This article and comments are almost three years old. Why is it republished now?

If they'd allow me to walk my dog on the trails i'd carry a can of spray paint with me that matches all the walls and help erase gang tagged spots when i see them. But no... we're more concerned about dogs on trails than gangs.
-
I dont understand why there are gang signs tagged in places and the city just leaves them??? Covering them up should be a priority.
-
I also dont understand why a person can have pics of naked people on their computer, Under age, wrong but harmless. and get sentenced years.. And this guy shoots someone and gets 6 months?

How about a website with registered people who have shot someone? Why is it the community has no tolerance for "sexual predators", but something like this isn't treated with the same hysteria? What are the statistics for re-offending when it comes to hate crimes, gang related crimes, etc?
As far as the JPD, district attorney, and the JUVENILLE system, I have met VERY few who have been happy with their way of doing things! That's not a huge secret in Janesville!

Yess,, there is alot of gang activity going on in Janesville. Things happen.. Especially things that the police are un-aware of .. They can't keep track of everything. Things happen at schools but know one says anything becuase there afraid for themselve's, family, and even friends. A big thing that I see is that people join in gangs because.. No one in there lives are really there ... And in fact while joiing a gang its like family... you got they back & they got yours! Right?
In fact it is very WRONG!
something can end up happpen to you and know one will be there..
there are alot of fights in the Janesville school's that are in fact gang related..
" PEOPLE IN GANG SUCH ACTIVITY NEED.. TO KNOW THAT IT'S NOT THE ONLY WAY OUT"
THERE'S HELP OUT THERE JUST ASK..

& i TO THIS DAY KNOW A YOUNG MANN.. who claims many different gangs just to try to fit in .. if he cant fit in one.. i'll try the other.. ??
what happens when they catch on && find out??

6 Months is a "JOKE" Read about the girl from boscobel,GRANT COUNTY,15 she was,she is going away until she is 25,for shooting her cousin. When can we get rid of o'leary,maybe a little under the table going on?

Just my opinion: This is a serious topic and I agree with what prevention said,
.
"Yes, education is the best alternative. Yes, listen to the children of the community, they always seem to know more about what's going on than us adults. No, ignoring the problem will not work."
.
The other thing I need to say, and I have said it before is, I love the fact that the Gazette allows all of us to express our opinions. Thanks Gazette for keeping the 1st amendment to the Constitution alive for all of us.

marymac4 300 block of pine is where it was and jpd/gazette only puts what they want in the paper. it was a bunch of drunk adults fighting with weapons. they had something in the arrests about a battery THATS IT... JUST LIKE THE SHOOTING THING ON MT ZION ON FRIDAY

(gonefishin)ummm............ what more do we need to know? HE SHOT SOMEONE!!!!!!! pretty clear cut to me. and it is OUR community that is why we should get involved. Which one of those little wimps is your friend?
none of them i was saying we as the community really dont know what really went on just what the paper said so why get INVOLVED and talk sh*t about something we know nothing about

marymac4: It's in the Public Record for today.

OOps it was Pine street not Palm

The quote by David Moore that some are taking as a denial of a gang problem was prior to the parking lot incident.
http://gazettextra.com/news/2007/nov/30/...

Guess what Janesville if you have gang members or wanna b gang members shooting it up in the Y parking lot you do INDEED have a gang problem.

I have a question as to the violent incident on the near westside on Sat. night why is nothing posted in here you had severely beaten subjects with weapons a van with every window smashed out and were searching for more suspects and had a list of witnesses offering to give info....I believe it was in the 300 block of Palm and some address in the 1000 block of Ravine. If anyone has a scanner they will know what im talking about. Several officers were there. And another incident with several people near Rockport. I would think with as many police officers that responded there would be something in the paper.

in a nut shell, we need a mayor and a new d.a., someone who isnt scared of the gangs. and you are so right, gangs generally prey on the weak. to marymac, im sorry you were a victim of one of these attacks.its taken me 4 years to steer one of my children away from that life, and finally i hope success has taken place. these kids will not go away if you just ignore them,you have to be bold and forceful without physical or verbal assaults. once again NEW DISTRICT ATTORNEY!

