I agree 100%
It's gang violence, very targeted. There was a case a few years back with one of the gangs where a wife of a member was intentionally killed in her car, but VERY seldom are innocent passers by involved.
Last night there were four people shot (though not killed) at a small convention centre on the edge of Richmond. Again gang related, but I drove through there this morning and often stop to eat lunch by the river just down the street.
I will continue to stop and eat lunch there as it is a very safe and quiet area and nobody feels threatened there. Gangs don't just wander the 'hood around here, hassling people who are on their turf. These things are usually targeted between gangs that are small, usually drug related, union related etc.
We had turf wars when I was a teenager, East vs West but it was nothing in comparison to what most Americans are used to. It was just fist fights, brawls etc. between rival high schools.
Upper vs middle class, typical teenage stuff. 'I don't have a new BMW to hang out with my friends so we'll take a bus there and beat you up for being stuck up.'
These days its a bit more focused between organized crime groups but still nothing like we see out of the US on the news each night, in fact I don't even think it would be on the news there at all, where there are much bigger stories to air.
