Across working class Los Angeles, we're plagued with gangs. Some may be relatively benign local gangs, while others are local, interstate, and international crime syndicates. Among the most pernicious: 18th St, Mara Salvatrucha, the Crips, as well as business oriented motorcycle, Armenian and Asian gangs.

Police departments have "gang task forces" that are supposed to help reduce the influence, power, and effect of gangs. They sell themselves as ways to stop and even eliminate gangs.

Residents have always been skeptical -- after all, all the locals know the gangs have been around for decades. The police haven't done anything.

The recent release of the Antisec "Chinga La Migra" files include a file that serves to help explicate why the police seem to be doing nothing.

The file is named "Gangs and LE Targets.pdf" and will not be posted here because it's considered secret. The file can be obtained by downloading the Antisec release via Bittorrent.

In Queens County NY, the Crips and Bloods formed an alliance to take over the drug trade. As NYPD presence increased, the gangs had a sniper kill a cop. In rapid response, the NYPD took down 100+ Bloods and Crips, basically undoing a 2.5 year effort to gather evidence about the gangs.

Likewise, Varrio Hawaiian Gardens was taken down only after a member killed a cop. Until then, the gang had been allowed to exist.

Cops are afraid, because gangsters are now joining the military and attain the skills to kill effectively, and that includes cops. Some gangs are intent on ambushing cops to acquire better arms and armor.

The newsletter, read from the perspective of a community member and not a police officer, is quite clear: the police will only to the minimum to protect residents. They are more concerned with protecting themselves. Thus, the strategy for law enforcement remains "containment" to contain the crimes in the poor and working class areas of Los Angeles.

For these residents, there's little hope except to escape via schools or the military. The latter, of course, trains you to kill, but not necessarily to find a job while living within these numerous poor communities.