Don’t publish gang names

In the Jan. 29 police blotter there were a couple of posts that referenced gangs. The first involved the name of a gang being tagged on a fence. Instead of using the name of the gang, it could have been replaced with “[gang name withheld].” The second was a quote of a suspect who said “Crips for life.” Again, “[gang name withheld] for life” could have been substituted.

Let’s avoid giving these poxes on society any more attention if at all possible. Naming them in publications simply provides positive reinforcement for negative behavior. We need to be discouraging this type of activity, not rewarding it.

Mark Mandel, Federal Way