A three-day summit that began on Wednesday in Los Angeles is being held to help increase international awareness of gangs, and their free travel. Gang members are constantly changing locations, going into Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala from Los Angeles. The spread to Central America from Los Angeles is thought to be happening because many young men were members of mass deportation in these Central American countries in the '70s and '80s. They were scared of the mass street violence in their home countries, so they moved to Los Angeles. Unfortunately they also brought up crime rates with their move. Gangs in Central America are becoming increasingly dangerous, extorting people who move through their neighborhoods, or 'turf,' and dealing drugs.
The summit will hopefully increase border protection and control in these countries, centralizing gang actions and limiting the spread of gang violence throughout these countries. Gang numbers are increasing consistently and this has to be a worry for authoritative figures in any nation, as gangs can significantly effect the ways of life in any given area. In my eyes, increasing international awareness of gangs and their wrongdoings is a step in the right direction, and taking action at a major summit like the one mentioned here is what needs to be done.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/07/gang.summit.ap/index.html
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