Thread: Black, Hispanic gangs kill each other over turf

Black, Hispanic gangs kill each other over turf
Innocents caught in crossfire in cities from coast to coast

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Posted: July 05, 2008
12:10 am Eastern
© 2008 WorldNetDaily


The face of MS-13

WASHINGTON – Latino gang members were hunting for black people in the Harbor Gateway community of Los Angeles.

Age was not a factor. Neither was gender.

Cheryl Green, 14, was on her scooter, talking to friends when a hail of bullets killed the 8th-grader and injured several other black youngsters.

That was December 2006. But the race-motivated carnage has only increased since then, say law-enforcement authorities from coast to coast – with Hispanic gangs targeting blacks and black gang reciprocating as their communities are increasing surrounded by the exploding population of Hispanics, much of it fueled by illegal immigration.

In Harbor Gateway, the dividing line is 206th Street. Blacks understand it is not safe to cross over to the Hispanic side and Hispanics know it is not safe to cross over to the black side.

Federal prosecutors last year charged members of a Latino gang with conducting a violent campaign to drive blacks out of the Florence-Firestone neighborhood in L.A. County, which resulted in some 20 homicides over several years.

L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca wrote in a newspaper editorial that "some of L.A.'s so-called gangs are really no more than loose-knit bands of blacks or Latinos roaming the streets looking for people of the other color to shoot."


18th Street gang tattoo

Perhaps the highest profile example of what some believe to be a racial hate crime was the shooting death of Jamiel Shaw II, a promising high school football player killed near his Los Angeles home in March. Pedro Espinoza, 19, a Latino gang member and illegal immigrant, stands accused of the homicide. He sports a large "18" tattoo on his back, signifying him as a member of the 18th Street gang. He also has a smaller 18 tattooed near his left eye and the letters BK tattooed behind his left ear. Gang experts say BK stands for "Blood Killer."

Though Espinoza has pleaded not guilty to the charge, a witness quotes him as saying days after the shooting: "BK all day. I'm going to wipe all the Bloods out."

"We have domestic terrorists right here," said California Attorney General Jerry Brown at a recent gang summit in L.A. County. "Gangs are like a disease, like a cancer in a community. We have to do more."

Brown compared what is happening in the streets of his state to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also called on the entertainment industry stop glorifying the violent gang lifestyle in music and movies.

"I think Denzel Washington and [Robert] De Niro and anyone who has made money glamorizing gang members should contribute [to programs to help kids out of gangs]," said Constance Rice, co-director and co-founder of the Advancement Project in Los Angeles, at the summit.

In May, racial tensions between blacks and Hispanics erupted at Dominguez High School in Compton, Calif. At least eight students were suspended and one arrested after a race riot broke out.

In 2003, 5,570 young people, age 10-24, were murdered – an average of 15 each day. Most were black. While statistics show most of the violence in minority communities is black on black or Hispanic on Hispanic, the trend is shifting, according to many law enforcement officials who say they see an upsurge in racial violence.

Among 10- to 24-year olds, homicide is the leading cause of death for blacks and the second leading cause of death for Hispanics. The Justice Department reported that in 2005, the homicide rate for black males, 18-25, was just over 102 per 100,000, and only 12.5 deaths per 100,000 for their white counterparts.

In Coatesville, Penn., near Philadelphia, the police department is expressing concern about widespread reports of black city residents victimizing Hispanics – mostly illegal immigrants. Police Chief William Matthews says the reports include robberies, assaults and rapes.

He warns if the attacks are not contained, they could trigger the formation of violent Hispanic gangs.

The city has long been home to a large black community. It is now attracting a growing illegal immigrant population that is largely Hispanic.

"It's not long before you have black-on-brown crime," said Matthews. "And we're seeing the beginning of that."

Matthews said African Americans are targeting Hispanics who are vulnerable because they do not speak English and often do not report crimes to the police out of fear their immigration status will be questioned, he said.

Blacks are responsible for robbing, assaulting and raping Hispanics, as well as invading their homes, Matthews said.

"A segment of our community – the African American community – is preying on them," he said.

Matthews said some immigrants do not trust the police in their home countries and the mindset travels with them here.

"They view police as a criminal gang and rightfully so. And they're afraid if they call the police, someone in their family will be deported," Matthews said.

The fear causes crime victims to keep quiet. Therefore, Matthews said, police only know about a fraction of the crimes against Hispanics.

If the issue is not dealt with soon, Matthews said, the city could face the worst crime it has ever seen when Hispanic victims or their relatives resort to forming notoriously violent gangs, like MS-13, to defend their community.

