A 20-year-old Laotian gang member who shot and killed a rival Hmong gang member

[saochan]

A 20-year-old Laotian gang member who shot and killed a rival Hmong gang member in West Milwaukee Park, while Little Leaguers played nearby, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 30 years.

As the Laotian gang ambushed the Hmongs, Phonetheu Phouangsouvanh raced onto a basketball court firing an assault rifle, hitting a rival in the head.

Phouangsouvanh ran up to the wounded rival and shot him once more in the head at point-blank range - as parents shielded their children and an off-duty police detective, umpiring the Little Leaguers, watched.

 

[CTR]

A 20-year-old Laotian gang member who shot and killed a rival Hmong gang member in West Milwaukee Park, while Little Leaguers played nearby, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 30 years.

As the Laotian gang ambushed the Hmongs, Phonetheu Phouangsouvanh raced onto a basketball court firing an assault rifle, hitting a rival in the head.

Phouangsouvanh ran up to the wounded rival and shot him once more in the head at point-blank range - as parents shielded their children and an off-duty police detective, umpiring the Little Leaguers, watched.

That is at the heck of my wood. I don't watch local news often because of satellite. I think they call themselves Lao Crips. Sad and very sad. Things in Milwaukee are so bad especially in the Laotian community because these kids are not being taught Laotian values. It starts with the family situation in Milwaukee. Lots of single parents and kids living with grandparents.

 

[KEdoubleNY]

A waste of life and another life wasted.

It's not just the kids living with their grandparents or having single parent ... but its also the environment that these teens/young adults live in. Most of them grew up in gang-infested area with little or no support from the community. The schools they go to probably ain't helping. Their parents probably busy working 9-5 and on weekends are off to the casinos or gambling house. No jobs and so they stuck to survive on their on.

 

[lady0fdarkness]

How sad and unfortunate. His parents came to America escaping a war, but instead of grabbing the opportunity to advance in America, this idiot joined a gang.

Hence the "gang" related murder, there is no excuse for his actions. Someone gave me a sorry excuse that Lao kids joins gangs to protect themselves from whites and blacks who bullied them, but it looks to me like they're even killing their own kind too and not just blacks and whites. So obviously he had other reasons to join gangs, and those reasons are probably pathetic too.

I think he got what he derserved. I'm just glad none of the kids at the ballpark got shot from this condemed person.

 

[Kat]

it's sad that people like this thinks that wat they're doing is showing pride. that's not pride thats wat u call ignorant. i don't think it has to do anything with how they were raised. i grew up with both of my parents working and having no time for our family until now and i grew up fine. good and bad is in all of us it comes down to us to decided if we should be good or bad i'm pretty sure at least one of their parent tried to raised them right along with the grandparents. when it comes down to it both family lost their sons.

 

[PhoneO_5]

Can't believe that killing someone gives someone a sense of pride & honor in a gang. He should be in jail for a long time, gives him time to think about what really matters in life & maybe in 30 years he'll realize when he walks out...he's too old to even walk & shoot someone in the ballpark. One of my family member has life in prison for killing police officers and he definitely learned his lesson & often writes to tell some of us to better ourselves.

 

[IRukYou]

I agree with ladyofdarkness, there is not excuse for such action. Especially if you have seen the environment in which you grown up in and the hardship most of your parent endure, then you should be concern to better yourself. It's really sad and upsetting to hear that a young person of any race have committed a murder. It's even more upsetting to know that our own Lao are killing another Lao. It been to Milwaukee, and there are so many Lao, if they can all just get along and help each other out, how much of a different they can make of themselves and their Lao community.

 

[Karen]

what!!! OH MY GOD! I live in Milwaukee!! How come I never heard of this. maybe i don't watch the news. there's alot of lao people over here who are just out of control.

 

[CTR]

A waste of life and another life wasted.

It's not just the kids living with their grandparents or having single parent ... but its also the environment that these teens/young adults live in. Most of them grew up in gang-infested area with little or no support from the community. The schools they go to probably ain't helping. Their parents probably busy working 9-5 and on weekends are off to the casinos or gambling house. No jobs and so they stuck to survive on their on.

Yeah, I know that is not all of it but in Milwaukee that is the case. There are lots of single parents and kids living with their grandparents. Their authority figure is TV. I would know because I was one of those kids. However, I am lucky to have two parents who instilled Laotian values in me and my sister. It was growing up in the ghetto and I had to make difficult choices. I used to run with a crew but decided to stop because there was no future in it. I wanted to be somebody. Most of my childhood friends are in jail, dead, single parents, living with their parents, or working on low paying jobs. My faith and my parents kept me out of it.

The schools in MPS are terrible. However, their will always be choices you have to make. The peer pressure is immense but life is full of choices. The only differences is that you have to know where you came from and the sacrifices your parents made. Humility is better than Pride.

We have one casino here and it is very popular with the adults and young adults. Someone even traded their food stamp for cash so they can go gamble. And we have one temple here. The temple is supposed to be a place of holiness for buddhism but they treat it like a club. There are parties (Lum Vong) and alcohol would be sold there. I remember this girl partying inside and her daughter playing outside. Her ball rolled into the street and she went to get it and the car struck her. The little girl died at the hospital. Almost every Friday, there is a party.

 

[yeahyeahdatme]

this is just simply sad... we should stick together not kill each other slowly...

 

[saochan]

Yeah, I know that is not all of it but in Milwaukee that is the case. There are lots of single parents and kids living with their grandparents. Their authority figure is TV. I would know because I was one of those kids. However, I am lucky to have two parents who instilled Laotian values in me and my sister. It was growing up in the ghetto and I had to make difficult choices. I used to run with a crew but decided to stop because there was no future in it. I wanted to be somebody. Most of my childhood friends are in jail, dead, single parents, living with their parents, or working on low paying jobs. My faith and my parents kept me out of it.

