Opinion: Lock Up Prop. 21 and Throw Away the Key

Anyone Could Get Locked Up As "Gang Affiliated"

By Johnnie Disco

Ok, I am 23 and I will be the first to admit that I, at this early age, have already done my fair share of mischievous acts. I consider what I have done minor and dismiss it as simply adolescence, especially when comparing it to some of the things I have seen.

I grew up in a well-off middle class white suburb of Los Angeles, most commonly refered to as "The Valley." I still remember the first time my "gang affiliated" next-door neighbor Max came by to borrow my dad's tools. Helping him carry the tools, I walked into his garage to see a half-stripped Acura Integra. My initial fearful reaction was quickly suppressed after I had been offered some of the goodies found inside this stolen vehicle.

Looking back on those days, I can't help but think of what could have happened if Proposition 21 had been in effect at the time. If a cop did come by, I could have been arrested as an accessory to auto theft, plus I very well could have been tagged a "gang associate" for the rest of my life. The misdemeanor charge of accessory because of the "gang affiliation" would have been an instant 180-day jail sentence if not considered a felony. Not because the crime was any worse, but simply because my next-door neighbor was in a gang.

As time passed I stopped speaking with Max except for the occasional ride home from school. The last I heard he was arrested with four of his gang friends for breaking and entering. I am not condoning the things he has done. I will freely admit that gangs are a problem in today's society. I have had to put up with some serious BS due to gangs. While working at H&H Ye Old Head Shop I was robbed at gun-point a few times. The store I worked in was vandalized repeatedly, and the police made themselves known by harassing customers from time to time. Still, I can't see the justification of Proposition 21.

Prop. 21 Makes it a whole lot easier for juveniles to be tried as adults. The decision whether or not a juvenile should be tried as an adult is taken out of a judge's hands and put into the hands of the district attorney, whose sole purpose is to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.

If prosecuted to the fullest extent of this new law, teenagers will not learn from their mistakes, they'll suffer as a massive pool of prison "bitches," to be raped, beaten and lost within the system. What happened to the idea of rehabilitation? Or is that a term we, as Californians are going to drop in this New Millennium?

The problem seems to have an easier solution. Take all the money that is needed to host the influx of juveniles in jail this proposition would allow and put it into education. It seems clear: we should work on ways of preventing the problem, not locking it up and forgetting about it. What makes more sense: build more prisons or build more schools? If you answered prisons, stop reading this and go to Oz, because you need a brain.

I think we, as Californians, before voting on this issue should take a serious look at the claims being made by supporters of Prop. 21. Their key claim, that juvenile crimes are increasing, are based on outdated statistics. Current data shows the amount of felony juvenile crimes decreasing since 1995.

Here's an idea: how about we treat all the police who have been charged with brutality as a gang. To make it fair, any cop convicted of brutality should have to register every time they change residence, and make it a special point to tell the local gang members of their new community. Fair, easy, fun. Yeah right.

Catch ya on the flip side,
Johnnie Disco

Ps. Tell your mom I'll see her later. ;)