Its only suppose to be a film, but one sick man decided to turn it into a real life nightmare for his poor victim. This is something I could even have imagined and yet it happened.

Tony Garven pointed a gun at the 16 year old’s head and forced him to take off his clothes. Tony then told the boy to run because he was going to kill him. The Boy was kidnapped from his own home after Tony and his friends kicked the door down.

The teen was then beaten and forced into a car and driven into the wood where the boy spent two hours in fear of his life before being found by a local farmer. Tony Garven or “ Shake” as he’s known as belongs to Rebels Motorcycle Club and the teenager was a victim of their street justice.

But the worst part about this story is that Tony was given just a two-year suspended sentence for his crime, a sentence which obviously the boy and his mother feel isn’t good enough.

I hope this boy one day recovers both physically and mentally from his ordeal and wish him and his mother a bright and happy future. For Tony and his gang however I hope they rot in hell. 

War On Drugs

The United States has a lot of issues that need to be dealt with, some with greater importance. Our Economy is slowly declining, our prisons are gradually growing, and people are beginning to notice the effects of decisions that our government makes. I have been researching the United States drug policy for not only the past few weeks, but for the past couple of years, it is interesting and enraging at the same time. The cost of the war on drugs is astounding, considering the tiny if any effect it has on the use and availability of drugs. Our prisons are overcrowded and thousands of people die every year due to the illegal drug trade. We need a change in our current drug policy and we are the ones who can help.

There were over 1,633,000 people arrested In 2009 for non-violent drug charges according to the team at drugpolicy.org. With such overcrowded prisons we let violent criminals serve a shorter sentence to make way for non-violent offenders, it’s just not right. We can’t forget about the massive amounts of money it takes to clothe and feed the prisoners, as well as the cost to maintain jails and prisons. Last year alone the United States government spent over fifty-one billion dollars on fighting this so called war on drugs, which, the more I learn about it, the more it seems like a war on American and Mexican citizens than a war on drugs.

Author Tony Newman of the USA Today newspaper writes on December 29, 2008, U.S. prisons are exploding with non-violent drug offenders, thousands die from drug prohibition violence along the border and drugs remain as plentiful and easy as ever to get. On the Mexican side of the border, gory tales of the drug war’s consequences dominate the daily headlines. This year, more Mexicans have died due to drug prohibition than have American service members in Iraq since the war started. Mexicans and Americans should question whether President Felipe Calderon and President Bush’s “war on drugs” is worth it. Although there are some compelling reasons drugs should remain illegal, we should at least begin an honest discussion about the root causes of the violence and the range of options to deal with the harm of drugs and their prohibition. It is clear that the strategy of the past 40 years is not working.

Tony Newman is absolutely right, it’s horrible how many people die every year because of drug prohibition, a lot of them are completely innocent people being murdered by the financing that drug cartels have due mostly because of us, the American people. In 2009 Juarez, Mexico, which is the epicenter of the whole drug war, had 2,650 murders resulting from drug cartels. I do not favor legalization, Although I believe we need to recognize that this has never been a drug-free society and never will be, so let’s stop pretending. Let’s even stop trying to get closer to a drug-free society and instead just accept that drugs are here to stay. Then we can focus on reducing the harm both of drug use and of drug prohibition. An ideal strategy would reduce the negative consequences of both.

So what can we all do to help rid ourselves of this damaging policy? Signing petitions for a sensible drug policy reformation is an easy option to help out and only takes a few seconds. There are plenty of online petitions out there and you will be able to find one that suits your likes quite easily. After you sign your name on a petition you can also donate money to organizations who help to fight the current drug policy. Some of the biggest organizations are American Civil Liberties Union, Drug Policy Alliance, and NORML.

We can’t just let it pass by and leave our children with the responsibility to clean up this mess that has been going on for too long, we have to do something about it, starting today. Drug reform laws are some long roads to travel down and can scare many people, you have the information needed to help change America and the countries effected by current drug policies. We can better the lives of many people, all we have to do is take the initiative to do so.

