Gang Murder Cases Collide in Juvenile Hall

Ha look at this did i call this or not? People like this can not change. He is a banger for life.
Below is what i posted about someone saying this punk should get rehabilitated.

Posted on October 18 at 4:46 p.m.

rehabilitation? you are joking right? The second this kid goes to ca youth he will be under the contral of La EME. If we gave him murder 1 it would only make him looked up to further in the jail system. You talk about rehab, do you have any idea about stuff like this. He has no life to look forward to after this. Please follow his story for the next 8 yrs. I bet this will not be the last time we hear of the punk

Yeah, he is figuring that his life is already ruined, why not? Thing is, he still has a chance to turn it around. Hopefully he realizes that before he gets himself that third strike... not likely though! He has shown that he cannot think for himself and would rather go along with the crowd, to extremes, than stand up and do his own thing. It's too bad but I'm glad that he's behind bars and staying there for a long time... or perhaps even forever.

Sadly young men like this mize fellow have gone to far off the path to be saved. They do not fear imprisonment or death. So leave them, if people like Mize want to change, they will seek it and ask for it.
So we must look to rehabilitate and save those on the outside of prison, Those who are imprisoned in the gang bang mentality but who are still at the beginning of this destructive and ultimately self-destructive life style. I believe more after school programs would help, like the boys and girls club. Unfortunantly gang members have already claimed these spots as their "hang outs" that and low funding is killing one of our greatest hopes to save future generations.
I believe after school programs give "poor" children direction and show them possible futures where you dont have to deal, or kill. We have to show you latino kidsthat latinos dont have to be cholos to have an identity.
SGV_SB

Here's a true solution to the gang problem: Round them all up, put them in a confined/controlled area where they have contact w/ each other but are away from law abiding citizens, let them kill each other. I'm talking ALL gangs: Black, Latino, White, Asian, Armenian, WHATEVER!
This way the conservatives can say the law did it's job by arresting & incarcerating them, the liberals can say that the death penalty wasn't applied by the state & if it is televised, corporate networks can feature the ULTIMATE fighting challenge, boost their ratings & make $$$ that a portion of goes to the state to fix out lame budget.
There you go, problem fixed :) henry

Maybe it's just me, but I'm always leery of any solution which begins with the words: "Round them all up...."

Just so many directions offered in that idea, all of them wrong.

hello, people?

just how much real effort will really be put into rehabilitating juarez or any other accused gang member? in this climate of recession and growing fear of ________, how much worse do you think things might get if all we do is blame "them" as some hopeless and worthless cultural detritus to be rounded up and "dealt with"?

i haven't heard such a toxic, disgusting idea since debating ethics with a skinhead klansman in the south. who's next on your hit list to blame after you round up all your ethnically and color-coded scapegoats?

does anyone still understand that there is a difference between incarceration and rehabilitation?

to that (hopefully sardonically sarcastic) comment about rounding them all up- aren't you aware that THAT is exactly what the bulk of politics and law enforcement have been focusing on trying to do (for decades now) ever since we told them that they had to start preventing lynchings rather than just look the other way.

from jim crow, to the socio-economic draft for the "all-volunteer" modern military, to the war on drugs, three-strikes and gang-enhancement mutations of justice, these are all variations on the same theme of white privilege & profit keeping the people in line, feeding their (our) machine.

the prison-industrial complex is the hate & fear-fueled little brother to the military-industrial complex. neither one has any interest in sustainable community; only in their own growth - the nature of any profit-driven corporation.

can't those of you refusing to EVOLVE past 3,000+ year old eye-for-an-eye retaliatory strategies learn anything from looking at the 3,000+ year conflicts in the middle east that are going nowhere faster and faster fueled on that same murderous yet undying philosophy?

the solutions to both crime and terrorism are to be found in education and social justice. not punishment and retribution.

live in love or live in fear. it is a choice.

Firedervish, tell you what, have these guys come over, rough you up, graffitti your pad, maybe kill a pet or 2, assault your loved 1's, then get back to me or any of us that are fed up w/ these malicious malcontents that are beyond rehab. Maybe we'll listen.
Binky, I always enjoy hearing from you & I agree, rounding "people up" is wrong on many levels. Sounds like what the nazis did in Germany a while back.
Here's the fundemental difference: The people rounded up by the nazis were done so because of religion (Jewish), heritage (Gypsies), sexual orientation (homosexuals), physical deformities ("cripples" or sickly), mental health (mentally disabled) & just questioning the system. If ANY of those things are a crime, we're all damned as a people.
The individuals some of us say to lock up have committed violent crimes against people & refuse to stop doing so.
Rehab hasn't worked, employment opportunities haven't worked, education hasn't worked, what's next?
We don't need the military indistrial complex telling us what to be worried about, WE HAVE THESE GANG MEMBERS TO REMIND US!
Look @ the solution I offered, it allows them to live out their utmost dream & goal: To kill each other by whatever means possible.
The cool thing is no innocents get caught in the crossfire, thanks to those high walls & a safe distance.
Let out the minimal offenders (potheads, hookers, jaywalkers, victimless crime offenders) & fill those places w/ these violent thugs. I think they'll be happier than pigs in slop :) henry

Ok after being in the system ( California Prison ) coming out of the Santa Barbara area. I was a non violent felon and was off parole in 13 months. I was so rare that I probably was a first for my parole office.

