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Editor's Column
Years ago, when I was trying to understand why the government needs oligarchic gangs, I posed the question to someone with firsthand experience. "You won’t understand," he replied, "because you're too far removed from that world. It's not just about economic leverage. It’s about controlling the street." “Controlling the street” means having influence over the so-called “good guys” in a given neighborhood — in simpler terms, the local gang. That influence can be used for political purposes, particularly during elections, and also in everyday economic activity,…