Gang Violence in Brentwood, New York

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Date
Gang violence in Brentwood
Problem
Brentwood is located about forty miles from Manhattan and has an estimated population of sixty thousand individuals. Since the year 2009, about fourteen deaths have been attached to aging in the town. The main gang in Brentwood that has been held responsible for the murders, especially of young individuals, is the MS-13. The gang has a base in El Salvador and Los Angeles and has been a source of terror in Brentwood for about twenty years. Law enforcement agencies have pointed fingers at the gang for its responsibility in murders and frightening the residents of Brentwood.1 The increase of immigrants from South America has been the cause of the spread of gang violence in the area. Statistics has it that census carried in the year 2014 shows that sixty-eight percent of the population in Brentwood is of Hispanic or Latino origin. Further statistics show that about seventeen thousand inhabitants originate from El Salvador. 2Therefore, the biggest problem facing the town of Brentwood is the immigrants since the MS-13 gang was formed almost four decades ago by people running away from the civil war in El Salvador. Another problem facing Brentwood with regards to groups is the killing of young
people. In the recent past, school going children have murdered by the gang with only one victim being linked to the MS-13 gang. Immigrants, especially those from South America pose a threat to the residents of Brentwood. The other problem facing Brentwood are the laws put in place to deal with immigrants.

What stands out in the problems is the involvement of immigrants in the gang. Therefore, are the immigrants the major contributors of gang violence in Brentwood?
Proposed solutions
The first solution to this gang problem in Brentwood is encouraging law enforcement agencies to conduct regular patrols. Patrols should be carried out using helicopters, motor vehicles, and motorcycles. Encouraging the law enforcement agencies to conduct patrols frequently will help reduce gang activities. Gang members will always be on the lookout since they will try to evade the law enforcement officers by all means hence reducing their operations. When gang activities are scaled down, then it is possible to reduce their sources of income and further contribute to reduced recruitment of new gang followers.3 Using aerial patrols will enable the law enforcement agencies to have a large field of view and will additionally help them to have a vision of dense areas that are likely to be the hideouts of the MS-13 gang members. Aerial patrols are advantageous since they will enable officers conducting overhead patrols to work in association with those running ground patrols hence making it easier to impound the gang affiliates. Additionally, carrying out frequent patrols will reduce the areas the gang members can operate from since they will try to avoid the law enforcers by all means.4 Lessening the jurisdiction of the gang will imply that the gang will have fewer people to terrorize. A
collaboration of both ground and aerial patrols will help the law enforcers take control of Brentwood hence undermining the violence of the gang.
To subdue the MS-13, the law enforcement agencies have to work in association with community members. Involving community members in fighting the MS-13 gang in Brentwood will help the law enforcers get information that will be useful in fighting against the growth of the gang. Law enforcers working together with the Society has assisted in reducing gang undertakings in Los Angeles and therefore applying the same will prove fruitful in Brentwood. It is my belief that the community has adequate information regarding the operations of the gang and therefore the law enforcers can learn much if they collaborate with the dwellers. The law enforcers have to trust the community as their informers. However, the community might be skeptical in teaming up with the law enforcers since the gang kills anyone they think is an informant to the law enforcement agencies. The MS-13 has killed several people who are believed to have left the gang or who team up with law enforcers hence the need to win the trust of the residents. Therefore, the law enforcement agencies have to play a role in securing community members willing to become informants to enable them to bring down the gang. The gang terrorizes the residents of Brentwood, therefore, instilling fear in them hence making it the duty of the law enforcers to play a role in winning the trust of the locals to bring down the gang.
The second solution to the problem of gang violence in Brentwood is by deportation. Brentwood’s population is mostly composed of immigrants from regions in South America, but there are those that get into the region illegally. All immigrants in Brentwood that do not have documents that legalize their stay in the area should be taken back to their nations of origin so as to reduce gang members and individuals that are likely to join the gang. The MS-13 gang was
formed in the eighties by persons running away from the internal war in El Salvador, therefore, making deportation of illegal immigrants a possible solution to the problem. The gang will lose some of its members in the process. Deportation will further reduce the number of individuals the gang can recruit.5 The gang contributes to illegal immigration hence the need to deport immigrants prohibited in the United States as a way of reducing its economic undertakings. The gang smuggles young individuals that play a role in commercial sex work hence earning the gang income. When the income avenues are reduced, the gang will become weakened and lead to its collapse. The law enforcement agencies should, therefore, endeavor to fight illegal immigrants as a way of undermining most economic undertakings of the gang.
