Traditionally, since , the Bloods have been the power within Rikers Island and many state correctional facilities. They outnumber many rivals. Every nationality is represented within the gang culture… and with the African-American population in New York State prisons being the largest, the gangs will reflect that.
With the Hispanic population growing in New York State, these groups are starting to become more visible in our state. The largest ethnic group in the area will dictate what type of gangs you see. The staying power of many local Bloods sets—despite scores of gang sweeps and crackdowns over the years—has been remarkable.
The biggest trend in New York State has been the influence of hybrid gangs—these groups are known and represent in their cities only… They represent local housing projects, parks, city blocks, and streets…. Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, and obviously the boroughs of New York all have a heavy presence of local territorial hybrid gangs with nontraditional names like Wave Gang, 4 Block, YGz….
Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Mount Vernon, Washington Heights, you name it… they all are seeing a rise in hybrid gangs that are not connected to the traditional "super-gangs" Bloods, Crips, Kings, etc. Kevin Deutsch : During my reporting In New York City and its suburbs, I've found that the Bloods and Crips are likely the largest gangs in the region, with each boasting dozens of sets across the five boroughs and Long Island.
The Bloods appear to have more members, due to especially high membership rates in and around low-income housing projects in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, as well as on Rikers Island. The Bloods boast higher membership numbers largely because of their decades-old presence in impoverished pockets of the city—areas that have withstood several waves of gentrification. Collectively, however, the number of young men belonging to independent neighborhood cliques and crews still outnumber Bloods and Crips.
They are so abundant, and densely spread across the region, that it's difficult to say which of them is the largest in terms of membership. How do the gangs affect the neighborhoods, schools and other institutions where they're active?
Barrett : Gangs provide protection, belonging, and respect. They have replaced the traditional family. They obviously rule on intimidation and fear. Kids today believe in power by numbers and have two choices: join the power group or form a group to go against the power group.
As far as the neighborhoods, usually gang-related graffiti increase and property values decrease. Poverty plays a major role in the formation of gangs and neighborhoods reflect the poverty… neglected homes, shuttered buildings, etc.
Schools become more violent, metal detectors become the norm, increased security and after school issues fights, etc ripple back to the community.
Deutsch: A gang's effect on a neighborhood can vary widely, but residents generally say their impact is overwhelmingly negative. A lot of younger Dominicans claim 3ni now, and Latin Kings are pretty popular among the Spanish youth these days. Crips and Bloods still dominate the black areas, that hasn't changed a bit.
There's also a lot of smaller gangs too, not as well known. Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Additional giveaways are planned. Detailed information about all U. Posting Quick Reply - Please Wait. Search this Thread Advanced Search. View detailed profiles of: New York, New York. Pelham, New York. Newark, New York. Are there any Gangster Disciples in New York? User Name. Remember Me. Advanced Search.
Discussions are needed to reach mature decisions but resolutions should be translated into performance. Many organizations have had to close shop or severely curtail it's activities because of mismanagement of funds. Those who pay dues have a right to a strict accounting of the use of monies. If you take care of finances. The finances will take care of you. Many organizations die because they let themselves get caught up in a mass of details and fail to lay long range plans for the future.
The "Chairman" intuitively foresaw this and set goals for the Black Gangster Disciple Nation to reach. Unfortunately, our beloved "Chairman" is engaged in a battle for his life. A battle we must all help him win. For against the oppressor alone; you cannot win! In spite of this battle, we are still strong.
But lately, in the midst of our crisis. Folks are beginning to ask, "Where are we headed"? The answer to those questions are yes, and no! Just because the "Chairman" isn't physically present doesn't mean we can't move forward! If we are working for high goals. Then, they are worth suffering for. Stay in the thick of things until the very end. Expect frustrations and difficulties. You won't be disappointed! Be ready to start and start again. The "Chairman" will bless you if you keep striving to strengthen the nation.
