"It's a good thing that these clowns don't know how to shoot," said 'Johnny,' a long-time regular. "If they knew how to handle their guns, a lot more people would end up dead."

While the street's business people say that the area has always had a seedy reputation, they all say that the drug trade has compelled a turn for the worse. A boom in the sale of crack cocaine is purported to be the principle cause of the trouble, with two rival gangs alleged to be competing for a single dope market.

Observers on the Main say that the fight is between the "Blacks," a "B" team loyal to the mainly Haitian Bo-Gars gang, and the "Backers," another gang loyal to Greg Wooley's "Syndicate." While Wooley, the only black man ever to become a full-patch Hells Angel, remains in jail waiting to be tried for murder, police sources still believe that the Syndicate has maintained its link with the Hells. Police have been waiting for trouble to break out between Montreal's different street gangs for some time.

While the SPVM (Service de police de la Ville de Montréal) has imposed a complete media blackout on the situation, other sources report that it remains to be seen if the Hells, or another one of their affiliates, will support the Syndicate against the Bo-Gars. While many of the business people on Ste-Catherine Street believe that the police have ignored the situation for too long, others hope that the Hells will push the Bo-Gars "back to Montreal North where they belong!"

"The cops have let this drag on for too long," said 'Jimmy,' a local merchant who would not reveal his name. "Business sucks, we can't get insurance, and there's nothing but lowlifes on the street."

After last week's shooting, Jimmy is thinking of getting himself a weapon.

"I've got to protect myself and I want to protect my business," he said. "If the police don't do anything fast, things are going to get out of control and then we're all going to be in a mess."

 
 

		Write your comment on this article!

