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October 24, 2004
Young, armed, and dangerous: Boston gangs smaller -- and more lethal
Boston Globe, October 17, 2004
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/10/17/young_armed_and/ [...] Grant Manor is a flash point in the new kind of gang violence that has shaken Boston, miniature turf wars that have contributed to an alarming increase in the number of homicides this year and have left city officials, police, and community activists struggling to find a solution. As of yesterday, Boston had recorded 55 killings in 2004, compared with 41 for all of 2003; two police officers who have investigated the violence said two-thirds of the slayings are believed to be related to gang activity. Street by street, new gangs are springing up, populated by ever-younger members, some as young as 12, who are better armed and more likely to commit random, unpredictable acts of bloodshed, according to gang members, clergy and community activists, police and city officials. The collaboration of police and civic groups that in the past kept gangs in check and won Boston national fame has lost some of its urgency and effectiveness, several observers said.[...] Gangs used to fight their battles over drug-trafficking turf. Now, they have for the most part disintegrated into fights over the ambiguous but deadly serious definition of ''respect." Some of the seemingly insignificant events that lead to violence -- a lingering stare, a dance with someone else's girlfriend, an offhand remark, an anonymous game of one-upmanship via cellphone party lines or the Internet -- are not a new phenomenon. But such squabbles are more likely to lead to bloodshed now, youth workers said.
Posted by Emma at October 24, 2004 07:12 AM
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