Doing a little reasearch into Canada and I came across this. This was pretty intense as far I could see and I was just wondering what Canadians thought about this.
As the titles suggests this was a gang war which took place in Vancouver. For me it's quite sad because it's pretty clear that Canada is a much safer place than America but what seems to happen is that since Canade is next door to America some of America's problems cross the border.
Death is never trivial but what really upset me was the innocent bystanders that got killed.
__________________ Watch what people are cynical about, and one can often discover what they lack.
- General George Patton Jr
Last edited by Deadline on Aug 22nd, 2012 at 03:29 PM
just as a point of fact: the gangs currently fighting in Vancouver are not American at all. The United Nations is primarily punjabi or south Asian, and their primary rivals are the Independant Soldiers, who are primarily east Asian. I'd imagine there are Hells Angels or Rock Machine chapters or affiliates, but their bases of power come from other regions of the country (Manitoba, Quebec).
I'm not that knowledgeable about street gangs in the area, but most of the street gangs in western Canada are offshoots of a number of aboriginal prison gangs, though they tend to be strongest in Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba. otherwise they tend to come from immigrant communities.
I imagine there is some influence going both ways over the 49th parallel, but this is hardly an American problem spilling over our borders.
My bad I should have elaborated. Apparently the root origin of the problem originated in Mexico.....I'd probably have to dig abit further but as far as I can remember the war was about drugs and drugs obvoulsy don't come from one place they are transported and have roots in certain countries. Sorry wasn't trying to say the gangs were American.
Also a bit unrelated apparently you have some gangs that originated in America that have followers in Canada as well.
__________________ Watch what people are cynical about, and one can often discover what they lack.
- General George Patton Jr
Last edited by Deadline on Aug 22nd, 2012 at 04:46 PM
Canada is hugely regional, right. So like, gangs that form on the west coast don't necessarily share the same history as those that formed in the prairies or in larger urban centers of southern Ontario or Quebec. Because of the geography, BC has always been a top producer of marijuana. For a long time, and still to some large degree, this trade was controlled by mom-and-pop operations and there was little to no gang involvement or violence. However, once this expanded and BC bud could be traded almost pound for pound for cocaine in Southern US states, the amount of money being made began to attract a more "criminal" type.
Interviews with growers and such are pretty much all the same on this point. As cocaine began to flow into the people in BC selling the pot, the violence picked up, because now they had access to huge sums of money and guns. This goes back waaaaaaay before 2009, but it would be the same dynamic at play. BC bud is essentially an internationally recognized "brand" of marijuana, so they are able to sell it either directly to Mexican cartels, or indirectly trade it for Mexican cocaine through middle-men.
Vancouver, being on the West coast, is also a port city that has frequent business in China and other Asian nations, making it a prime spot for human trafficking into Canada, and ecstasy smuggling out of Canada (Canada is a top world producer of ecstasy). This is generally controlled by East Asian organized crime, but it does present another form of financial incentive for gangs to go to war with eachother.
I'm highly skeptical of the wiki entries relating to this, as I've read a lot of government documents and police reports on Canadian gangs that paint a similar, though somewhat different picture of the gangs themselves [for instance, ignoring the punjabi roots of the UN simply because they allowed in other races, or the idea that the UN and IS were on friendly terms], however, it seems like the Red Scorpions and Hells Angels had the IS and UN come into their territory looking for that sweet, sweet coke money. I actually have a lot of trouble believing it was that simple, but sure.
Some. I know you can find chapters of Crips or Bloods in Toronto (maybe Vancouver, but I've not heard of it), even groups like MS 13 are known to "exist" there, but most of Canada isn't like Southern Ontario.
West of Ontario, most street gangs, especially those with any power, are native groups. The primary gangs (Indian Posse, Redd Alert, Native Syndicate, Warriors) were started in Manitoba or Alberta prisons, and I've never seen anything that suggests natives have adopted the brands of black American street gangs (though, the attire and mannerisms are nearly identical, including the use of the term n*gger).