Some members of society will not tolerate racial profiling and officers find it difficult to get cooperation from the community when it comes to this tactic. They may patrol neighborhoods and ask questions about serious crimes with little to no cooperation. Africa Americans think that racial profiling is just another way to discriminate on minorities. When police use this tactic they feel offended and display frustrations. Racial profiling may benefit the police in some ways but it is also a thorn in their side as well. Should the police continue to use this tactic? The answer is merely opinionated and the results may be bleak. I believe racial profiling is not going anywhere, whether we agree or not.

In just a short time, I have found out that I may have made a huge mistake. The lady two homes down from me, committed cable theft against me my first week there. I still had boxes on the floor–still unpacking. Now I’ve heard of greeting your new neighbor with a covered dish, but that was ridiculous.

People stand around and gawk at you in the parking lot. Even though there are playgrounds and other common areas for socializing and recreating, children and adults play games in the parking lot. The ball hits my car, it hits my townhome, and it hits the other townhomes. I looked out of the window and thought it was children playing and it was two adult males.

Also, there is gang activity here. One of these “gangstas” actually gave my eldest son a sign that he was on “gang territory.” Now this place is more expensive than I ever paid and you would think that it would be better than this.

And how can people getting free rent paid behave like this? I don’t think anything ever happened to the young woman who stole my cable service by tampering with it. It is illegal and the cableman said he would report it to his supervisor.

And wasn’t I surprised to learn that the townhomes I had just moved into, were notorious for cable theft among three others. I tell you if I knew then what I knew now, I would never have moved there.

I just think it is sad that Government funds are being provided for people who don’t seem to care at all and far from appearing grateful. My son is disabled and we can’t get anything like that in assistance.

We pay our own rent and we are law-abiding citizens. They break the law and get free rent.

Someone explain this to me.

Gangs are filled with violence and destructive behavior. Keeping teens away from them can be a challenge but it can be done. Try talking to your teen and finding them positive role models. Spend time with them and know who their friends are. Don’t nag them about every move they make but be involved. Teens are very impressionable so be very careful how you approach them. They just want attention and feel that a gang will  give that to them. Teach that violence is never acceptable and the streets have no rules. The gang life is never a good place for a teen or an adult for that matter. Encourage them to live their dreams and get an education. If you have any contact with the father (s) ask them to spend time with the teen (s) and this will help them stay close to home.

Gangs recruit and if they see your teen roaming around as if they lost their best friend, than boom.  They will encourage the teens to follow their destructive path. Gangs will not encorage the teen to go to school or be respectful to ther parent (s). We should embrace our teens and show them that they are very important to the world. Tell them that they can make it whether they have a father around or not. We don’t want our teens to fall prey to gangs and we must inform the schools when we suspect that their is gang activity. Love and respect the teens decision when they are positive and always discourage negative behavior.

Here’s a list of some of the actors in Freeway:

Killer chola played by Alanna Ubauch, the actress that played “Josie” on Beakers World (she’s unrecognizable in this role!)

Vanessa’s gangster love is actor Bokeem Woodbine

Dan Hedaya who played Cher’s dad on Clueless is a detective

Brooke Shields as the serial killer’s unsuspecting wife

Amanda Plummer plays Vanessa’s mom

Brittany Murphy is a psychotic inmate

Fun Facts:

There is a scene where Vanessa Lutz shows Bob a picture of her deceased father. I thought the man in the picture looked familiar and then I found out that it was familiar because it is a picture of mass murderer Richard Speck.

Twin actresses Brittany Daniel and Cynthia Daniel were offered the parts of killer twins Brenda and Bonnie but they refused the parts. I wonder why?