"If we don't get our arms around this problem, organized gangs will fill the vacancies," Matthews said. "There is no violence that's happened in this city that can compare to the violence that could take its place."

Aida Garcia, director of social services for nonprofit La Comunidad Hispana, said she was not surprised to hear about the activity in Coatesville.

"I think this is happening all over right now – all over the county," Garcia said. "This has been happening for a while, except people haven't been talking because they were afraid. This is nothing new."

Meanwhile, last week in North Carolina, the head of the Latin Kings gang held a news conference to call on other gang members to stop the violence.

"I'm asking for all Bloods, Crips, MS-13, everybody out there that represents something, to put your weapons down and let's come to a table so we can talk peace," said Jorge Cornell.

He wants gang leaders to get together for a discussion on how to end violence

"What I'm asking these leaders to do is if you've got one that's going to start trouble with the other, don't let those two, you know, let it get physical," Cornell urged. "And if it does, don't let it cause a war. Let's bring it to the attention of those leaders and let those leaders deal with their own."
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=68669

I don't know what school of thought these guys went to. To say Blacks are targeting illegals BECAUSE they're Latino is quite simple minded. Criminals(predators) always prey on the easiest target -watch Animal Planet to verify this.
Many drug dealers are robbed, but I've never seen elected officials express concern over it.

Okay, the title is all wrong, according to the article. Can someone point out where a Black gang member has intended to kill an unarmed Latino child? I would better understand Latino's only targeting criminal Blacks, but they're going after the easiest target -unarmed people who are not gang members.

Guy looks like some circus freak!! Just where would this idiot get a job looking like that anyway??

PA POLICE CHIEF: Blacks prey on Hispanics
By JENNIFER MILLER, Staff Writer06/29/2008

The Coatesville Police Department continues to receive reports of black city residents robbing, assaulting and raping Hispanic immigrants, according to Police Chief William Matthews.

And, if the activity is not stopped, police say it could trigger the formation of violent Hispanic gangs as a type of cultural protection.

With the city's black community, growing immigrant population - many of whom do not speak English - combined with the city's social issues, "It's not long before you have black-on-brown crime," said Matthews. "And we're seeing the beginning of that."

Matthews, who first spoke publicly about the problem last fall, spoke candidly on the issue Thursday during a community crime meeting.

Matthews said African Americans are targeting Hispanics who are vulnerable. The victims do not speak English and often do not report crimes to the police out of fear their immigration status will be questioned, he said.

African Americans are responsible for robbing, assaulting and raping Hispanics, as well as invading their homes, Matthews said.

"A segment of our community - the African American community - is preying on them," he said.

Matthews said some immigrants do not trust the police in their home countries and the mindset travels with them here.

"They view police as a criminal gang and rightfully so. And they're afraid if they call the police, someone in their family will be deported," Matthews said.

The fear causes crime victims to keep quiet. Therefore, Matthews said, police only know about a fraction of the crimes against Hispanics.

If the issue is not dealt with soon, Matthews said, the city could face the worst crime it has ever seen when Hispanic victims or their relatives resort to forming notoriously violent gangs, like MS-13, to defend their community.

"If we don't get our arms around this problem, organized gangs will fill the vacancies," Matthews said. "There is no violence that's happened in this city that can compare to the violence that could take its place."

To address the language barrier, Matthews recently hired four Spanish-speaking officers.

"That's one of the reasons we tried so hard to get Spanish-speaking officers - we couldn't speak to them. We had to use an interpreter," Matthews said outside Thursday's meeting. "Members of the Hispanic community have come up to me and said thank you because they were able to pull an officer to the side and speak to them."

Matthews said he is putting together an advisory board of Hispanic residents. The panel, he said, will recommend police procedures that would enable immigrants to report incidents without fear of deportation.

The Hispanic population has been steadily growing throughout the county for years. Most Hispanic immigrants in the county are from Mexico, experts say.

Aida Garcia, director of social services for nonprofit La Comunidad Hispana, said she was not surprised to hear about the activity in Coatesville.

"I think this is happening all over right now - all over the county," Garcia said. "This has been happening for a while, except people haven't been talking because they were afraid. This is nothing new."

Immigrants are easy targets, Garcia said, because they often keep the cash from payday in their wallets or their homes. With no Social Security card, immigrants are unable to deposit the cash into a bank account. And the criminals know it.

"A lot of people target them - they know that," Garcia said. "They will go into their homes and steal their money."

And, she said, the more the economic level drops, the more the problem grows.

"It's faster to break into a house. It's easier to target them (than to get a job)," she said. "The more people can't find jobs, the more these people are at risk."

