Comments on: The Barrio Azteca Trial and the Prison Gang-Cartel Interface http://www.poligazette.com/2008/11/22/the-barrio-azteca-trial-and-the-prison-gang-cartel-interface/ Because Common Sense Transcends Distance Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:52:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Interested http://www.poligazette.com/2008/11/22/the-barrio-azteca-trial-and-the-prison-gang-cartel-interface/comment-page-1/#comment-79532 Interested Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:28:39 +0000 http://www.poligazette.com/?p=9318#comment-79532 No it's on overall crime. There is not much quiet about bodies found on either side of the border there. Especially in the early 2001 to 2005 or so with the string of Caucasian women found murdered in Juarez. 7 years I lived there I never saw or got caught up in anything gang related. Only once or twice in all that time did I feel I needed to place a higher sense of my surroundings for safety. I surpassed that number in less than a year being by Baltimore. No it’s on overall crime. There is not much quiet about bodies found on either side of the border there. Especially in the early 2001 to 2005 or so with the string of Caucasian women found murdered in Juarez.

7 years I lived there I never saw or got caught up in anything gang related. Only once or twice in all that time did I feel I needed to place a higher sense of my surroundings for safety. I surpassed that number in less than a year being by Baltimore.

]]> By: Claudia, Assistant Editor http://www.poligazette.com/2008/11/22/the-barrio-azteca-trial-and-the-prison-gang-cartel-interface/comment-page-1/#comment-79478 Claudia, Assistant Editor Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:02:34 +0000 http://www.poligazette.com/?p=9318#comment-79478 Interested, I wonder if that statistic could have more to do with the type of people being killed than with the number of murders. If it's true that El Paso is dominated by these sorts of gangs, it could be that a fair number of murders happen quietly to Mexican nationals or are exported across the border, which would lower their stats. Just a thought. Exhaustive and very interesting explanation of the situation. Still, the question that goes through my mind is how useful it really is to expend so many resources in going after these people. Not that I feel the slightest sympathy, but I wonder. Even if you, by some miracle, managed to shut down the whole BA gang: - Would it lead to a lowering of the quantity of drugs coming into the US? - Would it lower the number of gang-related murders? - Would it lead to a lowering of cash flow to the drug cartels? I'm anything but an expert, but it seems to me that bringing down the BA gang would simply lead to another gang filling in the gap. As long as there is a lot of money to be had, these gangs will exist. The only thing that occurs to me that could actually hurt them would be to legalize drugs. Opening up the drug market to competition and taxation would drastically lower the price and likely hurt their operations. I doubt you could get rid of them entirely (they will always thrive on that which is desired and not legal to acquire) but I bet it would hurt them. Interested, I wonder if that statistic could have more to do with the type of people being killed than with the number of murders. If it’s true that El Paso is dominated by these sorts of gangs, it could be that a fair number of murders happen quietly to Mexican nationals or are exported across the border, which would lower their stats. Just a thought.

Exhaustive and very interesting explanation of the situation. Still, the question that goes through my mind is how useful it really is to expend so many resources in going after these people. Not that I feel the slightest sympathy, but I wonder. Even if you, by some miracle, managed to shut down the whole BA gang:
- Would it lead to a lowering of the quantity of drugs coming into the US?
- Would it lower the number of gang-related murders?
- Would it lead to a lowering of cash flow to the drug cartels?

I’m anything but an expert, but it seems to me that bringing down the BA gang would simply lead to another gang filling in the gap. As long as there is a lot of money to be had, these gangs will exist.

The only thing that occurs to me that could actually hurt them would be to legalize drugs. Opening up the drug market to competition and taxation would drastically lower the price and likely hurt their operations. I doubt you could get rid of them entirely (they will always thrive on that which is desired and not legal to acquire) but I bet it would hurt them.

]]> By: Interested http://www.poligazette.com/2008/11/22/the-barrio-azteca-trial-and-the-prison-gang-cartel-interface/comment-page-1/#comment-79441 Interested Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:12:04 +0000 http://www.poligazette.com/?p=9318#comment-79441 and amazingly enough last year El Paso was ranked 2nd in the US for safest mid-sized cities. up from 5th the year before. and amazingly enough
last year El Paso was ranked 2nd in the US for safest mid-sized cities.
up from 5th the year before.

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