How do we stop gang violence?

Decriminalize, regulate, market and tax all drugs. There is no earthly reason why not, except to keep these gangs in business.

yea what he said ^

@dpworkin ”...except to keep these gangs in business.” Exactly.

They would find another business…...pretty quick. It’s survival. Car thefts, robberies…..

Just like prostitution, I’m sure this is one of those age old businesses that will never stop.

@jazmina88 Surely they would But maybe they would find a non-violent business. If things are legalized, maybe some of the current gangs could even shift to the legal size. After all, who knows drugs better than them. Even starting a gang and running it shows incredible ability to manage what is essentially a business (albeit a horribly illegal and violent one).

The solution can be this.Infiltrate the net by falls information.. they will start to get paranoid and they gone go by each others.It can have some reasolt.It take some time that is obviuse

The base of operations of these gangs (Mexico) is a country that cannot or will not enforce their own laws. The only effective solution is at a very high level. Tell the Mexican government to clean house or lose sovereignty over their northern states. President Wilson had to do that in 1914. The current occupant of the oval office lacks the intestinal fortitude to do this (as did his predecessor).

The gang leaders are not stupid. They use their armed force to terrorize and enforce order in their own organizations. They will not stand and fight if confronted by a proper military force (either US or Mexican).

The key is to treat drug enforcement and the heavily armed gangs as two separate issues. We can’t stop the drug trade without massive violations of civil rights. Treat the gangs as armed invaders of our sovereign territory; counterinsurgency tactics. When the gang leaders see this, they will change their method of operation; a “leave the gun, take the canollli” decision.

To quote the Beatles, “All you need is love”

You stop it by having better parents, better families, and better communities. Gotta go to the root on this issue. In fact, you can solve most problems with proper upbringing and love. As tough as gangs seem, they’re looking for acceptance and love.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land Great idea! Let’s turn a metaphorical war into a real war while we have troops engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we haven’t quite made it out of the deepest recession since the Great Depression! And, as a double bonus, we get to totally alienate our border-sharing neighbor to the South. Stick to farming, pal.

My opinion is that no matter what me may do or how me may do things, no one is going to stop gang violence. Its like a religon, whence it starts its almost impossible to stop.

Unless those gangs are a branch of the Mexican government and are operating in the USA, the USA has no right to invade Mexico.

The solution, which you mentioned in your question, is right under everyone’s noses. Legalize drugs. If people can buy them at any legitimate pub or pharmacy, the drug cartels will lose thier source of income and vanish overnight, unless they find some other banned commodoty to sell for which there is a demand.

As I understand it, the gangs have infiltrated the military, the police, and the government to such an extent that yes, they are practically “a branch of the Mexican government”.

@dpworkin I’m an old soldier. “When the only tool you’ve got is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail”.~

I basically agree with you about the foolish drug laws. The troops belong here, defending the borders; that is the primary raison d’etre of the US Army. We can’t afford to run around pissing on brush fires. The US is now at the point the British were 60 years ago. Time to get rid of imperial notions and take care of business at home. We only have to preserve the capability to kick the crap out of anyone who attacks us.

I didn’t mean that we should actually invade Mexico; just make the Mexican leaders believe that we will if they don’t clean house on their side of the border. We’ve done it four times in the past, so it’s not a great feat of diplomacy to convince them that we’re willing to do it again. These gangs are causing at least as much trouble as Pancho Villa did in 1914; the occupation of Veracruz was on far less provocation. As Clauswitz said: “War is merely an extension of diplomacy”.

Good parenting. Good coaching in sport clubs. Good leadership in other youth activity. Showing young people how they can feel proud of themselves without hurting other people. The key is self esteem.

decriminalize drugs and they have nothing to fight over.

@mattbrowne – I moastly agree, but I sometimes think we overdo the self-esteem bit. Schools put so much effort into building self-esteem, forgetting that the world is a very competitve place. When they get out into the “real world,” they discover that everybody isn’t inherently equal, and they can’t cope with the fact that they’re judged against others by their skills, intelligence, and accomplishments.

@HungryGuy – Good point. That’s one problem of school and sports. Therefore other youth activities are so important. For example organizing help for kids in poor countries.

@mattbrowne – Right! Helping kids in poor countries get a leg up into adulthood would be a good thing! Proper nutrition, adequate medical care, and education are an important first step to bringing the next generation into western standards of prosperity.

Keep the gang members and all it influencers and potentials busy; and informed of what could happen to them and tragic life stories of other members

You guys have rose coloured glasses on. ghetto life is different.

Well should we just leave it at that and accept the issue at face value? In other words, fuggetaboudit?

How about suggestions for a solution?