Crime Doesn’t Pay for Gangs

Recently, Los Angeles gang members were fined $5 million. Yes, you read it right: $5 million. A new law in California allows gang members to be held financially responsible for illegal behavior and the destruction they inflict upon their neighborhoods. The law even allows the state to seize any property that the gang members’ families own that may have been bought with profits from illegal activities. The gang that is being fined is the 18th Street, L.A.’s largest gang notorious for their heroin trade. All of the money won from this case will be used to give back to the neighborhoods affected by the gang’s activities. I am glad that LA has realized that they need to step up their approach when it comes to deterring gang activity. More cities need to follow suit and find new ways to keep our streets safer.