By Buzzy Bohn
On May 23, United States Attorney Andrew Luger, MPD Chief Brian O’Hara, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, U.S. Marshal Eddie Frizell, along with representatives from the FBI, ATF, DEA and MN BCA were on the Northside at New Salem Baptist Church to talk with community members about the arrest of 45 local individuals for gang related crimes.
They explained what the RICO law is, how it was originally used to go after the organized crime of the “Mob,” and how it was now being used to go after gangs and their organized crimes. They also took questions from community members about things like juveniles stealing cars, all the illegal guns, and where most of those guns are coming from. The representative from the ATF said that the majority of illegal guns here are being gotten in stolen vehicles. It was also explained that the federal law enforcement agencies only deal with adult crimes and that issues with juvenile crime are dealt with locally.