Rise in Gang Presence Puts Cincinnati on Edge

On April 2, thousands will flock downtown to catch a glimpse of Cincinnati's grand celebration of baseball, the opening day parade. The parade is a celebration of what Cincinnati truly is: the first home of professional baseball. At 2:05, 45,000 will pack Great American Ballpark to see the annual opening day game, a guaranteed home game for the Reds each year, against the Chicago Cubs.

But, the events of the past few days here have led to chaos throughout Cincinnati. A gang of teenagers have spent the last few days roaming the town and terrorizing the town through intimidation, sucker-punching, and even robbery. And it has the police going to great lengths to catch them all.

They have been lucky so far. Seven teenagers have been arrested, but unfortunatley the attacks have continued, mostly because in at least one case, one of them has been hauled away and let out. The result was the teen rejoined the attacking clan. So far, six attacks have been attributed to this gang, and five of them have taken place since March 26.

Match 26 was a rough evening for a 19-year-old. These same teens knocked him down to the ground and robbed him or a pack of cigarettes and a cell phone.

March 27 was another night for another victim. In an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer, 20-year-old college student Jacon Garvin described his attack and was able to fend off his attackers. According to Garvin, he was skateboarding on March 27, and hopped the Taylor-Southgate Bridge into Newport, Kentucky to shop. When he crossed the bride, he noticed a group of teenagers at the bridge's foot. The teens jumped him. Garvin was able to run off, but not before the teens gave chase. The teens chased him with thrown rocks, taunts, and cackling until Garvin was able to find a truck. After the truckers laughed the gang off, he ran into a garage and ducked inside until the teens left the area, when he was able to run into a police officer who was helping the driver of a car with a flat tire. Police caught up with three of them and arrested them. Garvin has sworn to leave the town during daylight... with buddies.

Despite threats from Cincinnati police that anyone going downtown with the intent of creating chaos will be arrested on the spot, it still raises a very important question about the safety of people in other cities. Gang violence is rampant all over the United States, and it is becoming a crime statistic to be afraid of.

Here are some refreshers in how to avoid an attack by a gang:
- First off, never try to venture out into the city streets alone at night. Always try to have a buddy with you, or if you do have to be alone, make sure you are in a crowd of people around you. One good eye during an altercation can lead to a steadfast police response, and it will help provide you with witnesses in case fingers get pointed.

-If you are near a parking garage when a gang decides to pick someone for attack, it is always OK to be accompanied by a security guard or police officer. Security escorts are available at many office buildings, and are trained to fend off attackers while you flee. It is their job to protect you, not just the building.

-Carpooling can be a good idea to get massive amounts of people out of town quicker after the whistle blows. Try going home with coworkers, or have a security escort wait with you when you are being picked up from work. Safety is a huge numbers game, and if you have the numbers in your favor, you will walk out unscathed.

-Stay away from areas of town where you know gang violence takes place. But, just do not assume that a certain area is at all times unsafe and outlaw entry into the area. Anyone who thinks that way is usually branded as a racist, and that just leads to more trouble. Until you know that trouble is happening, trust people.

In conclusion, on a personal note, this reporter wished to decry all kinds of violence in all its forms, be it gang related, terrorist related, or especially racially motivated. Racial tension generally causes it, and the only way to stop it is to love your fellow man. Like the slogan says: "Can't we all just get along?"