Gang members or members of the La Eme or mexican mafia do not rehab. Once your in you have two choice live or die. In prison you can become a drop out and go to a PC yard ( prison area ) where your then mixed with child molesters and other wonderful people. Most youngsters need to make a name for themselves and also show they can take care of themselves AKA being a good soldier. Especially being 17 and going to a mainline prison. They may still send these guys to CYA till there 18 or 21 and I honestly an not sure which one is worse.
You leave these guys in with the younger kids and teenagers they just feed the system of gangs and breeding. I honestly cant figure out how 16+ year old accused murders are left in CYA. They should be in a cell.
So when some one says we need to rehab some one of this nature it's like a pit bull thats been breed to fight. They are programmed one way. For all intensive purposes your not going to turn it off. They do mellow with age but the trigger is still a hair trigger.
I honesty agree with the poster about rounding them up and putting them in a prison for life. I would go as far as to do it even if your an affiliate. These are not people that can be helped.

Save the state some money. Personally I wish we just executed them an eye for an eye. Really much cheaper and safer for society. Gangs have changed the way these youths are raised for all intensive purposes. It's like years of physical abuse it never leaves. Then take them and add them to a prison system that is full of predators and people they look up to. All it is for them is a school of the trade really for getting out and doing their duty.

This gang problem is like a many headed hydra, and we are addressing the symptoms when we A: Suggest more social programs for our "at risk" youth; or B: Call for more punitive measures.

The problem is that so many of these people are being produced by our society in the first place; we see it with very young kids. I remember reading a few years back--it might have been in this publication--the testimony of a former gang member who was trying to put a stop to the *cycle* of gang violence say that by eight years old, many kids have--to quote her--"the look", and I'm guessing we all know what she was talking about. (The aggressive strut, the paranoid way they look around, and of course the way they dress, all negative energy.) What is interesting to note is that they aren't born that way, but they sure learn it in a big hurry and like the former gang member said, by the time they are about eight years old, you can see it in their eyes.

There does come a point where one has to survive, and as hank points out, what do you do when you've had these people kill your pet, harrass your kids in school, make life a living hell for you? The problem with the peace and love and cosmic consciousness approach is that while it's very nice sounding, it doesn't address *why* society produces more and more of these people, yet those calling for clemency claim to be standard bearers of reason and higher thought, but often end up ranting and calling those who don't agree with them racists, hicks, and so forth. (As hank and I well know)

What we are doing know as a society is clearly not working, and simply frantically spending more $$$ in a desperate attempt to stop children from growing up to be thugs who kill people isn't the answer, the answer is to ask ourselves "what changed" from the time gang violence was an anomaly, to the present time where it's knocking on our front door.

We need to do something but lets not be mean about it. It's all whitey's fault in the first place. Product of racist, white male dominated society....blah blah blah blah.

I consider myself pretty liberal but man alive! Some of the "hug-the-thugs", bleeding heart, tofu-blinded comments I have read here almost seem to imply we should feel sorry for the poor gangsters who kill and maim each other. Well sir, no thank you.

On a side note, this is the same kind of dribble I have been reading about the lady who stole another woman's newborn son from her arms. Everyone is so sad for the suspect's friends and family - "they are just devastated." Yeah, so what? How about the feelings of the mother and father who almost lost their son to this pyscho?

Thisislame, FYI, "For all intents and purposes..."

sacjon, I take offense to the "tofu-blinded" comment =P

Bill makes some valid points.....about the problem.
The problem has been studied to the nth degree, and we are all aware that the same ingredients that make a successful member of society' are what are missing for the young kids that choose this way of life. The solution is not very complicated at all.
Policing (suppression), after school programs and welfare are all band aids that do not directly address the problem. Kids that have that 'look in their eyes' are simply scared. Bravado is fear turned outward. Did you know that in the mind of a 14 year old on the lower east side or west side that they are actually afraid of being stabbed by a knife and dying? The thought of being stabbed makes me scowl . How about you?
How do we provide hope to children that feel hopeless? By giving them hope. You simply offer them a way up and out by taking steps to improve the conditions of their lives.
But are Santa Barbara's residents willing to share? The other night I looked up at the Riviera and there were so many houses with no lights on. I think that half the population on the hill doesn't even live here. How many rentals do you own?

Love, Nutritious Food, Affordable Shelter, Education equate to lower crime rates.

All of the above costs less dollars and takes less effort than warehousing large segments of the population.

Violence in Juvenile hall? Wow what a shocker. Perhaps the fact that we are trying little kids as adults contributes to the desperation they are feeling.

It's a different set of rules where they are headed and Violence is survival. Are you really shocked?

For an interesting view of the "round 'em up" approach, watch "Escape from New York" or "Escape from L.A." starring Kurt Russell.

