Today there was a news article in the paper about a 15 year old kid who was standing on the corner in his neighborhood. He is a gang member. So he's standing there, and 4 other kids, also gang members, hit him in the face with a shovel. They stole his gold chains and a $700 diamond ring. And here's the rub - they are all in the same gang!

Needless to say, we have a gang problem in our town. A lot of powerful people want to deny that we have a gang problem. "It's not an organized gang" some say. "They don't have guns yet" others say.

Think about that for a minute... Do we have to wait until they are organized and have guns before we crack down on it? Do we have a gang violence problem, or just a gang problem? Is is acceptable to have unorganized, gunless gangs in our town? Is that okay?

And one final petty thought. What do you think the chances are that the kid with $700 worth of bling is on free and reduced lunch at school?