The best weapon you have against gangs is your mind. Gangs are made up of different individuals, who join for many different reasons. Some are violent career criminals, some are wannabes, and same join for protection.
Gangs get their money from crime, mostly drugs, but also theft. If you want to stay clear of a gang, don't mess with their drug dealing, don't advertise you have something they would want to steal, and don't publically insult them.
I have heard many people say that they know someone in a gang and they therefore feel somewhat safe, because they believe that they have a "relationship' with that gang member or are even "friends" with them. Don't count on it, I've known a lot of gang members over the years. Many would smile and be quite friendly to me. But I knew that most would not hesitate, if I met them on the street, if I had something they wanted, to do whatever it took to get it, including taking my life.
Gangs are dangerous, treat them with respect, as you would a wild animal. Most are emotionally immature and a lot are also socio-paths, oops sorry the proper term now a days is anti-social personality disorder.
Personally I treat gangs like I would a pack of wolves or a bear in the woods. I try to stear clear. I try to stay aware of what is going on around me. I try not to draw undue attention to myself. I treat them with the respect that I give to everyone else. I have a plan to protect myself and my family. I practise. I realize that if I must resort to the use of lethal force, then a lot has already gone wrong.
Don't plan on being Rambo, you are not Rambo, not even Rambo is Rambo. If you have a family, taking care of them comes first. Your family is more important than money or your pride. Do whatever is necessary to take care of your family, including moving if it is prudent.
Gangs can be defeated, but not by shooting it out with them. You may win a battle or two, but you will lose in the end. If it ever came down to shooting it out with a member or members of a local gang and you survive, don't hang around, move.
Defeating gangs comes from building a strong local community, from working with authorities - building a realtionship between the police and the local community, and from working to support and build strong famiies. As long as a gang is a natural part of a community it cannot be rooted out, when it is an alien presence in a community it can be removed like a cancer.
Individual gangs can go through explosive growth cycles - as has MS 13. But when that happens inevitably there is a slowing and a dilution of the initial leadership and energy. From my very limited knowledge about Ms 13 it appears that many of it's original leaders had military experience and training - but I doubt that the vast majority of the gangs new recruits have the same or similar experience, and I doubt that the gang in general has the organzation to effectively train its members.
Stay safe.
Gangs get their money from crime, mostly drugs, but also theft. If you want to stay clear of a gang, don't mess with their drug dealing, don't advertise you have something they would want to steal, and don't publically insult them.
I have heard many people say that they know someone in a gang and they therefore feel somewhat safe, because they believe that they have a "relationship' with that gang member or are even "friends" with them. Don't count on it, I've known a lot of gang members over the years. Many would smile and be quite friendly to me. But I knew that most would not hesitate, if I met them on the street, if I had something they wanted, to do whatever it took to get it, including taking my life.
Gangs are dangerous, treat them with respect, as you would a wild animal. Most are emotionally immature and a lot are also socio-paths, oops sorry the proper term now a days is anti-social personality disorder.
Personally I treat gangs like I would a pack of wolves or a bear in the woods. I try to stear clear. I try to stay aware of what is going on around me. I try not to draw undue attention to myself. I treat them with the respect that I give to everyone else. I have a plan to protect myself and my family. I practise. I realize that if I must resort to the use of lethal force, then a lot has already gone wrong.
Don't plan on being Rambo, you are not Rambo, not even Rambo is Rambo. If you have a family, taking care of them comes first. Your family is more important than money or your pride. Do whatever is necessary to take care of your family, including moving if it is prudent.
Gangs can be defeated, but not by shooting it out with them. You may win a battle or two, but you will lose in the end. If it ever came down to shooting it out with a member or members of a local gang and you survive, don't hang around, move.
Defeating gangs comes from building a strong local community, from working with authorities - building a realtionship between the police and the local community, and from working to support and build strong famiies. As long as a gang is a natural part of a community it cannot be rooted out, when it is an alien presence in a community it can be removed like a cancer.
Individual gangs can go through explosive growth cycles - as has MS 13. But when that happens inevitably there is a slowing and a dilution of the initial leadership and energy. From my very limited knowledge about Ms 13 it appears that many of it's original leaders had military experience and training - but I doubt that the vast majority of the gangs new recruits have the same or similar experience, and I doubt that the gang in general has the organzation to effectively train its members.
Stay safe.
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