For sure, Hells Angels started in California and moved across the continent, and the Angels are one of the few organizations in Canada that has a truly national reach.
EDIT: if you are really into this stuff, the book McMafia by Misha Glenny is spectacular. Traces its way around the globe looking at the connections between various gangs in each region. I think at least a chapter is dedicated to the marijuana trade in BC.
__________________ yes, a million times yes
Last edited by tsilamini on Aug 22nd, 2012 at 05:00 PM
True, though outside of Scandinavia they are relatively quiet (to my knowledge, lol, not an expert), and they are strongest in North America.
My point was more that there are few gangs in Canada that have a truly national reach. Rock Machine may as well, but afaik they aren't as large as the Angels are (though the Banditos are huge). Neither IS or UN would be able to move too far off the west coast, imho, just from simply not having the man power to dislocate the entrenched gangs. The Angels, to varying degrees of success, can.
There's a gang called the United Nations, that's awesome. Just imagine any police discussion that goes "We'll be raiding the U.N. headquarters."
__________________ Recently Produced and Distributed Young but High-Ranking Political Figure of Royal Ancestry within the Modern American Town Affectionately Referred To as Bel-Air.
lol, the first summer after I moved to Winnipeg we had a small scale war between the rock and the angels. nothing like Montreal in the 90s, but some homes were firebombed and people shot. The angels are actually really big time here, with frequent and major police operations against them. They are pretty crippled at the moment, due to arrests, but Winnipeg must just be a bit different than where you are at.
you know, we just hardcore
EDIT: forgot to give the year of the gang war, summer 2011
__________________ yes, a million times yes
Last edited by tsilamini on Aug 23rd, 2012 at 02:15 AM
In Toronto, we've had our share of gang related shootouts. People are starting to just shrug, saying if you're not in a gang you're not targeted - except for the bystanders downtown at some very public malls.
__________________
"I'm not smart so much as I am not dumb." - Harlan Ellison
There are major police operations going on here in the US against biker gangs, but you'll never hear about it on the news.
I work with an ex-cop who went under cover with the Pagans, and he said, I think it was the Hell's Angels had a DEA agent work his way up to VP of a charter, and took down a bunch of bikers. Never saw it on tv.
Big time in Canada is not big time in the US, I guess.
Why does "Canadian Gang Wars" sound oxymoronic? What I picture is some mild insults being yelled at each other though some fences. Then the Canadian Press considers it a gang war.
You'd be surprised at just how vicious an argument over moose vs. beaver can be.
__________________ Recently Produced and Distributed Young but High-Ranking Political Figure of Royal Ancestry within the Modern American Town Affectionately Referred To as Bel-Air.
There just aren't as many major urban centers in Canada, and those that do exist don't have the same type of "inner-city poverty" that tends to plague larger American cities. Even Toronto, where there have been a rash of gang related shootings this summer, is considerably less inundated with gangs than are some much smaller urban centers in America.
A lot of it is that the Angels are really the only group that does this large scale wars or are involved in cross-country crime. Even traditional Italian or Eastern European organized crime is rare outside of the major cities in Ontario or Quebec. So, when the Angels do end up killing 8 members of a rival gang, it is something that becomes national news simply because it is so rare (in fact, this instance I'm talking about is recognized as one of the largest massacres in Canadian history).
Like, the Vancouver gang war made headlines all across the country every time a new body showed up, the gang shootings in Toronto this summer are the same. I don't imagine people in New York get up to the minute updates on gang-land murders in Chicago or LA.
Thankfully, big time Canada is not big time USA. Y'all the real OGs. The tripple double, at that.
muthaf*ckin c*cksucker--imma kill you wid a moose b*tch
__________________ Recently Produced and Distributed Young but High-Ranking Political Figure of Royal Ancestry within the Modern American Town Affectionately Referred To as Bel-Air.
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Aug 22nd, 2012 03:14 PM