RC, where do you think the idea came from in the 1st place? HAHAHA! :) henry

Part One
On behalf of Santa Barbara, and for that matter, all of society, I would like to offer sincerest apologies for everything society and “The Man” did to the unfortunate Ricardo Juarez that caused him to stab Luis Linares to death. In addition, I would also like to offer additional apologies for not having learned our lesson the first time and again causing poor Ricardo Juarez to engage in the gang-related assault on yet another juvenile housed at the juvenile facility awaiting his turn to be tried for yet another murder we caused.
The interesting phenomena that is repeated within our court system is the outpouring of support, as well as the substantial presence of the alleged defendant’s family and friends at each of the court appearances every time one of the “gang related” cases come before the court. It is incredibly impressive. Parents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, friends, etc., packing the courthouse, intensely concerned for their child/relative/friend, incredulous and angry at everyone for what has happened to their chil/relative/friend. If you haven’t witnessed the scene, you really should.
Eagerly awaiting the case to be called, the throng of supporters put everything else in their otherwise busy lives aside in order to appear at each hearing and even join the forces of others who engage in picketing and protesting decisions to charge juveniles like Ricardo Juarez as adults for their brutal and merciless attacks. I’m still trying to figure out where all of the supports and protestors were while Ricardo was stabbing away at Linares. Where were they when the gang was slowly gathering in force on State Street, looking for the other gang in order to stab and kill? What instructions did the parents of Ricardo and the other gang bangers give their kids the morning of the minimum day regarding what they were supposed to be doing after school, where they were expected to go, etc? What protocol did they use to check up on their kids after school to make sure they were where they were supposed to be and to ensure they were not engaging in banging, smoking herb, drinking and tagging?
Yeah, once again, society let these poor unfortunates down, and we’re doing it over and over again by insisting that they be prosecuted for their barbaric behavior. How could we do that? it’s not their fault! It’s our fault…, right? We’ve made them who they are. Society is responsible for Ricardo stabbing Linares to death.., right? And now society is responsible for poor Ricardo and his jailed gangster accomplices assault on the other rival gangster, jailed at the same facility while awaiting trial regarding yet another murder society is responsible…, right?

Part Two
At the time of his sentencing hearing, Ricardo’s lawyers presented the compelling testimony of an expert who theorized that the brains of teenagers are less biologically sophisticated than those of adults when it comes to making judgment calls, and cited a study showing that adolescents are considerably more apt than adults to make poor decisions around the presence of peers. Fortunately the public defender is fully funded to secure the services of such experts to provide valuable and enlightening revelations such as those summed up by the expert appearing on behalf of Ricardo. Who’d a thunk? Revolutionary! Groundbreaking! Thought provoking, and, overwhelming compelling to the point that Ricardo should never have been held responsible for killing Linares, and certainly not for planning and executing the assault on the rival gang member, with the help of his other, equally cranially challenged adolescent associates.
Of course we should encourage the expenditure of resources on getting these experts before the court in order to offer such cutting edge information because we, society, are responsible for everything poor little Ricardo has become. Shame on us.
Now let’s see, we’ve got the latest version of this repeating scenario where a group of other unfortunate gangsters crushed the skull of a kid who stepped in to object to the behavior of yet another biologically challenged gangster, with an underdeveloped brain, who took it upon himself to sexually assault a girl at a party. How can we allow society to continue to nurture the abuse society metes out on these poor gangsters that causes them to go about maiming and killing? We need to stop prosecuting these victims of society and focus more attention and blame on the poor souls who happen to cross their miserable paths. How many of the wonderful authors who contribute their thoughts to this blog have ever actually had any contact with a gangster? Oh, that’s right, in college, in a class, and on tv. Sorry, I apologize.

ToTheguywritingthis: I love your tongue-in-cheek analysis. To add a serious note in support of what you are saying, I'd add that if the idea of a teenagers brain not being as developed somehow is to blame, then why are most violent psychopaths doing this when they are adults?

Here is another point: What we don't dare mention in our P.C. society is that fact that (at least when I was a kid going to school in the 70's) if a Mexican kid wanted to break "la cadena perpetua" (the endless cycle) of gang culture by studying hard and doing well in school, they were ridiculed by other Mexican kids and where thought of as "acting White". The problem in American culture is the double standard that exists per racial expectations; there is an unspoken rule that if one is part of the ruling class (i.e. White folks) they are supposed to be self-critical, but to even suggest that Mexicans or Blacks also need to look within their own cultures and be self-critical is taboo, and without such self-examination, there is no way we'll see this problem go away. In all fairness to both these groups, the P.C. approach of American society has much to do with this problem.

All HAIL!
Our Lord and Savior Obama, has spoken to change the evil white devil, to make him pay for the sins of the Black, Latino and Asian.
To exact revenge for the social injustices that the White man has done, to make reperations to the supierior people of President Obama.
I have heard his words speak to me, he has said that unto the Gang-Banger, the Faulty Justice System ruled by the evil White devil with be cast aside and a new just rule shall be put in its place and the Banger will be forgiven for all the wronged punishment that was handed down by the Wicked White People.
Oh say it true; Amen.