In October-November, the Chicago official "gang truce" button began appearing and was worn by many of the gang members whose gangs were signed parties to this truce. It was produced by the GDs through their "United in Peace" front group. This alliance of Black gangs arose in the aftermath of the sniper killing of a child in Cabrini-Green and the public uproar it caused.
The pressure was put on the gangs. Political activists took advantage of the situation to "bring the gangs together". In this fashion, a tentative alliance was formed between rival gangs; giving them greater legitimacy and recognition in the mass media.
In , the B. Thus, the modern gang member inmate has several codes of conduct to obey: that of the jail system itself and the "official rules and regulations", and the rules imposed by the gang the latter probably being the rules that get obeyed more often.
Anyone who goes against this will be bogus and violated on spot. Also all C. Pass word to your decks that all B. Example : This is so that we can identify each other. Brother security is to be on the entire yard; rec. I leave as I came with plenty much love.
Important - all reports are to be in code, all minor and major incidents must be in report. In the vision of our great leader and through his vision, we can become a more reckoning power of people beyond boundaries without measures.
As seen in the above B. The expression "" means "B. The B. In the first major efforts to win a parole release for Larry Hoover began. Larry's strategy would be infantile and would ultimately mean his complete downfall i. The strategy conceived by Larry Hoover was to make it appear he had the power to "turn his gang into something good" i. Thus, he initiate a political-action campaign at the same time: the plan - to make Larry look like he would be an asset to the community, he would reduce gang crime and gang violence if only the Illinois prison system would grant him a parole.
The official records for Larry Hoover's parole hearing were FOI'd through this journal, allowing access to the letters that became a part of a historical public record. It is useful to summarize some of these and provide examples. First, there was a large scale "petition" drive as part of the parole bid for Larry Hoover. Printed on the front of each petition was an endorsement and a statement about Larry Hoover.
Figure 40 provides a copy of this important historical document. Approximately 5, signatures were on the petition to free Larry Hoover. Barrett, Jr. We hereby, individually and collectively, do believe, as evidence of his present actions, Larry Hoover, to be rehabilitated and of sound mind and judgement, and as such, an asset to the communities-at-large in the capacity of a prime component in the institution, maintenance and subsequent longevity of the existing United in Peace Coalition Nations' Truce that currently attributes to the continuous, dramatic drop in the percentage of violent crimes and homicides in the African-American communities from Chicago to Peoria and throughout the State of Illinois.
Some of the letters written to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board were on official government stationary. Some of these contain language of significance to this historical sketch. One of these was written by Alderman Allan Streeter who would a few years later be convicted in Operation Silver Shovel, a probe of corruption among Chicago alderman.
Now former alderman Streeter's letter is provided in Figure I am writing to you as a concerned citizen to support the release of Mr. Larry Hoover who has demonstrated a sincere desire and effort in working for the improvement of the African American Community. For example, Mr. Hoover was one of the first to sign the Peace Treaty to stop the killings in the African American Community, which has been very successful.
Also Mr. Hoover has been very instrumental in working for the capture of the Chatham Community Rapist and working to assist in the apprehension of a serial killer in the Chatham area. I strongly urge you as Chairman of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to use your legal and executive powers to work for the release of this servant of the community.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and prompt attention to this matter. Another alderman would write a letter on behalf of Larry's parole, and also face the same fate from the Operation Silver Shovel investigation: Alderman Virgil E. Alderman Jones' letter is transcribed in Figure I am writing this letter to support the release of Larry Hoover who is an inmate in the Illinois Penal System. I feel that after two decades in the Illinois Penal System Larry Hoover has shown that he understands what it means to be a productive member of society.
Larry Hoover has shown that he can be a positive role model for youngmen and women in the African American Community. I recall recently in my ward young men and women used brooms, rakes and shovels and cleaned up a whole mile square area because Larry Hoover said they must not destroyers sic. This kind of resolve shows that rehabilitation has taken place.