Is it really that difficult to come across people that are former gang members? I know at least 2 former members that have educated me about the ins and outs.

Yes, there are gangs. Yes, there are many wanna-bes. Yes, education is the best alternative. Yes, listen to the children of the community, they always seem to know more about what's going on than us adults. No, ignoring the problem will not work.

Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
Criminal gangs in the USA have swelled to an estimated 1 million members responsible for up to 80% of crimes in communities across the nation, according to a gang threat assessment compiled by federal officials.
The major findings in a report by the Justice Department's National Gang Intelligence Center, which has not been publicly released, conclude gangs are the "primary retail-level distributors of most illicit drugs" and several are "capable" of competing with major U.S.-based Mexican drug-trafficking organizations.

"But the city doesn't have a gang problem," he said. "Gangs could become a 'greater' problem if they're ignored."

Well...which is it? In order for it to become a GREATER problem, acknowledges that it is a problem to begin with...no?

Thanks again Marymac4 for your insight. I think you are doing an awesome job in standing for what's right. I certainly wish the best to you and hope you will be safe. Gangs prey on weakness, especially a weak legal system like the one O'Leary has been running. He'd rather hide in his office than take a strong public stand against crime. You really hit the nail on the head when you posted about the billboards scattered around town about "hard time for gun crimes". That is truly a joke!

Just something to ponder and then ill shut up In the mid 90s on N. pearl a good friend of mine had a very large group of cambodians if im not mistaken several gang members broke into his home his wife hid in closet the broke his windows threatened their lives with weapons (bats and clubs for sure)and the paper said the perps had the wrong street right address the street was one block over and I remember it well maybe some of you do I know the victims do.............So it gives you a little info on the gang activity here back then so its nothing new! I know of a bunch of GDs in 1992 on Acadamy, I was their victim and suffered severe injuries and damage to my car...........There is a police report to the incident.

The kid joins to be part of and or to save his a-- from being kicked. sometimes to be protected from the bully gangs and we have one that is way out of control and the public has to deal with it. The latino gang on west side have bullied and harrassed several kids I know and after a big fight at Parker were expelled for the rest of last semester. are now back and can cause more trouble. the older members wait in pray after school just off school grounds and have the younger ones do their dirty work. A relative of mine is one of their targets as is his friends and many others the police have been called and nothing seems to get done. His shoes over power wires threatened with a pitbull beat up in his own driveway windows busted out of their cars, etc... etc...names are given and majority of time nothing is done. Sometimes this is where the right to protect you and your family comes to my mind as it gets old old old. I have seen this gang crap for 15 plus years and to deny or ignor it will let it continue. to try and end it within my family no hats in my home, no street slang, no gang signs, notta and if their friends dont abide goodbye dont let the door hit ya....... and they wont be back, most listen but then some will try and act tougher if more are around. I just hope the JPD can put a good grip on this and that the DA get his head out and gives them a justified sentence that fits the crime they do. Kids or not shooting is a crime. Hey wait I thought we "had hard time for gun crimes", what happened to that concept in Rock CO.? Just my opinion on the reality of it all. When you see it and have experienced it first hand it is hard to see it minimized!!!!!

Big what do you know first hand please share I have been there and still have a good insight as to the problems that hit close to home here, Just because my sons are adults dont mean they arent still hangin. as is my grandson.

Now,what a surprise! Our local police departmt. stated just last year that we had no drug/gang problems. I said then,I'll repeat:"WHAT"? Look. We need enforcement as part of the "daily police operations". Worse,we need our judicial groups to enforce,to support our officers.But what troubles many is that we need special funding to get enforcement? Please,we need a new job description as speeding,lite-running,drugs,gangs are out of control. Heck,fact is they have been for past 10 years! And we need special this and that? Hello!

Those that injure, kill, and threaten with motor vehicles should be "tracked" and held properly accountable the way gangs are.