The schools in MPS are terrible. However, their will always be choices you have to make. The peer pressure is immense but life is full of choices. The only differences is that you have to know where you came from and the sacrifices your parents made. Humility is better than Pride.

We have one casino here and it is very popular with the adults and young adults. Someone even trade their food stamp for cash so they can go gamble. And we have one temple here. The temple is supposed to be a place of holiness for buddhism but they treat it like a club. There is always parties (Lum Vong) and alcohol would be sold there. I remember this girl partying inside and her daughter playing outside. Her ball rolled into the street and she went to get it and the car struck her. The little girl died at the hospital. Almost every Friday, there is a party.

 

[KEdoubleNY]

Yeah, I know that is not all of it but in Milwaukee that is the case. There are lots of single parents and kids living with their grandparents. Their authority figure is TV. I would know because I was one of those kids. However, I am lucky to have two parents who instilled Laotian values in me and my sister. It was growing up in the ghetto and I had to make difficult choices. I used to run with a crew but decided to stop because there was no future in it. I wanted to be somebody. Most of my childhood friends are in jail, dead, single parents, living with their parents, or working on low paying jobs. My faith and my parents kept me out of it.

The schools in MPS are terrible. However, their will always be choices you have to make. The peer pressure is immense but life is full of choices. The only differences is that you have to know where you came from and the sacrifices your parents made. Humility is better than Pride.

We have one casino here and it is very popular with the adults and young adults. Someone even traded their food stamp for cash so they can go gamble. And we have one temple here. The temple is supposed to be a place of holiness for buddhism but they treat it like a club. There are parties (Lum Vong) and alcohol would be sold there. I remember this girl partying inside and her daughter playing outside. Her ball rolled into the street and she went to get it and the car struck her. The little girl died at the hospital. Almost every Friday, there is a party.

Agree ... but you know what .. when you live in the H00D .. its SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. Lots of young teens with guns now-a-days and most of them are trigger-happy .. so if u get caught up .. you either end of dead or in the hospital... BTW .. you don't have to be a gang-member to get caught up in a situation where a gun is pointing at ur head.

 

[Eegagromic]

It's ok, he's got 30 years of living in jail as Bubba's boy toy coming to him. Oucchhh....little asian guys in jail get traded like street hookers, lol. I hope he tells his gang buddies all about that. Maybe that'll put some sense into their poop they call brains.

 

[SaoBee]

Ouch!! In jail for 30 years..gosh, when will we ever learn how to get along?...so what is this poor guy going to do when he gets out of jail..still "gang bang" in his 50s and 60s??!! It is amazing that there are still some "Lao Gangs" around, I figured the lao community has overcome these obstacles...

 

[sofarsogood]

How sad ............even thought i know it may be impossible for these gangs to be come a better person themslefs
oneday. I still hope that oneday there is something that it can be done about it and this world to be a better place for everyone to live safely.

 

[cindemz]

How sad ............even thought i know it may be impossible for these gangs to be come a better person themslefs
oneday. I still hope that oneday there is something that it can be done about it and this world to be a better place for everyone to live safely.

This gang stuff is getting soo old i thought it died out already...Lucas it is possible for gang members to change themselves and become a better person I know many gang members that were once hardcore thugs that are now well educated hard working men/woman.

For me alot of people say that growing up in a neighborhood that is infested with gang activity or coming from a broken family is the cause of people becoming gang members. I myself grew up in the westside of town filled with gang members whether they are laotian blacks or mexican gang members, none of the people i grew up with are gang members. To me maybe your social status has some influence to people who are gang members but its also up to the person if they person choose to open up and listen and learn they should beable to distinguish between whats right and wrong and what they should or should not do.

 

[vilasaeng]

I think that the grandparent or parent did teach the Laotian values in the kids - but if he/she does not listen then who is it to blame. I agree that some Laotian family in the Milwaukee Laotian Community lack the sense to teaches their children but you can not really blame the parent. I grew up in a single parent house. My mother was never around when I was growing up because she was trying to make a living for my brother and I. My brother and I still grew up fine. We are not involve in the "gangs" and we do know our Laotian value.

 

[asianstyles]

That is at the heck of my wood. I don't watch local news often because of satellite. I think they call themselves Lao Crips. Sad and very sad. Things in Milwaukee are so bad especially in the Laotian community because these kids are not being taught Laotian values. It starts with the family situation in Milwaukee. Lots of single parents and kids living with grandparents.

wouldnt kids living with the grandparents have "Laotion Values"?

 

[saobomp]

for some people no matter how much their grown ups discipline them they still dont listen and do what they want. it's just their saun daun!!!

nobody can make them be bad and what not but they chooses to do so.

some parents dont teach their kids and their kids still turn out good.

 

[[ringostarx3]]

There is never a good reason to EVERY join a gang. "I was born into it"... That's just Bull, because your the one who can change your life and make it the way you want to be. I sound really rude, but its true.. i grew up with parents who abused me. as well as their friends. My parents ignored me, i was only a bother and they all left me at the age of 14 so I've been on my own. Dropping out of school to work and then later able to get back to it and finish now I am starting college. Everyone has their share of problems, some are worse then others. They was you handle it and work towards it makes you become more of a person you want to be.

I'm glad I moved away from the "Laotion Gang Scenes" that were in the community i use to live in.
Just grow up and make your own life.

RIP, though.