A youngster named Delenna Williams was a gun shot victim and his outcry against such an act brought the alleged perpetrators forward. As a result of his calling for an end to killing, the city of Chiago sic has had a twenty percent murder rate reduction. I believe that when an individual improves his educational background and tries to use his influence for constructive things to benefit the community the status quo owes that individual a chance.
I urge you to give Lary sic Hoover a chance to became sic a living example that an individual can change and become a productive member of society. A number of other letters, such as from assistant principals at two different Chicago Public High Schools, offered to use Larry Hoover as a consultant to reduce their gang problems if only the parole board would release him.
There were letters from churches, community groups, and one from a business that looked interesting. It was printed on business stationary, from a company called Benefit Planning, Inc, it is provided in Figure This letter serves to confirm employment for Mr. Larry Hoover C upon his release from Viana sic in August. Hoover will be employed as an associate agent of Benefit Planning, Inc. My personal visits to Viana sic and phone conversations with Mr.
Hoover, along with community work by his family leave us extremely optimistic. We have enjoyed a very positive relationship through our employment of Mr. Sam Dillon, former long time inmate. Dillon lived with us and was employed in Chicago for his first year.
I personally attended the first week of camp last week and was extremely moved by Mr. Dillon's teaching re: negative gang activity, drugs, violence, and the benefits of hard work and truth. We are confident that Mr. Hoover will prosper and be a strong force both in our company and for the youth of Chicago. Another letter on behalf of paroling Larry Hoover was written on state government stationary by State Representative Coy Pugh.
A copy of the text of this letter is provided in Figure Please accept this communique as letter of support on behalf of Mr. Larry Hoover, who will be appearing before the parole board in August. I am personally endorsing his release at this time. From all indication concerning his personal reform and evident rehabilitation I strongly urge that the Board consider this case with due diligence and in a positive frame of reference. Hoover has more than demonstrated his willingness to take a responsible place in society.
His work and efforts to bring about badly needed changes are quite known to myself as well as others in the community. With everything considered, he should be given a chance to re-enter society now. I earnestly hope and trust that you and the Board will grant a favorable outcome. Thus, on August 10, , when Larry Hoover actually appeared before the "parole board", he had amassed a wealth of political and community activists in support of his bid for parole.
The parole board voted against giving Larry Hoover a parole. Astute newspaper reporters like the Chicago Tribune's George Papajohn were skeptical of how rehabilitated Hoover was and how sincere he was about ordering his gang to "go straight". Reporters like Papajohn dug deeper, and they published their stories: they reported that it was a "hoax", it was a "scam", it was preposterous to assume that this notorious gang leader would be an asset to any community.
In the summer of summer Larry Hoover engineered a major gang organization accomplishment: a big GD picnic in rural Kankakee County, Illinois at a private farm. Think of it as a "Woodstock" for GDs; because about ten thousand 10, of them showed up.
They partied, ate, listened to music, got high, milled with the throngs of GDs, took pictures of each other in their finest gang clothing, and made quite a picture as a massive gang gathering, perhaps the largest ever recorded in U. They were bused in: the hundreds of buses were rented or paid for by the gang itself.
Larry Hoover would make a call from his relative comfort in the Vienna minimum security facility, and speak to the thousands of GDs present at the picnic over a loud speaker system that was set-up for the event. A major "coup" for the GD gang occurred in the fall of The year would therefore signal the year in which "Crips" would align themselves into a national gang alliance system with the "Folks" particularly GDs.
Today, "Crips" and "Folks" are aligned in the national gang alliance system. It was not a hard allegiance to make: both Crips and GDs wear "blue" colors. As this initial alliance system developed and spread nationally, in local communities big and small, and inside correctional institutions everywhere, it basically forced the "Bloods" to align themselves with the "People" or "Brother" gang alliance system, by default in terms of what the power struggle had left them with: a choice of necessity, not convenience.
