In light of a major gang bust in the Bronx, this week we asked readers their thoughts on street gangs in the Bronx and how to fix this major issue.

I had a problem with gangs and I had to move in 1986 from my place on Westchester Avenue and Jackson Avenue. It’s different now; it’s much better now. Everyone does everything now quiet, but there are more gangs today. You don’t see it like you did in the 1980s. I don’t see any gang movement today, but we have a lot of drugs in the area.
Rafael Ojeda
Bedford Park

 

I think the police are starting to crack down a little more on the gangs. If you watched Channel 12 News, they had a raid and [arrested] a lot of people and locked them up for gang activity, so I think law enforcement has improved to make the neighborhoods a little safer for the people who live here. If they continue to do that we will all be a little safer.
Gilbert Johnson
Norwood

 

I never really had problems with gangs. I don’t go out much, so I don’t see them. I hear about the slashings on the news and think that’s horrible and think they should just grab these guys and put them away. The only way I know to get kids away from gangs is opening more programs for them to participate in afterschool like the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center and The C.O.V.E., and we need more of those types of things to deter kids from gangs.
Peter Hernandez
Norwood

People join gangs because they want to feel like they’re a part of something. Maybe they don’t have that at home or don’t have a father figure or even a mother to show them the right path to follow, so they just want to be a part of something. Definitely, programs keep the kids out of the street. Some kids are out in the street and they just get caught in the crossfire just because they don’t have anywhere else to go. Youth programs are a good start. The NYPD could do more, I think that was just a stunt. It was just one bust and now they can take off for the rest of the year.
Michael Angelo
Allerton

Honestly, I’m from Bosnia and I don’t like to see people kill each other for no reason. It’s very stupid. The police are doing all they can, but the police don’t see the gang members.
Nedzad Radoncic
Norwood