By Brie Stimson
California Gov. Gavin Newsom clarified this week that when he called criminals accused of stealing packages from cargo trains in the state “gangs of people” he wasn’t implying the thefts were gang-related.
“This is not one-off,” Newsom said in a news conference near Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Los Angeles on Thursday, according to the Washington Times. “This is organized theft. These are organized gangs of people that are coming out.”
“Forgive me for saying ‘gangs,’ that’s not a pejorative,” he clarified. “They’re organized groups of folks that move from site to site.”
“Forgive me for saying ‘gangs.’ … They’re organized groups of folks that move from site to site.”
— California Gov. Gavin Newsom
The governor announced a multi-agency effort to deter theft, hold perpetrators accountable and clean up the railroad tracks. He said the thieves could be charged under organized crime laws, which would carry harsher penalties, according to FOX 5 in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles is infamous for its street gangs.
“When there’s more attention, a bright light on one site, they move to the next site,” Newsom added, according to the Times. “While these folks are arrested as if they’re individuals that are not connected to the whole, and we need to change that.”