Obviously, the ability of the GD gang to hold this conference and stage other ludicrous events in Chicago during the Fall of made them formidable. Citizens were shocked and dumbfounded how the GDs had control over the Englewood High School in Chicago; where an "awards ceremony" was held for the Gang Peace Treaty Summit Meeting: it involved giving out awards for Community Leadership to the likes of persons like Larry Hoover and other notorious gang leaders.
Some how the GDs had coopted and controlled an important government facility: a public high school, using the schools auditorium for an official gang event.
To our knowledge, no parent in Chicago who had a child attending Englewood High School at the time has ever filed a federal law suit against the Chicago Public School system for a civil RICO cause of action involving the criminal corruption of their children. But this author taught a gang class to the teachers at that school at that location during the same time frame: the teachers were obviously demanding gang information, because they sensed something was "amiss", the school was being turned over to a gang the GDs.
The teachers demanded an after school hours college course be taught about gangs at the Englewood High School, and they wanted me: I volunteered through my university to do this. I gained much valuable insight into the power of the GD gang at that time. It meant a unique way of gathering intelligence. The visitors who would come to see Larry Hoover in the Vienna Correctional Facility were given special visitor badges, inserted in between the thick lamination of the visitor's badges were subminiature radio frequency transmitter devices, designed to provide a listening station to the content of the "visiting" that went on with Larry Hoover.
As one of the investigators on the case related to me, well into the investigation, one of the visitors with such a "wired" visiting badge simply walked out of the institution and kept the badge as a souvenir of visiting Larry Hoover.
On their way home, they were still able to be monitored. But at some point the individual was so proud of getting this "trophy" of his visit to "King Larry" he kept playing with it, and noticed a small bulge in the middle, and his curiosity got the better of him, and he began to unravel the package to actually discover the transmitter device contained in it. Certainly Larry Hoover was soon notified of this development, but by then it was really far too late.
Too much incriminating information had already been gathered in the preceding months of the court authorized intercept.
During the month of June, I. They would not get their zero-tolerance policy until after the infamous "Speck tape" hits the national news and makes the entire Illinois prison system appear to be corrupted.
The Speck tape would shake up the prison system, and continue to have reverberations well up until the time of this writing in late From an investigator who was involved with that operation, we were told that over 8, conversations were recorded, amassing a wealth of intelligence on the GD gang.
It would not look so bad if Larry was taken into federal custody if this were done at a more secure facility. But even at the Dixon prison, Larry Hoover's "job" was that of the visiting room: he had visitors every day; he ate steak sandwiches, milk shakes, and chicken from the "grill" at the visiting room. He never ate off the "main line" in the inmate chow hall. He did not do any work, he had no assignment, he was busy EVERYDAY meeting with the endless number of visitors who would come to the prison to meet with him.
He obviously had his own "section" of the visiting room staked out, it was "Larry Hoover's" area. By the year "Bloods" were forced to ally with "People" and "Brothers" gangs in national gang alliance system started in where crips and folks joined. He had the audacity to tell the president he represented a group called "Better Growth and Development".
This issue never surfaced in any of the subsequent debate and campaign coverage when President Clinton began his run for a second term in office. But it truly was the first gang to get a representative into the inner sanctum of the White House.
Some gang experts mistakenly refer to the case of Jeff Fort, the leader of the El Rukns, known more commonly as the Black P. Stone Nation, as the first person to pull this off, but that is factually untrue: Jeff Fort had an invitation to an inaugural event for President Nixon, but never actually got there.
The photographic evidence of this is documented in the Chicago Tribune , February 18, , section 2, p. During the time frame of the GDs fronted two candidates for election to Chicago City Council; both were defeated.
In March of Larry Hoover makes his last effort to gain a parole. This becomes one of the most sophisticated efforts to secure his release.