After the crime, often immigrant victims do not report it to police, she said.

"They're afraid to report to the police because if they don't have the legal status they're afraid of being sent back," she said. "They're always hearing about (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) returning people to their home countries."

Garcia said Mexicans come to Chester County to earn money for their families still living in their native country. Young Mexicans come here and mail money back to their parents, she said. And with the high cost of living, she said many immigrants work multiple jobs to support their families.

"What little money they have is just enough for them to survive here," Garcia said. "The younger Mexican immigrants say, 'If I don't send money to Mexico, my parents will die of starvation because there are no jobs in Mexico.'"

Garcia said her organization constantly urges victims to report incidents to local police.

"We tell them to call the police. Even if they're not citizens they have the right to be protected by the law. Their motive is to protect them," she said. "We tell them, 'You go and report these crimes. If someone breaks into your house - call 911.'"

Garcia said it's possible the attacks could prompt the formation of Hispanic gangs.

"It's a horrible feeling walking in fear ... It's a difficult life for a lot of these families," she said.

To prevent gang formation, she said Coatesville needs more after-school programs for the Hispanic youth. Additionally, she said parents need to step up.

"We try to support parents. They have to be responsible, know where their children are and get their children involved in after-school programs to keep them busy so they don't get into trouble," Garcia said. "You need to know where your children are at all times."


In other parts of the county, police departments are seeing occasional similar situations. But, police in West Chester, Avondale, New Garden and Kennett Square say the incidents are not frequent enough to declare any trend in their jurisdictions.

In West Chester, two Hispanic males were beaten and robbed by a group of black males May 21, police said. One victim suffered multiple broken bones to his face, according to police.

One suspect, Ronald E. Lawson, 19, of Chester, was arrested two days later and faces robbery, aggravated assault and related charges, police said.

West Chester Detective Sgt. Louis DeShullo said the case is the only recent one of its kind to be reported in the borough.

DeShullo said law enforcement is aware immigrants can easily become victims of crime.

"It's general law-enforcement knowledge that illegal immigrants are susceptible as victims of crime because of their illegal status. Their lack of biographical history and understanding of the English language and fear of being deported are making them targets of street thugs," DeShullo said. "However, when the immigrants are committing the crimes their weaknesses as victims turn to strengths in hindering their apprehensions."


Earlier this month, there were at least three robberies in Kennett Square and surrounding municipalities in which Hispanics were the victims, according to police.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, black and white American citizens - mostly juveniles - were frequently targeting local migrant workers, according to Kennett Square Police Chief Ed Zunino.

"There was a serious problem, and it was because of the victims' lifestyles," Zunino said.

For example, he said, if a migrant worker went out to a local bar, had a few drinks and then walked home, other bar patrons would know he had a pocket full of cash and would jump him.

"That was a problem back then. But since then migrant workers have adopted more safe lifestyles," Zunino said.

He said immigrants began to travel in groups or by car. They started avoiding risky areas like the railroad tracks at night. They also started carrying less cash and using local banks.

"They were aware that when they went out people were watching them," Zunino said.

The Kennett Square Police Department has three Spanish-speaking officers and a few Spanish-speaking parking-enforcement officers, Zunino said.

He urged immigrants living in the borough to call police when they become crime victims. Zunino said his department does not turn victims over to Immigration. Actually, he said, the department needs the victims to stay in the area until the related case is dealt with.

"We need them for successful prosecution of the case," Zunino said. "Regardless of their legal status, they don't have to fear coming to police."


New Garden Police Chief Larry Dampman said he has not seen crimes against the Hispanic community increase over the past three years.

The department, he said, sees the usual assault cases - domestics or juvenile fights, which are sometimes gang related.

"We have always had some problems. I don't think specific Hispanic problems," Dampman said.

However, Dampman agreed with other officials and said Hispanics tend to be reluctant to report incidents to police.

"We try to encourage them to contact us when they have problems," he said. "I think it's been getting better over the years. We try to explain it's necessary to contact us to correct the problem."


State police trooper Corey Monthei said the Avondale barracks has recently seen a few isolated robberies in the Hispanic community, such as earlier this month along the railroad tracks in the Toughkenamon area.

But the station has not noticed any pattern or frequency to indicate a problem in the Hispanic community.

"I don't think the Hispanic community is being targeted any more than any other ethnicity," he said.

But, he acknowledged the crimes may be underreported.

The Avondale barracks has a handful of personnel who speak Spanish, Monthei said.

To contact staff writer Jennifer Miller, send an e-mail to jmiller@dailylocal.com.
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