Let us turn on the way back machine to 1979 South Africa. Apartheid is the Cause Dejour The evil of P.W Botha and the tragic suffering of the residents of Soweto were more than civilized people could stand. So people who knew nothing about the real situation in South Africa were calling their brokers and divesting from any investment in South Africa, Universities and state governments did the same all in the name of humanity.Everyone felt so good about being so noble that they would put human rights ahead of filthy lucre. Never mind this travesty of justice was occurring in at least three other places in the world. Apartheid was the Cause of the Moment.
Well the story had a happy ending almost. Nelson Mandela was set free and elected president it was Morning in South Africa [excuse me I am being a bore that was Ronald Reagan's line]. Let us fast forward to 2009 South Africa is a very different place. The white people live in luxury golf communities with high stone walls and Private armed security that shoots to kill. The middle class whites hit the road back 30 years earlier.
The rest of the people live in worse conditions than before. The murder rate in S. Africa is 8x that of the USA. Rape and Robbery are so common and the police are so in effective that significant amount of crime goes unreported. Municipal services are at minimum and the Current president of S. Africa Jacob Zuma encourages vigilante groups to enforce the law. It would be hard to believe that this is what Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu envisioned 30 years ago.
Why is this story so important because we are developing in this country the good old USA a Gang and prison culture that is dangerous and growing . The names are familiar the Bloods and the Crips, Latin kings and M-13. We now have generational gang and prison culture that are becoming a legitimate way of life . Gangs are about money, drug and violence. They are parts of every city in America where the police have just about given up on preventing crime they just try and contain it.
It is hard to understand that given all the programs for minority students to go to college free and the amount of positive propaganda that they prefer street life. In all the major cities in America there are gated communities with armed security[sound familiar] The rest of the people have fled from the cities to live normal lives in decent suburban communities.
The question is where does this stop? In twenty years will the gangs be more powerful ? Will they start expanding out? What will it take to stop them. People really do not want to see news footage of riot police gunning down gang members in the streets. How third world is that? Is this the kind of America we want to live in ? these are questions that can not be answered at this time. The future will provide the answers, but if there is no change in the way America handles the Gang and Prison culture I think they will be answers we will not like .
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