It includes using the testimony of two Ph. Obviously, his parole bid fails. It is a well-crafted letter, and thus probably actually written by one of his aides or attorneys. A copy of this letter is provided in Figure I learned this week, for the 13th time, that I have once again been denied parole.
My thoughts, as they have been for years now, are of my family and of you. My sons, who have grown from infants to men during my imprisonment, and their mother, whose commitment has been unwavering: they all continue to pay, with me, the price for the terrible crime I committed, for which I am solely and fully responsible. They have been strong, as the families of tens of thousands of other black prisoners have been and must be strong every day of their lives.
But, Brothers and Sisters, we must have more than strength. We must have vision, too. We must see that we, ourselves, are the victims of the crimes that ignorance, poverty, hopelessness and drugs lead us to commit. We must see that, just as no man is an island, we all wear the shackles of the ghetto. We are all Ghetto Prisoners. Our only hope for release is to use our strength and vision in the cause of change.
Ignorance is our enemy; we must honor learning and those who learn. Poverty is our enemy; we must gather our pennies and dollars and use them in our own communities.
Hopelessness is our enemy; we must organize and vote by the hundreds of thousands, to give voice to the voiceless. Drugs are our enemy, destroying many of us with the lure of profit, more of us with addiction, and still more with the crime that results; we must join our voices with those across the land, of whites and blacks, churchgoers and convicts, gays and straights - all who share the purpose of taking the profit out of drugs and ending the slaughter made easy by guns.
Whether and when I will be released is beyond my control. Whatever my personal destiny may be, I will fight to strike the shackles that imprison us all. These were hot items in the market of "gang apparel". One of the professors who testified for Larry Hoover's release would in come to the aid of the GDs in another way: lending credibility to their school-based program at Englewood High School. Clemens Bartollas, professor of sociology at Northern Iowa University, not only testified for Hoover, but also came to the benefit of the GDs in another way: by writing a OP-ED piece as a guest editorial in the Chicago Tribune July 13, to defend the "gang deactivation program" at Englewood High School formally now referred to as the Englewood Technical Preparatory Academy, a Chicago public school.
Recall, that during the Gang Peace Summit Meeting held in Chicago, that Englewood High School was also the scene for the infamous award ceremony that gave awards to gang leaders like Larry Hoover. Bartollas presented his credentials as a gang expert this way:. I have worked with gangs in the community in two states, have interacted with them in correctional settings in three other states and have written a number of books about youth and adult crime in which gangs were discussed" see Chicago Tribune , , p.
Bartollas went on to defend the school's gang questionable gang program that involved gang members acting as hall monitors where they would physically punish students who violated discipline codes or did not attend school. The defense was his impression the school environment was delightfully innovative and effective. Earlier Chicago Tribune , June 15, Bartollas was quoted as follows: "you have the deviant and quite radical suggestion that the gangs can, in fact, monitor themselves to promote a learning experience that is constructive to everyone" and on the basis of two visits to the school also said "it is working remarkably well".
August 31, becomes a landmark date in the developmental lifespan of the GD gang: this is the date that the U. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois announces the indictment of Larry Hoover and 38 of his top associates, charging them with a year conspiracy to distribute cocaine, crack, heroin and marijuana and to extort protection money from street dealers in Chicago and its suburbs, as well as operating a continuing criminal enterprise.
While there he conducts a one hour videotaped interview with ESPN. The original predictions about the impact of the GD prosecution included short-term and long-term impact areas. Some of these predictions seem to have been accurate.
Let us review the original predictions about the effect of the federal prosecution. Projected Short-term Impact of the Federal Prosecution. Most of the media attention to the 39 indicted GDs during September looked at a short-term negative scenario in terms of the projected impact of Operation Headache.
Gang-wise journalists were able to point to the succession effect: by prosecuting one gang, another gang would be able to step forward in the aftermath, that is other gangs would fill the void left by the GDs.
