Thread: Gang Problem Growing In Area

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Gang Problem Growing In Area


A stop sign at South Johnston High School clearly displays the gang graffiti of the Sur-13 Latin street gang as a school bus passes by in the back ground. Gang markings can be found all over the area. Yesterday a gang conference met in Clinton to discuss the growing danger of gangs in Eastern North Carolina. -Daily Record Photo/Jason Beck

5/19/2006 10:29:00 AM

Jason Beck
Reporter

They are here, they are dangerous and U.S. Attorney Frank Whitney said yesterday it is time for the community to unite against gangs.

Yesterday, Sampson County hosted the Eastern North Carolina gang conference in Clinton, an event designed to bring awareness to the growing danger of street gangs.

“These people are here, they are in Eastern North Carolina, they are mean and they are going to kill people,” Mr. Whitney said. “Not just for the money, but for the power.”

Currently there are 380 known gangs in the state with nearly 9,000 members, according to Richard Hayes, the senior research analyst for the N.C. Governor’s Crime Commission. He said the number of unknown gang members could be double that.

“You think it’s just in Charlotte or Raleigh,” Mr. Whitney said. “It’s not.”

Gangs In The Area

The five most common gangs in the area are the Crips, Surenos, Mara Salvatrucha, Bloods and Vatos Locos.

The Surenos, or Sur-13 as they are more commonly called, make up a large portion of the gang activity in the area. A Latin gang formed in California, many may have migrated to the area to work in low income jobs, according to Lt. Mark Bridgeman, a Fayetteville Police officer and president of the N.C. Gang Investigators Association.

He said problems in Harnett and Sampson counties are common because of the industry.

“That is how some of these gangs will come to Eastern North Carolina — these poultry plants and hog farms,” he said. “Talk to the chief of police. At these hog plants we have a lot of gang members working at them.”

Drugs And Guns

Mr. Whitney points to a $20 million cocaine bust last January in Sampson County as proof the gangs come here for more than just legal work.

“Drugs are brought here from Latin America not to be used in Clinton or Wilmington,” he said. “Six months ago, down in your neck of the woods, we took home 200 million kilos of cocaine.”

Lt. Bridgeman said drugs and guns are the two biggest money makers for all gangs.

Mr. Whitley said a relatively new gang, the Mara Salvatrucha (or MS-13 for short), is especially brutal.

“It’s these newer gangs moving into the area that is the problem,” he said. “The Sur-13s and the MS-13s.”

He said the MS-13s are an El-Salvadorian gang that started in Los Angeles to rival other Latin gang members. He spoke of dismemberment’s and violent killings common in the gang.

“When they commit violent acts, they get tattoos,” he said. “They can tell who is the most violent is by seeing the tattoos on the chest. They can tell how many people they have killed.”

Really A Threat?

Lt. Bridgeman said despite the beliefs street gangs are not a serious danger to local counties, violence has increased in the last few years.

“I’ve seen people at different levels of the community say, ‘You don’t have real gangs, and if we give some credibility to them they become real gangs,’’’ he said. “A wannabe is a gonna be, because they try to prove they are in real gangs.”

Mr. Hayes agreed people who claim gang affiliation are still just as dangerous as a full-fledged gang member.

“People sometimes say, ‘Do you have gangs like you see on TV or in movies? Do you have Crips and Bloods like in California?’” he said. “Well, it really doesn’t matter what they call themselves if they are doing gang activities.”

Linda Hayes of Dunn, chairperson of the N.C. Governor’s Crime Commission, said she was sad to even be at a gang awareness conference in this state.

“It’s said for me as a rural Wake County tobacco farm girl in here talking about gangs in North Carolina,” she said. “But it is here.”

Mr. Whitley said the whole purpose of the conference was to spur community involvement.

“We are focused on this, but we can’t do it without you, because you are the eyes and ears,” he said.

there's a comment section that all the good folks here should take advantage of.

western Robeson County near the Hoke county line is really infested with illegals and lots of MS13 graffiti.

They just keep costing the American taxe payers over and over again

just recheck the photos I took of the area also has Surenos, or Sur-13 graffiti.

I didn't want to take up a lot of space here. So these are some links to some local NC (Robeson County) SUR13 graffiti with it looks like some competition from local Brown Pride

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=5/13912274594.jpg&s=f5

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=5/13912270590.jpg&s=f5

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=5/13912261954.jpg&s=f5

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=5/13912251359.jpg&s=f5

Charles, this is just sickening. Hope you don't mind if I send a couple of these pictures to Burr, Dole, Etheridge & Hackney.

Originally Posted by had_enuf

Charles, this is just sickening. Hope you don't mind if I send a couple of these pictures to Burr, Dole, Etheridge & Hackney.

help yourself. I didn't put the ones up with the foul language. next time I go to Uwharrie from the beach I'll take some more. I'm sure there will be plenty since the Sheriff Dept seems to ignore it.

Oh and make sure you fax/email Dole and Burr tomorrow so they will have their Monday morning reading material. "NO Amnesty and Secure our Borders before anything else". I'll do my fax tomorrow afternoon.