Comments on: Gang Graffiti Appears at 18th St. and South Van Ness

By: suki

suki — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:23:49 +0000

And…there’s a shooting today at 24th and Harrison.

By: turnemout

turnemout — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:22:47 +0000

What a load of garbage! What are you, part of the Norteno propaganda arm? Your attempt to give these vicious thugs credibility by linking them to the UFW and other social movements is laughable and downright despicable. And guess what buddy, there are Norteno cliques in southern California, and even in other states. So much for your theory of poor innocent San Francisco natives being picked on by big bad LA, huh? All of these gang members are scum and should be wiped off of the face of the earth whether they are from SF, LA, or Mars, period.

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:19:48 +0000

How about both the Surenos and the Nortenos get out of SF now? That works for me.

By: Miscdebris

Miscdebris — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 16:36:35 +0000

Maybe if these types of tags can lead to increased violence, couldn’tthe city of SF or anti-violence community groups should take initiative to clean it up faster than the property owner? Would that make any difference?

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 03:47:36 +0000

So, we should just celebrate our own local criminal organizations?

Jesus, “third world country of origin”? I don’t care if you’re a Latino, native to the Mission or what, you’re a racist.

People like you make me so happy I’m moving to a neighborhood this weekend with no Latino gangs at all. Enjoy your little turf war here.

By: Andy

Andy — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:51:44 +0000

Thanks for the response, Rigoberto, and thank you for helping to document this non-trivial issue.

I was being a bit of a stickler for the distinction between editorial and factual reporting since this piece is presented as news, but wanted to emphasize the fact that no one has ceded private or public property in the neighborhood to organized crime, nor do we operate with that mentality.

In the broader sense, the Sureños do consider this to be their territory, as the Norteños consider the area South of 20th St. to be theirs. I just don’t want to see any legitimization of this claim appear in the media without the qualification that it is being made by a violent, criminal group whom the ordinary working people of the neighborhood (who live and work in theses places and raise children here) would like to see eradicated.

Living on the borderline, my neighbors and I are no strangers to the effects this kind of “land grab” can create…we appreciate the coverage on this and other issues that ML provides.

By: Rigoberto Hernandez

Rigoberto Hernandez — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:07:39 +0000

I am sorry Andy, if you are referring to just that sentence than you are right. It could be better worded.

By: Rigoberto Hernandez

Rigoberto Hernandez — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:48:09 +0000

“you give legitimacy, aid and comfort to criminal gang culture,” exactly how? There is an increase of gang activity in the area and one, I believe, worth documenting. I tried to give context as to why it is important to pay attention to these tags. In 2010 similar graffiti lead to a surge in gang violence. In that case we didn’t document it because we didn’t know about it after the fact. I am happy to hear your response here or by email at rigoberh@gmail.com. We are always looking for way to improve and you can help, Andy.

By: Julius Zsako

Julius Zsako — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:37:58 +0000

Gang graffiti, political graffiti, tagger graffiti… It all is a sign of disrespect toward the community and as documented at http://www.DefacingAmerica.com , leaves us with $12 billion in clean-up and restoration expenses each year.

By: SFer

SFer — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 19:43:44 +0000

Tell the Surenos
Go back to LA.Go back to LA.Go back to LA.Go back to LA.Go back to LA.Go back to LA.Go back to LA.Go back to LA.Go back to LA.