Clearly, the dismantling of Jeff Fort's El Rukn gang empire in the 's also through federal prosecution was a context that allowed the GD's to take control of the turf previously held by the El Rukns. Thus, the first major reaction to the 39 indicted GD leaders was a focus on how other gangs might now be able to become more effective. No programs of prevention and intervention were basically put into place in areas or buildings controlled by GDs at the time of the indictments. So, one cannot conclude that a "Weed and Seed" operation had been achieved.
Only some weed whacking had been done on the largest criminal gang in the USA. It seems a reasonable fear, therefore, that in the cracks and crevices of social disorganization that we can expect other weeds to arise as an immediate short-term effect.
Two gangs stand to benefit directly from the effects of putting the GD leadership into disarray: 1 the Black P. Thus, the BPSN gang could see a strong revitalization. Even more likely, however, is that another faction of the Disciples will grow stronger.
The BG's are today known as the New Breed, and are a very violent aggressive growing enterprise. Both the BD's and the BG's have their own separate and different written constitutions and by-laws and leadership structures.
The projected long-term impact of Operation Headache consists of significant membership demoralization, significant organizational destabilization, substantial collateral impact, a strong deterrent effect, and a healthy dose of restoring public confidence in law enforcement's ability to counteract the gang threat. Each of these will be discussed briefly. We cannot lose sight of the fact that the GDs are the single largest centralized authoritarian formal organizational gang structure in the United States today, having 30, members in the Chicago area alone.
One projected long-term impact of Operation Headache and we are willing to assume that Hoover will be convicted and he will receive a life sentence to federal custody is therefore the significant demoralization within the GD membership apparatus. The message sent to the other GD's after nearly a quarter of a century of a reign of terror is that their leaders are not invincible. Their gang leaders will no longer be able to call by phone to provide long speeches broadcast over a P.
For example, at the picnic on a private farm in Kankakee, Illinois with nearly 10, GD's and sympathizers listening, Hoover was able to provide an inspirational speech to the crowd from behind bars, calling over the phone to a public address system.
Any leadership succession in the GD's is likely to be a violent struggle over coveted positions of power. Thus, significant demoralization will occur over the next three years would be a prediction for the GD's here.
Significant Organizational Destabilization. We must recognize that the GDs have grown over the last twenty years into a formidable crime threat. This is a threat not just to Chicago, not just to the State of Illinois, but to many midwestern cities, indeed GD activity is now known to exist in about 35 states. Over the years, with millions in illegal income, with attorneys, with training seminars for the gang's middle management, with forays into political life this gang has proven its ability to undermine and corrupt existing democratic structures.
So one long-term impact of Operation Headache is that it will basically dismantle that leadership infrastructure of the GDs. Hoover will now be effectively neutralized as a hands-on micro-manager of his gang empire.
He will not be able to continue to run his gang from behind bars. Once he receives a life sentence he will be serving time in federal prison.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons, unlike many state correctional systems, does not tolerate such machinations. While in state prison Hoover lived a life of luxury, he could have access to the phone anytime, and call a number on the outside that basically amounted to a "bulletin board" conference, where he could have a phone teleconference with gang leaders on the outside and in all other prison environments.
While in state custody, he was able to sponsor "parties" in his correctional center to impress other inmates and staff. Hoover's power will no longer be so freely exercised from federal custody. Thus, Hoover will regret having such a centralized authoritarian structure, and without his ongoing control it can be expected that significant organizational destabilization will occur in the GD organization. It could fractionate into smaller units, it could become more decentralized, its "sets" could become more autonomous, and thus the GD organization will be significantly disrupted over time is the prediction here.
Substantial Collateral Impact. That the GD's did exercise enormous power and influence seems unquestioned at this point in time. That Hoover was able to continue to orchestrate his gang activities even while serving a murder sentence in a state correctional system is also a matter of historical record.
