Should We Ban Machetes?

Did you get a bunch of scary emails on Friday about gang initiations and such going on? With increased concern about the rise of the Trinitarios, City Councilwoman Diane Reyna is proposing a city-wide moratorium on machete sales, according to the New York Times.

The Trinitarios, a gang that, like many, is prison-based, named themselves after a 19th-century revolutionary group in the Dominican Republic. The Times story says they use machetes as part of that identity. Reyna, who is of Dominican heritage, is quoted saying "It is sad and disgraceful that these confused young people have co-opted the name Trinitarios from our founding fathers."

There was a machete attack back in July that has been attributed to the Trinitarios. A recent shooting in Queens reportedly also involved machete-wielding gang members.

Reyna is also looking for community-based solutions, like an undefined "youth-led initiative," and of course El Puente has been active on this issue.

Photo by Luke Berrini, via a Creative Commons license.