Subsequent actions
The law enforcement agencies should mount surveillance cameras all over Brentwood to monitor new instances of gang activities. If the combined aerial and ground patrols are successful in eliminating the gang in Brentwood, then the subsequent action should be to set up surveillance cameras to monitor gang activities that may arise. The surveillance cameras will further help the law enforcers monitor any suspicious activities that are likely to be linked to gangs. The surveillance cameras will enable law enforcers to use images captured by the cameras for facial recognition to facilitate easy identification of gang members. The cameras will further enable law enforcers to identify illegal immigrants in Brentwood since their identities cannot be established if they are not in the database of legal citizens residing in the United States.
The MS-13 gang is involved in the commercial sex trade as an income generating activity. The law enforcers should, therefore, impound all brothels in Brentwood so as cut the
income generating tasks of the gang. Law enforcers should further work in association with the community to inform them regarding premises running brothels. Hefty fines should be imposed on property owners whose buildings are found to run businesses that are linked to gang activities. The law enforcers should further put in place stringent measures for the commercial sex workers so as to prevent them from getting involved in the trade.
The law enforcement officers should work in association with potential employers in Brentwood so as to create job opportunities. People tend to join gangs so as to earn money and therefore creating legitimate job opportunities will reduce the likelihood of people joining gangs to make ends meet simply.6 Creating jobs will help former gang associates earn money through legal means hence reducing the possibility of gang rebirths. Legitimate job opportunities will further reduce involvement in income generating tasks such as smuggling, dealing in banned substances and money laundering that favors the emergence of gangs. Therefore, job opportunities will lower the likelihood of the rebirth of gangs after their collapse.
Lastly, the laws of Brentwood should be formulated in ways that address the issue of illegal immigrants. The law should state the actions that will be taken against people staying in the area illegally hence lowering the population of prohibited immigrants. Gang activities escalate when the population of illegal settlers is on the rise hence curbing their influx will help address the issue of gang reemergence. In conclusion, the above measures should be applied in collaboration so as to strength the outcome and eliminate gangs in Brentwood.
Notes
1 “35 Arrests in Long Island Gang Case As Another Body Is Found – The New York Times.” The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.
2 “Silent No Longer: Brentwood Residents Detail MS-13’s “Control Through Fear”.” Long Island News from the Long Island Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
3″Into the Abyss: Tactics of a Gang Unit.” Page Not Found – Missouri State University – Missouri State University. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
4 “Gang Crime: Effective and Constitutional Policies to Stop ViolentGangs.” The Heritage Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
5 “Brentwood On Long Island, New York Is Being Terrorized By Illegal Immigrant Gangs, And DONALD TRUMP Wants To Do Something About It! – InvestmentWatch.” InvestmentWatch – Spreading the Truth. Empowering the People. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.
6 “Can Employment Opportunities Reduce Youth Gang Violence?” Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
Works Cited
“35 Arrests in Long Island Gang Case As Another Body Is Found – The New York Times.” The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.
“Brentwood On Long Island, New York Is Being Terrorized By Illegal Immigrant Gangs, And DONALD TRUMP Wants To Do Something About It! – InvestmentWatch.” InvestmentWatch – Spreading the Truth. Empowering the People. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.
“Can Employment Opportunities Reduce Youth Gang Violence?” Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
“Gang Crime: Effective and Constitutional Policies to Stop ViolentGangs.” The Heritage Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
“Into the Abyss: Tactics of a Gang Unit.” Page Not Found – Missouri State University – Missouri State University. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
“Silent No Longer: Brentwood Residents Detail MS-13’s “Control Through Fear”.” Long Island News from the Long Island Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.