NEWS1130

Gang expert calls shootings 'power struggle'
| Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - It is no longer a question of if, but when and where the bullets will fly next. That's after the 17th shooting in the Lower Mainland in under a month, yesterday in southeast Vancouver.
Julian Sher has studied and written about gangs in books like 'Angels of Death'. From his base in Montreal, he's keeping a close eye on what's unfolding around Vancouver.
He believes what's playing out on our streets is a classic power struggle. "What often happens in crime situations is, there's a period of instability, where dominant gangs have lost a bit of power and new, young, aggressive gangsters are looking to move in."
Sher says this region has traditionally been dominated by the Hells Angels, but they've been weakened by big trials and police infiltration. He says the United Nations gang was also a serious local player, until their leader was jailed in the United States.