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Back in medieval Japan, the day of the Samurai…if you failed or were dishonored somehow, you were required to commit Seppuku, or ritual suicide. It was the only way to regain your honor before you died. In the Japanese medieval times, honor equaled your life. In those times, a female’s honor was not as important as a man’s. It was not uncommon for a woman to get raped without penalty to the man whom inflicted it. The geisha would sell their honor or their virginity to the highest bidder. A female’s honor was no more than their ability to give a man pleasure. Women could be beaten, raped, and savagely murdered and often times get away with it. Whereas a man’s honor was based on his ability to be a man and to save face for their family. In Japan if you refused to serve in the military, shame and dishonor would fall into societal shun.

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Let’s look at western cultured America. “DRAW!” No, really, it was then in society that you could meet your fate at the end of a shoot-out if you dishonored another man by cheating, stealing, beating, or more. Life was lived at the end of gun for notorious criminals like Billy the Kid. You crossed Billy; you’d meet your end at his six shooter. It is notoriously known, that if you played poker and you were caught cheating…your honor as a man would be challenged at the end of a six shooter, the resounding phrase that would echo in your ears before death would be “DRAW!” Followed by the ringing in your ears of the six shooter’s powerful kick and the sting of the opponent’s bullet in your chest!

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Let’s fast forward now to the early 1900’s. It was the dawn of the Chicago Mafia. At first they started as a street gang driven by desire for the money. Then, if eventually began to take over bits and pieces of Chicago. It eventually turned into a turf war which was based off of respect and honor. If you tried to do crime on mafia turf, you dishonored and disrespected the family. You could meet your fate at the end of Al Capone’s Tommy gun. Chicago crime families had begun to fight crime families on a day to day basis. It was a war in the streets of Chicago. One notorious double crossing was the St. Valentine’s Massacre. Al Capone set up another crime family for slaughter, all for the greed of territory and honor. Turf meant honor.

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Let’s take a time warp to present day America. We even have television shows that flash the war of honor before our eyes. The news is riddled with bullets of dead kids, slaughter, and bloodshed. All for what?! Turf wars, honor based wars. Gangs bring little kids in; teach them the life against the law. Little brothers and sisters follow Big Sister and Big Brother into crime as they get gunned down, seeking vengeance and honor back from their sibling’s slaughter. The show Pit bulls and Parolees is a beautiful way to help ex-gang members try to better their lives. Gangland tells of the horrors behind the lines…drugs, weapons, turf, respect, honor, and fear. Chicago people now days face fear in their own homes, walking to their cars, and their kids walking to school. Even school buses have been proven not to be 100% safe for our kids. This nightmare is getting stronger, yet the government claims that crime is dropping. How? How can we sit here and let this continue? Fear of the horror that would be if we stepped in the way of that next bullet.

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Cops are trying their best, but seem to be making minimal damage to stop this war on our streets. It is so bad that you can walk down your street to the grocery store, wearing everyday clothing and suddenly be surrounded by 10+ gang members with guns pointed at you; all because you accidentally wore the wrong colors. You can’t wear your own clothes for fear of getting a gun pulled on you. You fear as you send your kids to school in their clothes, for fear you sent them in the wrong colors. All because the gangs want more turf, their share of the money. In most gangs’ eyes, money = power, turf = honor, crime = respect gained and trust from your family. It is all about proving yourself to the gang, honor within the gang = protection within the gang.

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It is all about honor, even now days war of politics is all about who is the bigger most respected and honored person, group, or nation. Honor rules us, even those who don’t realize it.

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2011 Unpublished work. © by Rebbecca Abernathy.

Image via Wikipedia

The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that gang membership is growing, with a current estimated 1.4 million members in 33,000 gangs, up from the 2009 estimate of 1 million members. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) did say though that the increased numbers may be due to improved reporting by government law agencies.

