is unrepentant, forget him. Hopefully he will see the light right after his son/daughter is born https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c20505https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c20504I do not think that this article in anyway "glorifies" the existence of gangs within certain communities, it simply states the obvious fact that there are people who operate in two different and distinct worlds - the straight life and gang life. What I find amunsing is that ignorance of the folks who post, oh! you are rightgeously offended! you are disgusted!the people that this article talks about are making your food, cutting your grass, fixing your cars, etc. The comments about them not being "American" - I hate to let you all in on this secret..but, by and large they ARE American. Just as American as White Supremacist gang members, Crips and Bloods - give me a friggin break! I would bet dollars to donuts that thier english is infinitely better that thier spanish, that thier ability to communicate is in english...though they probably pepper it with spanglish. Florencia 13 has been around for many, many years and the lifelihood of it going away is as probable and Public Enemy No. 1(white gang) which has been in existence about a third of the time that F-13 has been around. So, rather than blast the LATimes for writing an article that if germane to living in Los Angeles - go hire a white gardner, nanny, mechanic, construction staff...and go broke in the process. As my son would say - would you like some cheese with that whine?? https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c20504https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c20503anonymous1966 While my gardener and daycare provider are both in fact Latin, neither is a gang member living a double existence -- A taxpaying employee by day and drug smuggling criminal by night. They are both hard working Americans following the laws of this country. Don't make this an ethnicity issue when it's not...this is about gang members of all colors. This man breaks the law every single time he "counts" another child into his gang (Pah'lease he's in his 40s when is it enough), every time he participates in crimes whether that be directly or indiscreetly and every time he condones what his "homies/familia" do to the citizens of this country in the name of pride and respect. He is a low life and this article most certainly makes him out to be better than his fellow friends because he "works as a foreman on high-end construction sites". He deserves a article about him when he denounces his old life style and makes a new one for his family. As long as he shows loyalty to a bunch of heathens...he's glorifying his life and you are too by accepting it. https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c20503https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c20502Having grown up in East L.A. - in a neigborhood infested with gangs, I'm thankful to my parents for keeping us straight. Never, ever did I have any interest in gangs. They have always disgusted me and continue to do so, 45 years later. https://projects.latimes.com/south-la-gangs/comments/#c20502