Thus, with the effective federal prosecution of Hoover and many other GD leaders, the astute gang analyst will also realize that the greater the gang threat, the greater the positive collateral impact from a law enforcement point of view. What this means is that with Hoover effectively neutralized, GD members who may have wanted to defect, who may have wanted to "flip" or snitch, will now feel more comfortable in cooperating with investigators.
Those GD members who had hero-worshipped Hoover, who may have wanted to erect a statue of Hoover, will now realize he is gone from public life and he will experience the civil death that the penal sanction in America is supposed to induce. In state custody, Hoover was able to create the myth that he was a legendary leader: he was not out on the gang line everyday, they are the ones making mistakes, not Hoover, so if something went wrong it was never Hoover's fault, it was someone else's.
Such conditions are now ripe for the GDs. It is important to understand that many types of crimes for which no statute of limitation exists murder, homicide, arson, etc , can be traced to gangs like the GDs. It seems reasonable to expect substantial collateral impact in this regard in the future. Other GD crimes such as homicides will now be able to be solved and effectively prosecuted, as potential informants will feel safer to provide testimony, knowing that Hoover is locked up in supermaximum "no human contact" status in the new federal Alcatraz in Colorado.
Strong Deterrent Effect. From a long-term impact perspective, we should expect a strong deterrent effect from Operation Headache.
Again, the logic is as historical as the presumed negative short-term effect discussed earlier. Recall the federal prosecution of the top leadership of the El Rukn gang, where the straw that broke the camels back of public outcry was the fact that here was a gang that had sought to commit acts of terrorism "for hire" for hostile foreign terrorist organizations. What message got sent to other American gangs by the rapid dismantling of the El Rukns?
The deterrent effect seems to have been effective in preventing hostile foreign and domestic terrorist organizations from manipulating ideal groups for such operations: gangs. We have not seen subsequent examples of major gangs becoming involved in political terrorism since the effective prosecution of Jeff Fort and his El Rukn gang back in the 's. So the message sent to other gangs in the United States today is also very clear from Operation Headache: it can be risky business to try to achieve the status of being a supergang, for the moment one becomes the largest gang in the USA, the leaders are the first to be targeted for federal prosecution.
It may therefore achieve the deterrent effect of forcing gangs into a more localized, less formalized style of organizational apparatus. Some shift from the vertical and formally organized style of gang organization to the more horizontal and loose knit style of organization could occur.
This effectively reduces the gang threat as well. Because the greater the organizational sophistication of a gang, the greater its objective crime threat. Therefore it seems reasonable to expect a kind of lasting deterrent effect in the case of the GDs. Gang leaders throughout the United States who may have lusted for Hoover's status may now modify their lofty aims. For gang leaders will realize that the moment they "profile" in this way, they could be facing the same fate as Jeff Fort, John Gotti, and now hopefully Larry Hoover a life behind bars in no human contact status.
Restored Public Confidence in Law Enforcement. Whether it was Al Capone, John Gotti, Jeff Fort, or now Larry Hoover, when a criminal organization is able to effectively operate over time in any community that same community experiences a decay in respect for the law.
The fact that successful federal prosecution neutralizes such powerful crime figures is therefore also a factor that over time can be expected to restore public confidence in law enforcement. This is also a long-term prediction for Operation Headache. Community support for anti-gang initiatives could be expected to rise with the effective neutralization of the largest gang in the United States. Community fear could be transformed into community mobilization against gangs. In Chicago neighborhoods where the GDs had operated for nearly a quarter of a century, the news of the 39 GD leaders being indicted by the federal government was equivalent to a kind of quiet individualized "D-day" celebration.
Many prayers had been answered by victims of gang crime and gang violence. Those who celebrated the most with the news of the federal indictments in Operation Headache were those in communities who felt the daily devastation of GD influence. In many gang-infested communities today gangs like the GDs have successfully prevented millions of citizens from stepping forward to provide the eyes and ears necessary for law enforcement to successfully target the gang menace today.
