Mayhem at Cybercafes Shakes a Town in California

afang · 01-22-2002, 10:17 AM

Mayhem at Cybercafes Shakes a Town in California
In the virtual world, brawny heroes stalk and destroy their cyber enemies in a cacophony of explosions and gunfire, their every move choreographed by youths who spend hours playing the dark, violent games in cafes and arcades equipped with dozens of computer terminals.

But here the carnage on the screens has moved into the real world, the police say, with gang members descending on some cafes to exact vengeance for offenses that usually originate elsewhere.

On Dec. 30, Phuong Huu Ly, 20, died after he was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver in the parking lot outside the PC Cafe, one of more than 20 cybercafes that have opened in the last three years in this Orange County city of 174,000 south of Los Angeles. Jim Hoang Nguyen, 21, who was on probation for a 1999 house burglary in Fountain Valley, was arrested and charged with murder. Mr. Nguyen is thought to be a gang member, the police said.

Eight youths, some girls and all high school students, were arrested after three young men were attacked with baseball bats, hammers and wrenches on Nov. 3 at the same location. In December, a man was stabbed in the arm at the I-Net PC Cafe.

But it was the murder of Mr. Ly that brought the confluence of gangs and computer games — once the province of harmless nerds — to a dangerous level.

"That was a wake-up call," said Bruce A. Broadwater, 60, who has been the mayor of Garden Grove for eight years. "We suddenly thought, What's going on here? Are these cafes places where hoodlums hang out, like pool halls in the old days?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/22/national/22CYBE.html

afang · 01-22-2002, 10:17 AM

Mayhem at Cybercafes Shakes a Town in California
In the virtual world, brawny heroes stalk and destroy their cyber enemies in a cacophony of explosions and gunfire, their every move choreographed by youths who spend hours playing the dark, violent games in cafes and arcades equipped with dozens of computer terminals.

But here the carnage on the screens has moved into the real world, the police say, with gang members descending on some cafes to exact vengeance for offenses that usually originate elsewhere.

On Dec. 30, Phuong Huu Ly, 20, died after he was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver in the parking lot outside the PC Cafe, one of more than 20 cybercafes that have opened in the last three years in this Orange County city of 174,000 south of Los Angeles. Jim Hoang Nguyen, 21, who was on probation for a 1999 house burglary in Fountain Valley, was arrested and charged with murder. Mr. Nguyen is thought to be a gang member, the police said.

Eight youths, some girls and all high school students, were arrested after three young men were attacked with baseball bats, hammers and wrenches on Nov. 3 at the same location. In December, a man was stabbed in the arm at the I-Net PC Cafe.

But it was the murder of Mr. Ly that brought the confluence of gangs and computer games — once the province of harmless nerds — to a dangerous level.

"That was a wake-up call," said Bruce A. Broadwater, 60, who has been the mayor of Garden Grove for eight years. "We suddenly thought, What's going on here? Are these cafes places where hoodlums hang out, like pool halls in the old days?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/22/national/22CYBE.html

tycoonjack · 01-22-2002, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Mr. Nguyen is thought to be a gang member

I think that it is only in California that gang members could make their hang outs the local internet café.

tycoonjack · 01-22-2002, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Mr. Nguyen is thought to be a gang member

I think that it is only in California that gang members could make their hang outs the local internet café.

tycoonjack · 01-23-2002, 09:51 AM

Garden Grove starts 45-day cyber cafe moratorium

Quote:

GROVE, Calif. (AP) - The City Council, responding to a fatal stabbing and other crimes at this Los Angeles suburb's many cyber cafes, placed a 45-day moratorium Tuesday on the opening of any more of the establishments.
The council also tightened rules aimed at keeping juveniles out of the cafes on school nights.

tycoonjack · 01-23-2002, 09:51 AM

Garden Grove starts 45-day cyber cafe moratorium

Quote:

GROVE, Calif. (AP) - The City Council, responding to a fatal stabbing and other crimes at this Los Angeles suburb's many cyber cafes, placed a 45-day moratorium Tuesday on the opening of any more of the establishments.
The council also tightened rules aimed at keeping juveniles out of the cafes on school nights.

01-22-2002, 10:17 AM	#1
afang Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Plano,TX USA Posts: 388	Mayhem at Cybercafes Shakes a Town in California Mayhem at Cybercafes Shakes a Town in California In the virtual world, brawny heroes stalk and destroy their cyber enemies in a cacophony of explosions and gunfire, their every move choreographed by youths who spend hours playing the dark, violent games in cafes and arcades equipped with dozens of computer terminals. But here the carnage on the screens has moved into the real world, the police say, with gang members descending on some cafes to exact vengeance for offenses that usually originate elsewhere. On Dec. 30, Phuong Huu Ly, 20, died after he was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver in the parking lot outside the PC Cafe, one of more than 20 cybercafes that have opened in the last three years in this Orange County city of 174,000 south of Los Angeles. Jim Hoang Nguyen, 21, who was on probation for a 1999 house burglary in Fountain Valley, was arrested and charged with murder. Mr. Nguyen is thought to be a gang member, the police said. Eight youths, some girls and all high school students, were arrested after three young men were attacked with baseball bats, hammers and wrenches on Nov. 3 at the same location. In December, a man was stabbed in the arm at the I-Net PC Cafe. But it was the murder of Mr. Ly that brought the confluence of gangs and computer games — once the province of harmless nerds — to a dangerous level. "That was a wake-up call," said Bruce A. Broadwater, 60, who has been the mayor of Garden Grove for eight years. "We suddenly thought, What's going on here? Are these cafes places where hoodlums hang out, like pool halls in the old days?" http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/22/national/22CYBE.html __________________

01-22-2002, 10:17 AM	#2
afang Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Plano,TX USA Posts: 388	Mayhem at Cybercafes Shakes a Town in California Mayhem at Cybercafes Shakes a Town in California In the virtual world, brawny heroes stalk and destroy their cyber enemies in a cacophony of explosions and gunfire, their every move choreographed by youths who spend hours playing the dark, violent games in cafes and arcades equipped with dozens of computer terminals. But here the carnage on the screens has moved into the real world, the police say, with gang members descending on some cafes to exact vengeance for offenses that usually originate elsewhere. On Dec. 30, Phuong Huu Ly, 20, died after he was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver in the parking lot outside the PC Cafe, one of more than 20 cybercafes that have opened in the last three years in this Orange County city of 174,000 south of Los Angeles. Jim Hoang Nguyen, 21, who was on probation for a 1999 house burglary in Fountain Valley, was arrested and charged with murder. Mr. Nguyen is thought to be a gang member, the police said. Eight youths, some girls and all high school students, were arrested after three young men were attacked with baseball bats, hammers and wrenches on Nov. 3 at the same location. In December, a man was stabbed in the arm at the I-Net PC Cafe. But it was the murder of Mr. Ly that brought the confluence of gangs and computer games — once the province of harmless nerds — to a dangerous level. "That was a wake-up call," said Bruce A. Broadwater, 60, who has been the mayor of Garden Grove for eight years. "We suddenly thought, What's going on here? Are these cafes places where hoodlums hang out, like pool halls in the old days?" http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/22/national/22CYBE.html __________________

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