Cops fear Catalina Island is turning gangster paradise

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

It seems even 22 miles of open ocean might not be keeping gangs off Catalina Island, a mist-shrouded outpost of Los Angeles County best known for its Hollywood history and crystal-clear harbors.

Deputies on the isle say a fledgling gang called the Brown Pride Locos has gotten a foothold among the beaches, coves and tourist shops. A stabbing, burglaries and graffiti are being blamed on the gang, and deputies last month surprised teenagers practicing moves with knives on a dark bluff above Avalon's crescent-shaped bay.

A swift crackdown has netted at least six arrests.

...

Mayor Bob Kennedy ... acknowledges that some teens on the island heckle tourists, smoke marijuana and do some tagging. But he worries that overzealous policing — and the gang label — could empty the daily ferries that bring as many as 15,000 visitors to the island on summer weekends.

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"I know that we have some misguided youth that think it's cute to spray paint skateboard signs in the skateboard park and do a little vandalism in the bathrooms," said Kennedy, a 26-year Avalon resident. "Do we want to get after that? Absolutely. Do we need 30 officers in flak jackets and machines guns to do that? I don't think so."

Others feel that deputies are profiling Hispanic teens who are the children of the maids, cooks and waiters who fuel the island's tourist industry.

"I've been here 19 years and there are no gangs here. It's ridiculous," said 26-year-old Evelyn Cano. "They see shaved heads and tattoos, and that's a gang to them."

But deputies insist there's a problem on Catalina....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080711/ap_on_...ngs_in_paradise

[Peikko 1,575]

It wouldn't be the first time, Quincy had to deal with some seriously ugly gangsters on Catalina in the 70's...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

It wouldn't be the first time, Quincy had to deal with some seriously ugly gangsters on Catalina in the 70's...

[Teacher Mark 53]

It wouldn't be the first time, Quincy had to deal with some seriously ugly gangsters on Catalina in the 70's...

I just got it..hee, hee, hee.

[Peikko 1,575]

Quincy is one of my heroes. Quincy, Colombo and Rockford. The streets haven't been the same since these guys quit.

[Teacher Mark 53]

Quincy is one of my heroes. Quincy, Colombo and Rockford. The streets haven't been the same since these guys quit.

My Dad rarely gets pi$$ed about anything. I mean nothing rattles him. Well, in 89' I was house sitting for him while he took a vacation. He asked that I record (VHS, gag) a Rockford reunion for him. I forgot. HE GOT REALLY PI$$ED! Needless to say, he's a big fan! I still give him a hard time about it.

[Peikko 1,575]

Hehehe, well, I'm not that bad, but I did watch all the re-runs that were showing when I first moved here. What I liked was seeing the changes between when it was filmed and present day Socal and Nevada. Whenever Rockford goes to Vegas it's like, Woah! Was it really so tiny?