Rotary Club of Port Jefferson (Oct 09, 2019)

Our featured speaker, Bill Schaefer, is the former Ass't. U.S. Attorney for Northern California. He spoke to us about MS-13, which he said is considered to be a transnational criminal organization on the order of notorious dangerous gangs like The Mafia. It is one of the largest street gangs in the world and one of the most violent. Where did MS-13 begin? It is a home-grown American gang that started up in Los Angeles, CA. and carries on constant warfare with The Bloods, The Crips, and the like. Bill noted that while LI's most pressing problems have to do with the economy, its 2nd most pressing problem is crime. New York ranks 26th in the world in the amount of crimes perpetrated. Nassau County ranks among the most crime-free counties in the state, while Suffolk ranks among the worst. Many MS-13 members find a safe haven in El Salvador, even if they weren't born there. We have a large number of El Salvadorans in a few communities on LI. Many lawfully entered the US under provisions of the unaccompanied minors law. Brentwood is one of the Latino communities that has welcomed these youngsters, who now make up a large percentage of students in the school system. Perveyors of violence, members of MS-13 tend to prey upon immigrants such as these. This gang is primarily interested in control and violence, not money. Bill told us about Operation Matador, an anti-gang measure set up under the auspices of a combined force of Homeland Security, ICE, the FBI, NY State troopers, and the Suffolk Police Dept. He pointed out that Trump is responsible for spotlighting the MS-13 crime problem and for getting much funding ( Gov. Cuomo, gave funding, too) for the fight against MS-13. Community support and cooperation is needed, to eradicate these gangs. However, since most of the victims of the gangs are undocumented aliens, if they report the crimes, they are also subject to being deported. (There are communities that are "sanctuary cities" that protect the rights of aliens, legal and illegal, but they do not exist on LI.) Unfortunately, the current Administration has demonized aliens, legal and illegal, causing the communities in which they reside to become resentful and less willing to work with law enforcement against the gang problem. Bill said that it is estimated that there are about 800 members of MS-13 on LI. Fortunately, our government is starting to work with the El Salvadoran government regarding mutual gang problems. We are able to legally seize the assets of criminals. However, as the the violence increases, communities affected begin to shut down their willingness to help law enforcement out of fear of retaliation. There have also been at least 15 threats made against law enforcement people, themselves. MS-13 abides by no rules. It is a fluid group, not organized through a central command. While it has been agreed that unaccompanied minors who enter the U.S. need positive support from the communities they end up in and early intervention to combat their joining a gang, local government money to help target gang issues has been cut and programs have been eliminated. Even so, there still are some organizations (ie., Catholic Charities) that continue to work on this issue. MS-13 offers its membership "brotherhood", "status", "a sense of power" via controlling turf, and "a sense of belonging". Gang members are mostly young males between the ages of 18-24. (There are also female hangers-on.) There are around 100 different gangs on LI. Graffiti is used to mark turfs. Port Jefferson Station is thought to have an MS-13 presence. Bill concluded his report saying that the project of legally eliminating violent gang members will continue. The process moves very slowly, though, as "due process" is required, even in cases against MS-13.