Uechi-Ryu.com

I find this interesting:

http://ymaa.com/articles/gangs-a-bigger ... -you-think

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Van

Perhaps if all law abiding citizens gave up their weapons, the gangs would not feel we were a threat and would therefore allow us to live without fear!

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GEM
"Do or do not. there is no try!"

Pretty interesting article Van. I was involved quite a bit in the Palm Beach County gang problem as I had to transport most of them back and forth to court and manage their trials. There have always been people who form groups but when the groups adopt habits of violence, intimidation, threats, extortion, ect. then it goes downhill from there. I was amazed at how they each had adopted those characteristics so young and so easily. They really believed they had to be as dangerous as they could just to survive. In their minds, acting like what we call civilized society just wasn't an option. It reminds me (and I know I'll get hate mail for this one) of the violent video gaming subculture. Many many years ago comedian George Carlin (and I know this sounds racist, I'm just repeating his joke) told a joke that went something like this. You take one white guy and you put him in a group with ten black guys and after a few weeks the white guy will be talking, walking, acting like the black guys. I'll end it there. Point being, when you subject yourself to constant violence, constant anger, constant killing, constant anything, eventually you're going to be caught up in believing that that's how life really is. And you transfer your (video self) or (gang self) into the real world. I've personally felt it when I played particular video games for hours or over and over and can actually feel my heart rate elevate, sweat beads form on my forehead, etc. So you take a prospective gang member, lure him or her in with the false hype of the brotherhood, money etc., and then subject them to the "atmosphere" of the gang long enough and they're in, they're hooked. They believe that's how life is and will be. The other striking thing I realized (that smacked directly opposite of how I was raised) was how there was a complete lack of remorse. Dead eyes. Even when sentenced to life in prison they almost took it as a badge of courage. This was the culture that truly scared me. I was constantly reminding my deputies that these folks would kill them for no apparent reason. And dead is dead. I won't take my family anywhere near where I even suspect there might be gang activity. And at the slightest sign of it we're out of there immediately. Dangerous stuff. And for the rare occasion where someone tries to get out of a gang. Even more dangerous.

Steve

Good reasons I won't live in L.A., Chicago, etc... but even in Anchorage there are gangs.

In 2007, there was a small riot in a notorious part of the city.
In 2008, it was considered a big problem - Media pays attention.
In 2009, the media was still paying [url]http://juneauempire.com/stories/070709/sta_460684983.shtml]attention.[/url]

In 2010, there was a shooting at a mall, and some drug busts.
In 2011, we didn't hear much.
In 2012, bodies started turning up in lakes. Heh.

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Life begins & ends cold, naked & covered in crap.

Great posts, Steve and Jason.

Reason why I started this thread is because this is a 'in your face' problem that grows exponentially as days go by, yet many people do not recognize the potential pitfalls and move about with blinders on.

I have encountered such groups in shopping malls, and it seemed like they were just looking for an excuse to give
Someone a 'beat down' …

The reason why in my writings I caution to the 'all is in sanchin' crowd to be extremely careful of who the potential enemy might be out there, they may find themselves locked in battle with.

You will never know when you might suddenly find yourself chosen for a 'wilding'…matters not where you are.

Once you read someone as a gangbanger…it is suicide to even think about fighting him with your super-confident Uechi. There is no winning there…

Rory Miller has approached this in his books.

In one of his articles he talks about what you should be aware of

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Van

Rory

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Van

One more point.........the thought that it only happens if I go into "that" neighborhood, or some other place designated as where "those" types of people hang out doesn't apply anymore. Gangs increasingly show up in high end neighborhoods, malls, etc..

Van you mentioned how it's escalating more and more, I wonder what it was like back in "the day" when the Irish, Italian, Polish, etc., gangs in New York were in their day?

Steve

Hi Steve,

I agree...a gang member may just be that !@@#$ tailgating you or the one stealing your parking space in a mall. And they do not always travel in packs...we may meet one of them randomly anywhere...and this is where we must be trained to be observant of our potential opponents, lest we get ensnared into a trap with no way out.

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Van

This brings to mind the movie 'Gangs of New York'_ Steve.

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Van

That's exactly what I was thinking of Van. LOL