Last Thursday, the sad saga that was the "Surrey Six" murder case came to what, at minimum, could be called a positive conclusion. Two men charged with executing six people in a Surrey apartment building back in 2007, including two victims who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, were found guilty of the murders by a judge.
This is positive because not only does it take a pair of violent criminals off the streets for many years to come, but it also sends a message.
While the Surrey Six case may be one of the more high-profile examples of the gang war that's troubled the Lower Mainland for years, it's not the only one.
And Surrey residents aren't the only ones to see bullets fly in their community.
In just a three-month span in 2012, Port Moody was the scene of three gang-style shootings.
All three could probably be described as brazen, but two in particular occurred in populated areas - one shooting was at the Port Moody Recreation Complex, while the other took place near the Starbucks on busy Queens Street during rush hour.
Those three murders remain unsolved. And it was fortunate no one else was hurt or caught in the crossfire. It's long been said that entering the gang life can be dangerous, and can even cost you your life.
And though the threat of hard time in jail likely won't stop some people from getting into the gangster life, with the high-profile murder conviction in the Surrey Six case, that life could now be spent behind bars and away from society.
And the streets, wherever we live, will be safer and better for it.
Glacier Media