That guy has always creeped me out.

How about we make McKenna pay out of pocket legal fees if this little campaign game of his costs us money in the legal challenges? There are so many things that fall south of the 1st Amendment in his measures that its laughable. Freedom of assembly? Freedom of speech? Restricting what colors you can wear?

I'm not exactly a gang supporter, but the legal stuff here--it's pure comedy, surely?

Yawn. More upper-middle class people trying to solve problems they can't begin to understand.

Perhaps McKenna just wants to re-ignite Washington's music industry. After all, L.A.'s unconstitutional brand of anti-gang practices led directly to the wildly-successful invention of Gangsta Rap.

"In a frustrated response to an increase in gang-related violence, several years ago the Los Angeles police department implemented a procedure known as 'gang sweeps'. Dozens of armed units penetrate randomly selected areas and indiscriminately detain individuals that appear to be gang-affiliated.
The city of Compton, long considered to be the focal point of gang violence, experiences gang sweeps on a routine basis." -- Opening titles to N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton"

@3- No, they didn't imagine the Crips and the Bloods. They just imagined EVERYBODY.

@7 Awesome!

And props to the ACLU. Those guys do everything right. I also loved their slap to the computer generated e-mails comment.

Not only is that stupid, but here's a billion organizations that also think McKenna is without legal standing and attempting to incarcerate poor people.

@3 Best to err on the safe side, don't you think, and not curtail basic constitutional rights base on what you imagine the founding father's meant.

@4 I don't think they don't understand it, I think that they don't care. A good executive works for his resume, and increasing arrests of minorities is good for making an elected official look tough on crime. Plus filling prisons provides slave labor for campaign donors. It's all the rage in Arizona. That's why they made it illegal to be brown there.

As a Mother of a child murdered by gangs I am in opposition to this proposed gang legislation, unlike Dora Trevino who is also a Mother of a murdered child and testified. I, unlike her, understand the system, the community groups (who rake in monies and provide little to no assistance), the victims and the politians who use these type of issues as stepping stones to further their careers. (McKenna for Gov.) Violent offenders must be taken off the streets, but RCW's already in place aren't even used at this time because the system takes pleas. Our system needs to be overhauled first, Community Corrections need funding, oppression needs adressed and public schools and law enforcement and the prison system need serious help (the list goes on and on) Gangs breed and flurish out of the prison system. I disagree with injuctions. Extreme surpression taking away ones rights without due process cannot take place. These bills also do not adress how one who has changes their life and become productive citizens get off the gang lists and injuntions. Isn't that the true goal ? I am not in favor, and repulsed at our uneducated representatives.

As a Mother of a child murdered by gangs I am in opposition to this proposed gang legislation, unlike Dora Trevino who is also a Mother of a murdered child and testified. I, unlike her, understand the system, the community groups (who rake in monies and provide little to no assistance), the victims and the politians who use these type of issues as stepping stones to further their careers. (McKenna for Gov.) Violent offenders must be taken off the streets, but RCW's already in place aren't even used at this time because the system takes pleas. Our system needs to be overhauled, Community Corrections need funding, oppression needs adressed, public schools, law enforcement and the prison system need serious help (the list goes on and on) Gangs breed and flurish out of the prison system. I disagree with injuctions. Extreme surpression taking away ones rights without due process cannot take place. These bills also do not address how one who has changes their life and become productive citizens get off the gang lists and injuntions. Isn't that the true goal ? I am not in favor, and repulsed at our uneducated representatives.