I did not know there were Pacific Islander Mormon gangs in Utah until this morning
And I only know that now because tragically there was a mass shooting outside of a Mormon church in Salt Lake City last night that left two dead and six wounded.
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/01/07/lds-church-funeral-shooting/
"Many members of the Pacific Islander and Latter-day Saint communities in the area were attending a memorial service for an individual, Feltch-Malohifo’ou said, when the shooting occurred outside the church, which serves mainly Tongan congregants."
Snip.
"The nonprofit she leads, often referred to by its abbreviation as PIK2AR, has been focused on violence prevention, including trying to eliminate gangs within Utah’s Polynesian communities. She said it’s too early to know if that was a factor in the shooting Wednesday night.
“As much as we’ve been working on violence prevention, we can see that there’s still a lot of work to be done in this area,” she said. “Violence is never the answer.” "
But now I know, and I find it another fascinating thing about this melting-pot in which we live.
https://www.hcn.org/issues/issue-303/the-gangs-of-zion/#:~:text=Young%20Samoans%20pray%20during%20Sunday,'t%20talk%20about%20it..
I live much closer to the East Coast, and for whatever reason this reality never crossed my path.
"According to Utah statistics, Pacific Islander youth are at high risk of joining a gang: A
disproportionately high percentage of Utah gang members are of Pacific Islander decent. Pacific
Islanders make up less than 1% of Utah’s population while composing 13% of Utah’s gang
population and 1.6% of Utah’s state prison population. Minimal research has been conducted to
understand the kinds of experiences Pacific Islander youths experience while with the gang. This
information is critical to informing effective prevention and intervention efforts."
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3913&context=etd#:~:text=Gangs%20continue%20to%20extend%20a,life%20while%20in%20their%20youth.
Apparently, many Tongan and Samoan families immigrated to Utah after converting to the Mormon faith, following the church's extensive missionary work in the Pacific Islands. This resulted in a significant Pacific Islander community in Utah, many of whom sought economic opportunity and a spiritual home.
The more you know....
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