Tom Fudge: Last year, a young aspiring surfer named Emery Kauanui was killed after he got in a bar fight. Police say he was beaten to death by a member of a group of young men who call themselves the Bird Rock Bandits. Police later charged one of them with murder. But the additional members of the group were brought up on other charges. The Bird Rock Bandits are accused of being involved in a string of assaults and robberies.
Anyone who knows San Diego geography knows that Bird Rock is near La Jolla, and it's not considered gang territory. But a number of local gangs are springing up in some very well-heeled parts of town. It makes one wonder whether poverty is an essential ingredient in the mix that makes a young man want to join a gang.
Guest
- Will Carless , staff writer for www.voiceofsandiego.org .