It is a matter of pervasive fear itself. So by alleviating that fear, we can extrapolate a long term positive benefit. This is true because gang tenure varies directly with the amount of fear the same gang can induce in a community. By reducing that fear, we believe the stranglehold of gangs on some communities can be broken.
Yes, we believe that did occur, it is similar to the "displacement effect" in community policing. In community policing, where one geographical area "tightens up" and begins "zero-tolerance" campaigns to arrest for certain offenses, neighboring communities without this level of "target hardening" become the primary choice for offenders to move their business to, they set up shop in neighboring territories where there are similar opportunities but without the risks of arrest.
But another gang, we did not originally predict would benefit, actually did: the Latin Kings. In some jurisdictions, the Latin Kings have come to be the dominant threat group.
We believe the follow-up evidence supports the conclusion that significant demoralization did pervade the GD membership. The evidence for this consists of 1 reluctance of GD members to take positions of authority any longer for fear of becoming a target of federal prosecution, 2 GD members defecting from their gang, joining other gangs, in both adult and juvenile correctional institutions in states that are geographical contiguous with Illinois, and 3 the actual defection of some high-level leaders inside the Illinois GD gang operation who have basically "dropped their flag" or become informants.
Perhaps the most demoralizing effect of the federal prosecution of the GDs was the fact that numerous witnesses stepped forward to testify against the GD leadership. The federal government had an abundance of informants and GD members willing to testify. Sure, but there is no honor in gangs today.
The best estimate is that one out of three gang members in America would rat on their homies in a New York minute, if they had the proper motivation to do so i. The Gangster Disciples have historically, like most formalized gang organizations, dealt with informants and those who try to testify against their gang, or its members, with threats of violence or violence itself. The record is one that includes killing and assassination of known informants or those whose were planning on giving testimony in court proceedings against members of the gang.
This gang is capable of witness intimidation to a degree that is surpassed by few gangs: many of its members are found in a variety of "poorer neighborhoods" what Thrasher called "interstitial areas" , so anyone who lives, say in "public housing" would find themselves facing a number of members who live in the same building or public housing complex who would be capable of intimidating them on a daily basis.
There are few places, in Chicago at least, that the Gangster Disciples cannot "reach out to". One of the professors who testified for Larry Hoover's release came to an NGCRC party "wine and cheese reception" for gang researchers at a national criminology meeting shortly before Hoover's trial.
The professor was spotted immediately and I approached him, in order to have him photographed. He told me he was certain there would be only one or two informants at best and no one would be able to link Larry Hoover to any drug dealing. How wrong he was! And the GD gang realized, afterwards, the same cruel fact of life: it is hard being a Gangster Disciple when there are so many snitches in the organization.
We think yes. Certainly, one of the predictions was that the GD gang would become more decentralized without the "hands-on" micro-management of Larry Hoover, and that prediction seems to have been borne out since his conviction.
The fact that in some areas within driving distance of Chicago we have seen the GDs "fractionate" into competing cliques is also evidence of this organizational destabilization.
As well, we can point to the oral interview information from active and former GDs who tell the story same story that many GD "sets" today are "out for themselves". To the extent that there are relatively autonomous GD "sets" operating today is evidence of what would be unthinkable prior to Hoover's conviction: these "sets" would have been targeted by the central GD leadership for ruthless treatment, for being "renegade" GD factions. Leaders of such renegade factions would be ruthlessly executed.
Today, almost anyone anywhere can claim they have a GD faction up and going as a gang operation and there really is no stable or verifiable central organization anymore to "check them out". For this reason astute gang specialists are aware of the fact that there exist in areas far away from Chicago, the epicenter of the GD gang, gangs that call themselves "GDs" but their symbols and their written materials they use bear little to no resemblance to the authentic gang materials from the original Chicago-based GD gang operation.
In otherwords, one by-product of the GD prosecution has been that it enabled such "emulator" versions of the GDs to arise and function outside of the Chicago area.
0コメント