MS-13 Eyeing the Five Boroughs
New York Amsterdam News, News Report, Stephon Johnson, Posted: Apr 08, 2009
MS-13, aka La Mara Salvatrucha, is a violent international street gang of mostly immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Their activities include drug and people smuggling, gun running, hits for hire and strong arming local residents. The gang has established various chapters around North America, including in Virginia, Maryland, Texas, Illinois, Nevada, Arkansas, Florida and Mexico. They’ve recently infiltrated New York State, and according to reports, have entrenched themselves in Long Island communities like Valley Stream, Baldwin, Freeport and Huntington Station. As of press time, attempts to contact the Nassau County Police Department were unsuccessful.
Members of MS-13 usually come to America with fighting skills learned from their country’s military. Their calling card, when it comes to violent crimes, is leaving dismembered corpses and decapitated heads at the scene. With the shooting of Maurice Parker in Queens, the New York Police Department (who some people believe are in denial about MS-13’s presence) could be awakened by the dangers of the gang. Some folks, however, think the police are late to the party.
“They should have been awake before,” said Marquez Claxton, co-founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care. “But the police department operates in reactionary mode. They are not proactive in working with gang prevention.” Although Claxton wants a preemptive strike from local authorities, he’s not sure if they have the ability and wherewithal to do so.
“It’s something that the NYPD is not equipped to handle at this time. They just react after the tragedy,” said Claxton. “The NYPD, at this point, is obviously in denial about the danger of MS-13.”
Claxton points out what others around the country have known about for while. “They’re known to be much more ruthless and recklessly violent than the established domestic terrorists we already have,” said Claxton.
One local example of the gang’s reckless and violent ways happened late August of 2007. Four college students (two men and two women, ages 18 to 20) were slaughtered execution-style by men who had links to MS-13. They were forced to kneel facing a wall in a schoolyard and were shot in the back of the head. Both women were slashed in the face with a machete or a knife. Only one survived.
Many have speculated that the young people who committed these crimes wanted to join MS-13 and wanted to prove to the others what they were capable of. Jerome Rice, co-founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, believes this lies at the core of how to deal with gangs overall. “The majority of crime is not done by gang members,” said Rice. “They’re done by wannabes. They’re are guys who want to be down so they commit those crimes.”
“You don’t take care of gangs now, it’ll be California later,” said Rice. “Better yet, Newark.”
A spokesperson for the office of Newark Mayor Cory Booker said he wasn’t giving interviews for the next few days.
“Our strategy is to be proactive about this issue,” said Claxton. “We can’t always have ‘no money’ as an excuse. If we surrender, we’re leaving the streets unsafe.”
The New York Police Department didn’t want to comment on MS-13.
Related Articles:
Virginia Police Could Investigate Criminals' Immigration Status
Operation Devil Horns: Salvadorans Targeted in Anti-Gang ICE Raids
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User Comments
jaimie on Apr 10, 2009 at 05:49:21 said:
I am intrigued by this article and some of the statements in it. The line that cought my eye states "They’ve recently infiltrated New York State"; the fact of the matter is, that MS13 (aka 'LA MARA' to my generation) has been a presence in Nassau County's south shore towns for the better part of the last ten years. Having been raised in Freeport I've seen my share of gang violence, but more so in the late 90's/early 2000's, when the 'black' gangs were actually being driven out by MS-13. This is NOT a recent event. Anyone who lives on Long Island knows that their largest base is in Freeport (in apartments near our train station) & Hempstead, and this group is constantly growing. They grew particularly strong throughout my high school years (attended from 1998 - 2002). Although there have been advances made in our community to rid ourselves of these gangs and the police efforts have been successful, there is still a lot to be done. Awareness is KEY, and getting the facts straight is the most important part of it.
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