Gangs are involved in such activities as smuggling illegal aliens, human trafficking, and prostitution. The report mentioned a member of an LA gang who was apprehended by police for running a lab manufacturing pirated video games, and another who was caught for running a clothing store as a front for selling drugs and counterfeit goods. And gangs are turning increasingly to white-collar crime, engaging in such criminal business activities as mortgage fraud and identity theft. The advantage with white-collar crime is lower visibility, compared to drug trafficking and gunrunning, for instance, so there is less danger of detection by law enforcement.

The FBI added that gangs are expanding their operations and joining forces with foreign crime organizations in more lucrative undertakings. One of the most serious threats comes from the infiltration of the military by gang members, and the Bureau reports that members of 53 gangs have joined every branch of the military, though it is also possible that this is a way of escape from the gangs.

Technology plays a big role in both criminal activities and the recruitment of gang members. The increasing participation of gangs in white-collar crimes means increasing sophistication in their operations, and their increasing focus on high-tech crimes such as identity theft means their activities are harder to detect. And they take advantage of the extreme popularity of social networking sites and video sites, where displays of bravado and gang culture are proving attractive to many youths who often look at this kind of lifestyle as “cool.”

We can only hope that law enforcement methods will keep pace with or overtake the technological sophistication of criminal organizations. And it is imperative that we as citizens likewise increase our awareness of criminal methods. The more sophisticated we are in our knowledge of gang-related crime, the less likely we are to fall victim to it.

From the Desk of Attorney Monica Risam Nicklin, a United States/United Kingdom attorney working in London.

In the 1800’s Americans became fascinated with gangs and gangsters. Especially with the James Gang, Billy the Kid and many other outlaws that roamed the west committing crimes. In the 1900’s La Cosa Nostra became known to all Americans as the Italian Mafia with notorious gangsters as Paul Kelly, Johny Torrio, and the most notorious member Al “Scarface” Capone who brought with him s childhood friend Lucky Luciano.

Today the names of Billy the Kid, Paul Kelly, Al “Scarface” Capone and Lucky Luciano are kept alive by Hollywood who have cashed in billions of dollars portraying this criminals as examples of the American dream. But the glamorous life that Hollywood has depicted this criminals in their films is far different then what we are seen today in the streets of Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, New Jersey and many others states and cities across the United States of America.

There are many gangs in our society like the Bloods, Crips, Dominican Don’t Play, Latin Kings, Vatos Locos and many others, but for this article I will write about one particular gang considered by many expects as the most dangerous gang in the world with cliques or cells located throughout the United States and is unique in that it retains is ties to its EL Salvador counterparts. With Cliques already identified in California, Washington DC, Illinois, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Alaska, Arkansas, Michigan, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and several other South American Countries. I am talking about The Mara Salvatrucha “MS13”

As of 2010 the Mara Salvatrucha “MS 13” has been classified the most dangerous and well respected gang in the world. They wear the colors White and Blue, which are the colors of the Salvadoran flag, their membership is estimated to total over 40,000 in Honduras alone. Members are between the ages of 9 to 40 years old. Their increase in violent activities and careless disregard for the law has made them the most feared gang in the United States. Their membership has grown rapidly, for example in Charlotte, North Carolina, MS 13 membership is estimated to be over 200 members. Police have implicated MS 13 in at least 11 murders in the Charlotte area alone. In the Washington DC area membership is estimated to be somewhere between 8,000 to 10,000 members.

The reasons as to why gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha have gained such power and membership could be attributed to many factors but gang experts across the country agreed that the main reason gangs have taken strong roots in some cities is because elected officials refused to accept their existences. This opened the door for gangs to recruit members in schools, churches, playgrounds and many other places within a community.

implementing educational workshops for parents and children to say no to gangs. These workshops have become instrumental in minimizing gang activity in our schools and streets /

