By: Henry Junipers Towny
Dare we ask what the gangs are even doing these days aside from trying to win the never-ending one-upmanship contest that their puppet shows are embroiled in?
All of this is done to the tune of the charismatic softly spoken puppeteer, a spider who sits patiently at the edge of the cleverly crafted web awaiting the correct moments to strike. Gone are the days when gangs built their reputations on the streets by ruling strategically and brutally because here is the era of the social media flex and never-ending keyboard wars on Twitter. (Tori can’t help herself – Ed)
Between the City’s biggest gang Hathian Police Department the gang “leaders” are notable only by their consistent absence when the going gets rough or some who cannot be bothered to remember a single thing even about their people (unless they are in a physical relationship). Actual street cred has been flushed away.
It is easy to judge from afar but unless you are part of the solution then you are part of the problem. Boycott the gang-owned businesses, the sex trade and the drug trade. Stop siding with this or that gang because unless you are a member you are expendable and will always only be a tool for their use.
Gangs thrive and recruit on the backs of dysfunctional social and familial bonds so love and support your children so that they are not seduced by the false sense of belonging, fake support and the control that is misinterpreted as the structure that gangs offer.
So, be a good friend to the loner who is struggling to find their feet and whatever you do, stop finding reasons to hate on your fellow men and women. Even with those you dislike, try to find common ground and work towards building a stronger and more united community because gangs thrive and reproduce in the fractures and division of Hathian.
Let’s do better so that we can kick the wobbling stool on which the gang structure balances from beneath them together and reclaim our city.
(The Observer Editorial Board supports the general message calling for a reduction in gang violence and respect for fellow citizens, including from HPD)
((This article was submitted by a guest columnist – if you wish to write for the Observer but don’t want to register and join officially, just discuss OOCLY with Daiyu Tang; editor))
