Gangs Will Rule The Cities Post-SHTF

Yesterday, I came across this article at the New York Post: "Haiti capital now a ‘battlefield’ as gangs take control ahead of government transition: ‘Continue burning the houses’." From the lede:

    Haiti’s capital has been thrown into further chaos after its top warlord ordered his soldiers to “burn every house you find” – as the nation struggles to usher in a new government.

    Notorious gang leader Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier, 47, was heard on social media messages on Sunday inciting his men to clash against police and burn down homes indiscriminately across Port-au-Prince, including Lower Delmas where he grew up. 

    “Continue burning the houses. Make everybody leave,” says a man in the audio recordings who is believed to be Cherizier.   

    “No need to know which house. Burn every house you find. Set the fire,” he adds, claiming to have sent jugs of gasoline to the gangsters. 

The article also notes that "[w]ith officials and human rights groups estimating that as much as 90% of the capital is now controlled by violent gangs, fears have grown that Cherizier has united them in an effort to seize control of the nation during a period of transition." 

    The events in Haiti prompted Modern Survival Blog to updated and republished an article entitled "Gangs WILL Rule The Cities." An excerpt:

    Gangs already rule the ‘dark underground’ of today’s cities. When civil society collapses they will be unleashed and unbounded, enabled by the chaos that will become the new reality.

    During this time, many within law enforcement will likely be more concerned about the safety and well-being of their own families and their own homes, choosing to stay and defend their own.

    Logic dictates that even if .gov declares Martial Law it will only have limited effects. It is highly unlikely in my estimation that America’s cities and city regions could be controlled if we all collapse into social chaos, upheaval, and systemic breakdowns of supply and infrastructure.

    People living in cities and even the immediate population-dense suburbs will be subjected to a very cruel and unusual environment. They will be HIGHLY at risk from foraging gangs.

    Think about this… It is one thing to protect yourself and your family from an intruder. But how will you protect yourself and your family from a gang mob?

    NEWS FLASH TIP: Don’t live in those regions.

The author has more warnings, but the gist of the article is to encourage you to move out of the cities and to more stable rural areas. 

    I have to say that urban street gangs are not the whole picture. Many rural areas have their own gangs (mostly comprised of Hispanics) that control much of the local drug production and distribution as well as having their hands in other illegal activities. Perhaps, in a SHTF environment, these gangs may be quickly eliminated by law enforcement or vigilantes; but any agricultural area will have large populations of Hispanic workers and their families that might take umbrage to such action. Why do you think there is a growing push to allow non-citizens to be able to legally possess firearms? To take the urban conflict into the rural regions. And, in any event,  there will be plenty of other people that may see SHTF as an opportunity to become a warlord. 

    I'm not saying that you shouldn't get out of the cities and large metro areas--the numbers and density of gangs and the unprepared will be much lower in rural locales--but that just because you move to a rural area does not mean that it is going to be all roses.