It is a Jungle out there!     Strange enough there are people who find good in gangs.The word gang -comes from gangsters and that can't be good. If we are going to give gangs credit for enriching the mind for making you street wise , then we better look over this whole organization.You are trying to confuse people making them believe that cops are gangs too. I believe that gangs are groups of people who individually hold no power or not enough power to satisfiy there ego. They usually have troubled back grounds rough childhoods. They carry hate and revenge and they dream to changing the world with their own hands at any cost.They don't question if this is a right thing to do or if there is any moral value in what they are doing. Instead they function with animal instincts ,marking territories and picking leaders and then of course hunting the enemy which usually is everybody outside of their group. If they had been loved and nurtured properly they would not have the need for being in a gang. Being in a gang is also like being in a cult or religious group. They have their own laws and even if you don't agree with them all you still have to follow them. People have choices , people have rights, but there has to be boundries , there has to be structures , laws, and with this there has to be rewards and punishments. The question is who is right and who is wrong , and what are you trying to prove. All in all the whole problem with a gang is the lack of respect they have towards other gangs and other people. Usually they see themselves as the only inhabitants of this world.You don't see these gangs going out to the praries , to open fields to release there frustrations or let out there anger. No they do it right in the cities on crowded streets with children around. Children that in turn will grow up with effects of a violence , bad childhood and will also end up in a gang. Please find help , think things out, have compassion for other human beings. Use your soul and not your gut .
Maria Cecillia Silva	{16 votes}	August 14th, 2004
Legalize the illicit drug industry     Let's eliminate street and gang violence by legalizing the illicit drug trade. If Montreal looked to Amsterdam as a model, life would return to normal for most Montrealers and their businesses. We could walk the streets that we pay taxes for, once again, without having to worry about who's taking over the drug turf from the jailed Hell's. This city has always had an underlying paternalism for its citizens...stay in school...don't drink and drive...don't smoke...they tried don't talk on the cell phone while driving but they failed at convincing mindless citizens, everywhere...and the last-but-not least chestnut, don't do drugs...what a rant. Anyway, if we're old enough to make the choice to buy a lottery ticket with our last welfare twoonie and to vote, then we're old enough to decide for ourselves if we want to blow some cocaine. This would eliminate the need to council street kids on the perils of narcoctics, eliminate the need for safe shooting zones, clean needles, etc. If you want to fry your brains, go for it. Just leave the rest of us alone.
Heather Lee	{9 votes}	August 12th, 2004
Gang Violence     see people see gangs and say they up to no good its true cause we have a struggle to survive life ant easy for us teens guys mainly i had a job i got laid off now i got nun to d but resort to street violence see if there would be more jobs avalible that would stop so much violence people dont relize tht wen ppl are working there not out there causing trouble also another reason y half the shit hapens is cause teens are kicked out of school fired from there jobs wat are we sapose to do we aply 4 20 jobs go to 5 interviews and not get the job it ant easy out in montreall for teens see im in a gang blood gang called red-ravenz im here writing this cause i want everyone to know that the violence wont stop till there more job openings stuffe for teens to do go chill.
redzzzzz blood bz^		June 28th, 2007
Gang war spills into the streets and where are the boys in blue?     The difference between these gang wars and the Old West is that way back when they still had a notion of right and wrong. The villains of the day were scoundrels and scum but by today's standards they practically shine as saints of restraint. Let's face it, the police is practically useless, and if I were a cynical soul I'd bet even money that there's a reason why things have gotten so out of control...and I'm not saying anything outright that some people haven't thought of themselves from time to time. If and when a police officer gets shot and killed because of this gang war you'll see the boys in blue take up an ACTIVE interest in putting a stop to this mess. They'll fail of course but they'll finally start acting as if they give a damn.
Pedro Eggers		November 26th, 2004
Gang Activity Is Difficult To Wipe Out     After reading a story in the local paper how the many gangs have divided the city into their own areas of influence it felt kind of strange that the police did not want to inform the public. Gangs are everywhere making no part of town absolutely safe. Hiding the facts will not protect the public! A menial job at a fast food restaurant will never compete with selling drugs which gives the members of gangs enough money to buy the luxuries of life. A little shooting from time to time to protect their turf is a small price to pay for the profits they rake in. If they would install more cameras in that area, the police would be able to catch them in the act and identify the guilty parties. Otherwise this part of town will become a deserted area with honest businessmen moving out. Because the sale of hard drugs leads directly to more local robberies, merchants should only keep a small amount of cash on hand and make sure everyone knows this fact. With stricter gun control, we could intercept the importation of guns into this country and have local gun manufacturers only sell these weapons to those with valid reasons for owning them and only after having run a thorough security check. We must save our city!
Stephen Talko	{2 votes}	August 18th, 2004
Street Gangs In Montreal on The Rise     It seems like this year every street gang is in the news trying to kill each other or even beating up on each other. In today's society there are more and more street gangs. The difference between street gangs and the biker gangs is that street gangs often work for themselves and they don't have to give money to there ring leader and there is usually 4 to 10 people in a street gang. Something has to be done before innocent people get hurt. This weekend I was watching the film Boyz in the Hood and being in a street gang in tough because your precious life can end tomorrow. So it's not worth it in being part of a gang. There are always other and better options for you take in life.
Carmela Sicurella	{3 votes}	August 15th, 2004
So what else is knew?     I must say that I'm always slightly surprise when I read article like this one, because as far as I'm concern, the street gangs have always been part of the culture of Montreal (at least the part I've lived in!). I remember when I first started high school, almost 20 years ago, the Bo Gars where already well establish as a gang, and I learned quite soon enough that I didn't want to mess with them. But I've also heard a lot about the Hells, the Mafia or some other gang related to the crime business, either in the media, in books or just in the everyday talk of people around me. So know that there has been a big shout out, suddenly everybody's awake and talking about the violence in Montreal and the drugs business. But in a couple of weeks, the dust will have come down and people will be talking about something else - depending on what gets the media attention next. But the problems related to the drug market won't go away because the media doesn't talk about it anymore. Every week, make it every day, in Montreal people die of overdose, and some others fall in the world of the drugs for the first time (not many will come out of it undamaged). We also see people get shot, stab or beaten too often in Montreal - you would be surprise of the amount of aggression there is in our city every day. OK, not all of those aggressions are related to the drug business, but a good part of them are. So as long as there will be a drug market available to be controlled, there will be gangs fighting to get that control, that's simply the way it is. Who knows, maybe part of the solution to reduce those crimes is in the legalization of the drug market?
Natalie Thériault	{6 votes}	August 13th, 2004
Montreal is really safe ??????     Oh.. It is quite lucky that these guys were not very professional, or many persons might hurt. I have never touched drug. Even I do not live near St-Catherine or St-Dominique Streets. But, is Montreal a real safe place? I pay my tax and I just want a clean city without cocaine or gunshot. I am always wondering why the Police cannot stop them? Are the gangs too strong? Or some people need the drug so there must be someone to sell it? Well, if so, I wish that there would be no guns in the market, they would never sell to the children and they should pay their tax.
Yuwen Li	{5 votes}	August 12th, 2004
It's a hard knock life for us     ...the cops are the biggest gang of all, by the way. I am not even going to bother with explaining why the Bo-gars are the good guys in this situation. Local gangs give the city cred. We need more local gangs with cajones. And did you ever stop to think about all of the knife fights you never hear anything about? Gang life builds self-confidence and respect for others. People need to be taught the following, the truth about gangs: 1. Gangs thrive on honest communication. People need to learn to express feelings such as anger, joy, love, and fear. They must believe it is okay for them to express these feelings without being teased or punished. Since people learn by example, you also must express your feelings honestly. Knowing when to fire your pistol is an important part of communicating honestly. 2. Gangs foster cooperation. People must learn to cooperate, negotiate, and put themselves in another person's shoes. Running a sales and distribution business when you know your competitors want to kill you requires, more than anything, skillful cooperation among friends. 3. Every gang member learns personal responsibility. A good gang gives a person jobs for which they are responsible and makes sure they are able to handle the tasks. Gradually their responisbilities increase. A good gang lets a person know that even if they do not get it right at first, what counts is that they are trying hard and learning from experience. You might have to do jail time for your friends. 4. Gangs teach the ability to make decisions. Instead of solving problems for a person, a good gang gives them chances to think up solutions for themesleves. People have to feel free to experiment. Street life teaches a person to think critically in tough situations. 5. Most importantly, in a good gang a person learns to love unconditionally. The greatest love is being willing to die for your friends. Learn to die. As always love, A hologram 186
Daoxin Iglesias	{9 votes}	August 12th, 2004
CRACK DOWN NOW     There used to be a time when it was safe to walk around Montreal at any time of the day or night. Now, between the arsonist, the rapist, and the gangs, I'm afraid to leave my home. It is imperative that the police crack down now before innocent bystanders get hurt. This is not WEST SIDE STORY. This is serious business which must be stopped immediately.
Heath Abram	{4 votes}	August 12th, 2004

Write your comment! please follow these guidelines

Information requested in blue will remain confidential   [privacy policy] Please indicate your real first and last names.

First name :

Last name :

Your email :

Confirm your email :

Title of your comment (max. 150 characters)   Your comment (max. 2000 characters)  characters remaining       LIMIT PER PERSON : one comment per article per member. Thank you. Your comment will be read by our approval team and, if it is approved, will be posted on the website within 24 hours. It could also be published, along with your name, in the printed version of Hour magazine and on any of our partner websites. In order to present the highest quality of comments, Hour reserves the right to refuse certain submissions. Any plagiarism will entail the entire removal of the member’s profile. Hour is not responsible for the opinions expressed by the members.