    Before the briefing where we hear about the negative feedback for the Rookies that were assigned to the Mounted Unit training, McNally proclaims she is done with cops for relationships. Epstein is popping some pain pills every couple of hours but is cleared for duty, just not the Mounted Unit Training. As our rookies prepare for the morning debriefing, tension is expressed between Gail and Dov when the group comes upon Chris and Gail having a flirtatious moment. Sam Swarek (Ben Bass) and Oliver Shaw (Matt Gordon) hassle Callaghan and after some good natured ribbing, Shaw tries to ask Swarek a personal question only to get some equally good ribbing. The officers are debriefed, Frank Best (Lyriq Bent) tries to talk with Officer Noelle Williams (Melanie Nicholls-King) but she ignores him quite coldly. If you recall, she told him last episode about how she is trying to have a baby and going through fertility treatments. Apparently, that didn’t go over too well from Williams point of view.

    McNally and Diaz are back at the Mounted Unit training, with McNally still not feeling the love today and even less so with the negative report. Another rookie, Samuels, from division 27, is training with the rookies from division 15. Samuels and Diaz apparently were in the same academy and were pretty close. Samuels is fascinated with McNally in riding pants and she is quick to let him know that cops are not on her dating radar. Samuels hints to Diaz that he is having troubles in his division but can’t discuss them at that point in time and then they revert to complete boys which McNally calls them on.

   Cut to Dov and Gail Peck (Charlotte Sullivan) riding patrol with Dov doing the sour grapes spiel and the two sniping at each other. The two take a call for backup for a bomb threat at a restaurant. ETF is on site along with Dov’s new girlfriend, Sue Tran, bomb defuser for ETF. They arrive and are told the bomb is not there but the restaurant still needs to be swept. Tracy Nash (Enuka Okuma) is riding solo but after deciding to follow up on the female caller who tried to hide her phone number and failed, winds up riding with Gail since Dov is asked to stay behind and help out by his ETF girlfriend. Nash and Peck head over to Mary Vu’s house to find out why she called in the bomb threat.

    Nash and Peck arrive at Mary Vu’s apt. Mary Vu’s lies about everything from the get-go and proves to be very difficult especially when she takes off running and forces Nash and Peck to chase her down

    Noelle continues to try and avoid Frank Best . He tries to talk with Noelle, she avoids him.

    Back at the station, Nash tries to get Mary to tell her if there is a bomb in the restaurant. Mary keeps asking to pee. Nash brings up that the restaurant is a known hang out for gang activity. Mary tries lying again about what and why she did anything.

    Swarek comes in with a photo of Mary and her boyfriend sitting at a wedding reception next to known gang leader, Tommy Chan. Swarek uses the tough cop approach and Nash appeals to him to allow her to continue working the rapport she was building to try and get Mary to talk. Epstein reports back that the restaurant is clear, no bomb.

    Mounted Training continues and McNally struggles with the challenges given to her. Samuels continues to hint at having troubles back at his division.

    Peck and Dov try to get a name for Mary’s boyfriend. Sue Tran asks Dov out for drinks with ETF and Dov asks Peck if he should go, since he feels like he’s beneath Tran’s ‘Hurt Locker’ ETF status. Peck says the best line I think of the season so far: “Stop trying to be all Swarek about everything. You might as well just tell her how you feel about her.” They manage to ID Mary’s boyfriend.

    Nash continues to try and convince Mary to talk. Epstein and Peck show up in the interrogation room with her boyfriends photo. Mary complains about the coffee Peck is carrying and Nash connects the dots to Mary being pregnant and Kenneth, her boyfriend, being the father. Mary finally talks about how her boyfriend finally gave in and agreed to work for his cousin in the gang. She tried to stall his initiation with the fake bomb threat call. Mary admits that her boyfriend has to kill someone in a rival gang as part of his initiation. She doesn’t know who.

   The officers set up a task force to try and apprehend Kenneth before he can shoot his intended victim.

    Back at the Mounted Training, McNally asks Diaz why he and Samuels grew apart. Samuels finally admits to Diaz that after a 36 hr shift, he wrapped his patrol car around a pole and is being investigated. Samuels says that Diaz might be getting a call about Samuels past – apparently a past that Diaz covered up for.