.
Its a travesty that there are such things as politically-correct weapons.

Marymac4, thankyou for sharing. You are absolutely right in that gang members have no fear other than loss of disrespect from other gang members. Harming another individual ranks very high in the world of gangs...it raises their level of prestige within the gang. That kind of stuff is what they live for, especially the younger ones. As they get older, they look more towards monetary rewards and power within the gang structure.

ihavealife, yes, I agree Beloit is doing something about it and I think Janesville is too, but the DA doesn't want to work with law enforcement...he's too arrogant. I stated the difference as I see it in that gang activity is always ever expanding and Janesville is ripe territory...why is that? I am sure there are many who don't want Janesville to have a reputation similar to the others that you mentioned, but those others didn't want it either. The information that I have comes from following news stories and documentaries over the years. If you have firsthand info...yes, please share.

Quote from the story: "Gangs could become a greater problem if they're ignored." Now correct me if I am wrong, but didn't the Gazette print a story about gang graffiti last year? Did they not tell us that we should ignore it because that would be acknowledging their presence and they are mostly just looking for attention? To some this is confusing. To me it is frustrating. Thanks for this advice: "We should ignore them, but we shouldn't ignore them."

Does it really matter where they originate from now that it is here it needs to be dealt with and not just a slap on the wrist as the shooter got in this story, if he had killed him i suppose 1 year in jail would have been the sentence, What a message to send to gang members! Do you really think they fear probation most of these individuals have no fear and no respect for anyone and or anybody. The shooter most likely gained respect in his group and probly made a step in rank. IMO

I think the count is way to low and the activity is more then this city wants to admit Janesville wouldn't want a black eye here Strictly my Opinion and obsevation. I have 4 sons in this communuty and they have lots of friends and many are "affiliated" with gangs, either you are or you aren't in a gang. and I know at least 2 of the 4 were involved, they think we dont have a clue well I did I also worked at Ethan Allens Boy school and had very indepth to the signs of gang involvement, the different gangs, and the signs and colors for individual gangs, which side the tear drop under the was and what it meant (death or loss of member). My Grandson is 19 and I am on him all the time for his activity. I was born at night BUT not last night.......when they leave signs on paper or pics on computer or have friends that stick to colors and or cocked hats or flash signs come on. We as parents are not stupid.

ihavealife...where do you think alot of the gang bangers originally came from before ending up in the "city to the south of us"? They came from Rockford, Chicago, and Milwaukee. And they're still coming from those places, but that city to the south has become "too small" for them all, so they do what all gang bangers do when they migrate...continue to expand into towns and cities that have "room" for them. Without the necessary tools needed by police along with cooperation of the DA's office, they'll continue to expand. Even those idiots know that O'Leary goes easy on crime. The police bring them in and O'Leary lets them out.

A lot of speculation here about gangs, and a lot of "he said" that really gives vague information, much of which could be gleaned from watching a year of _The Wire_ or another police show. It might be good to interview a former gang member to see how real this gang threat is. Too much of the information here seems generalized and designed to scare us.

Unless Rock County gets a new D.A., citizens can expect to continue to see criminals quickly released back into the public. O'Leary is useless...talk about a waste of taxpayer money!

HERE WE GO AGAIN (He shot somebody and only got 6 months in jail? Ok folks whats wrong with this?) IF YOU DONT KNOW THE TRUTH OF WHAT HAPPEN WHY GET INVOLVED? WE ALL KNOW WHAT THE GAZETTE PRINTS WHICH IS NOT BY FAR WHAT REALLY WENT ON

He shot somebody and only got 6 months in jail? Ok folks whats wrong with this? HE SHOT ANOTHER PERSON IN THE LEG WHO COULD HAVE DIED! 6 months is A joke to these gang members heck he probably has more respect now from his other gang members, because of this they now look up to him, what A joke the court system must be to them!!!!!!! It shows these thugs you can shoot somebody and get A slap on the "wrist" so to speak....... UGH! How does this even come close to helping with the gang problems that are growing in Janesville?