Crime & Gangs

Click here to read the related article by former US Attorney Bill Leone.

The murder of the Denver Broncos' cornerback, Darrent Williams early on New Year's morning brought to the surface a problem that has been brewing in Colorado, and especially the metro-Denver area, for years -- street gangs, and the growing propensity for extreme violence.

Tragically it seems to take a senseless act involving a celebrity to capture the media and general public’s attention. Despite the evidence of gang graffiti as any objective observer can see as they drive around Denver and the suburbs, or the evidence on the walls of schools, public buildings, or even a 7-Eleven store I stopped by last week, virtually nobody was talking about the gang problem in Denver. Despite the murders, drugs, prostitution, and violent crime that dominate the newscasts almost daily that seem logically gang related, nobody's talking about the gangs. And, certainly nobody seems to be trying to do much about it.

It's not the sort of thing the mayor or new Governor, the chamber of commerce, or the convention bureau want visitors to think about regarding the Mile High City. It's not "good for business." But, as Rudy Giuliani figured out when he was mayor of New York City, a great city -- and the culture within it -- cannot survive for long by tolerating a culture of crime and violence.

Ignoring a problem is tantamount to accepting and endorsing it, and pretty soon the problem overwhelms the normal. For a case study in the extreme, look at what has besieged much of the middle-east for too long. Our street gang problem is not unlike the sectarian violence perpetrated by mobs of lawless thugs that have allegiance to a perverted ideology based on destruction and use of unlimited force to sustain their existence.

Bill Leone served as First Assistant United States Attorney under John Suthers. Bill eventually became United States Attorney for Colorado after John Suthers went on to become Colorado Attorney General. He has witnessed the most challenging elements of our society and how we dealt with them from a public policy perspective – sometimes effectively, sometimes less so.

A Line of Sight invited Mr. Leone to offer both his first hand knowledge on the nature of the street gang problem in Colorado and also to point out some hopeful strategies that policy makers and communities might consider in dealing with a legitimate crisis situation in many of our neighborhoods, schools, and families.

It's time to pull back the curtain and talk openly about the prevalence and problems of street gangs before more of our youth are corrupted and before more of our culture is lost.