    Dov and Gail are paired up in the search for Kenneth. Dov continues to pop pills. Gail and Dov also continue to snap at each other about their respective relationships.

   McNally finally breaks down and asks the instructor for the Mounted Unit Training, Officer Lucas, what his problem with her is and he explains to her how the horses work to overcome the public mistrust of the police. The discussion helps them come to understanding that works to relax McNally as the training continues. McNally manages to successfully complete a training challenge in 22 seconds flat.

   Shaw and Swarek are teamed up on the search for Kenneth. Shaw uses the opportunity to ask Swarek his personal question which is that he broke one of the 3 promises he made to his wife by going to a strip club. He asks Swarek if he should tell his wife about it and Swarek advises him to tell his wife.

   Nash continues to try and build a rapport with Mary who doesn’t want to bring her child in to the gang life that her boyfriends cousin is in charge of. Swarek works his contacts for a location on Kenny Chan.  Cut to Dov high on pain pills riding with Gail. Swarek calls in a 20 on Kenny Chan and tells them to stake out Kenny’s apartment in case Kenneth Chan shows up there with a gun. Gail realizes that Dov took way too many pills. Nash drops off Mary back at her apartment after her paperwork for release finally comes through and Mary asks Nash to hang around for a bit and Nash offers to make her a soothing tea for her pregnancy.

   Gail is frustrated by the fact that Dov is stoned on his pain pills. He insists he took the right dose. Gail rags on Dov and threatens to tell his girlfriend every stupid thing he says. Dov proceeds to say he loves everything about his girlfriend except the fact that she’s not Gail and that he would marry Gail if he was Chris. The revelation rocks Gail in her seat.

   Swarek and Shaw pick up Kenny Chans cousin, Tommy Chan, the leader of the gang. They get a witness to read the last text he sent out and they find out that Mary was set up – it was a test to see if she was a leak. She failed the test and they find out that Mary is the person that Kenny is supposed to kill. Swarek and Shaw try to get a hold of Mary Vu but she’s not picking up her cell. They contact Gail and tell her she needs to get over to Mary Vu’s apartment.

   Nash surprises Kenny in the kitchen and he holds her at gun point. A confrontation ensues where Kenny and Mary fight about her calling the cops. Gail and Dov arrive on scene at the apartment and find out that Nash is already there. Gail has Dov call Nash. Nash tries to talk Kenny down and ignores Dov’s call. Gail tells Dov to stay in the car and that they’ll tell back up that he had an adverse reaction to the pills. Gail takes the pills from Dov before she goes up to Mary’s apartment. Nash manages to talk Kenny down just in time for Gail to cuff him.

   Diaz finds out that Samuels purposefully signed up for the training when he heard Diaz was going to be there. Lucas asks McNally out and she frankly turns him down stating that she’s on the rebound but thanks him for helping her work through some of her current personal and professional angst. Diaz confronts Samuels about his trying to get him to lie for him. Backed into a corner, Diaz says he’ll lie again for his friend because he doesn’t want to lose what he’s worked for.

   Nash calls her detective lover, Jerry,  and makes sure they are good. Shaw tells Swarek his advice backfired and he’s in the dog house with his wife which means Swarek now has a new roommate. Noelle finally decides to talk with Frank. She tells him she gets it, that she understands why he wouldn’t want to be with her and ends with “since we haven’t even kissed yet”. Frank responds by kissing her.

   McNally and Diaz are at the local bar where they wait for Epstein and Peck to show up. Diaz goes outside to call Peck who is actually outside with Epstein, just sitting in the car. The two seem to be dealing with what Dov revealed under the influence of the pain medicine. The episode ends with Diaz coming around the corner on the phone calling Peck, who doesn’t answer the phone. Diaz looks up to see Peck and Epstein sitting in the car with expressions on their faces that raise questions for him.