Thread: Gangs Staking Out Turf on the Web

http://gangwar.com/blog/

Thursday, March 03, 2005
Gangs Staking Out Turf on the Web- From Mercury News
By Crystal Carreon, Mercury News

Sal Rojas was working on his computer science degree when he created BrownPride.com to celebrate Latino culture. His site quickly evolved into a popular forum for urban expression, showcasing mural art, music and fashion.

But it has also become the target of ``high-tech taggers'' and ``cyberbangers.''

As authorities crack down on gang activity on the streets, self-proclaimed gangsters are going online, turning portions of Web sites -- such as BrownPride.com -- into virtual turfs where rivals exchange threats and ``throw up'' their numbers and neighborhood names under the anonymity of the Internet.

``You create something for good, but people twist it,'' said Rojas, 32, whose site's message board has been overrun by suspected Norteños and Sureños.

Law enforcement officials across the country have noticed the surge in suspected gang members using the Internet to glorify the lifestyle and, in some instances, recruit. Just as some gangsters tag buildings with spray paint, these online taggers leave their mark in cyberspace. But, given the anonymous nature of the Web, authorities admit it is nearly impossible to gauge whether a posting, blog or Instant Message comes from actual gang members or wannabes.

Los Angeles police detective Chuck Zeglin first noticed the phenomenon four years ago, and estimated then that about a third of the thousands of gang-related Web sites were operated by the Crips, Bloods, Norteños and Sureños, and members of various Asian and other gangs. He now believes that number is growing as Internet access becomes ubiquitous and increasingly mobile.

``Gangs are definitely keeping up with the technology of the times,'' said Jared Lewis, director of Know Gangs, a Wisconsin-based firm that offers training and resources on gangs to police agencies. ``This is a new generation of gangsters.''

Bowing to pressure from police, Internet providers have shut down several of the more notorious gang sites in recent years, Lewis said. So ``cyberbanging'' has moved to other sites such as BrownPride.com; vidaenelvalle.com, which bills itself as the ``Latino Voice of the San Joaquin Valley'' offering sports highlights, news and feature stories, among other content; and Northern-Ridaz.com, which features new releases from Bay Area rap artists.

But law enforcement officials acknowledge that much of the cyber-traffic remains under the radar of police, including gang detectives in the tech-savvy Bay Area.

Lt. Phan S. Ngo, of San Jose's gang investigations unit, said his officers are aware of purported gang activity online but do not regularly monitor the Internet for clues. It's not a priority, because officers have not come across any instances of gang-related violence in San Jose that stemmed from a Web site, he said.

Traditional gang investigations usually involve tapping phone lines or surveillance of certain neighborhoods. Seizing computers is seen more often in cases of Internet fraud (news - web sites) or sex-related crimes against children -- not gangs.

But Lewis believes that by not looking online officers could miss spotting clues to gang violence.

Lewis, a former Modesto police officer, said he read message boards on a rapper's Web site to help solve a gang homicide in 2001. The site piqued his interest after he spotted familiar city street names and monikers that were later linked to murder suspects.

Last May, vitriol exchanged between members of two rival gangs in an Internet chat room led to a street brawl in a Dallas suburb.

Gabe Morales, author of ``Varrio Warfare: Violence in the Latino Community,'' said his Web page, www.angelfire.com/biz4/stopvarriowar/gps.html, doesn't have a chat room or guest book because he doesn't want to be tagged by gang members. He suspects the majority of cyberbanging is done by unsupervised teenagers at home or school. Parents, he said, are often computer illiterate and are largely unaware of what their children are doing online.

``These kids are computer-savvy,'' he said. ``They may be better equipped with a keyboard than with an aerosol can. It's a freedom of speech thing, but it's not positive.''

``Clowner,'' whose e-mail address includes the number 13 -- for Sureños -- recently posted a message laced with expletives on a Web site originally intended to showcase Latino art and music.

``Yeah, I shout out for the hood,'' he told the Mercury News in an e-mail. ``It's family, and I hate red.''

He explained that he had been in a fight at school with someone dressed in red and went online to continue the challenge.

``Clowner'' posted his message on a board that also talked about the recent preliminary hearing for suspected Norteños Malik Alayube and James Ortega, who is the youngest person tried as an adult for murder in Santa Clara County history. The two teenagers allegedly killed two rival gang members at an East San Jose Jack in the Box last year. The posting denigrated Ortega and Alayube, mentioning a rival gang: ``Blue ragin here in San Jose. It's Sur X3 . . . Evil side of So Jo!''

Another posting praised drive-by shootings: ``Click, click, bang, bang puro Norte.''

Rojas, a Web master based in Orange County, said he was bothered that his site -- created to inspire and empower -- now hosts a scrolling log of gang challenges. He shut down a live chat room about six months ago after the popular feature -- which had sparked romances and friendships -- had degenerated into a ``hate fest,'' mostly between Norteños and Sureños.

``I wish everyone had the opportunity to study and go to college . . . but we're caught up in the daily struggle,'' he said of some of his site's visitors. ``They hate without even knowing the reason why they hate.''
posted by Nawojczyk at 5:30 AM 0 comments

MS-13 Creating Huge Problems in the US
FBI confronts new gang threat

http://gangwar.com/blog/

Thursday, March 03, 2005
Gangs Staking Out Turf on the Web- From Mercury News
By Crystal Carreon, Mercury News

Sal Rojas was working on his computer science degree when he created BrownPride.com to celebrate Latino culture. His site quickly evolved into a popular forum for urban expression, showcasing mural art, music and fashion.

But it has also become the target of ``high-tech taggers'' and ``cyberbangers.''

As authorities crack down on gang activity on the streets, self-proclaimed gangsters are going online, turning portions of Web sites -- such as BrownPride.com -- into virtual turfs where rivals exchange threats and ``throw up'' their numbers and neighborhood names under the anonymity of the Internet.

``You create something for good, but people twist it,'' said Rojas, 32, whose site's message board has been overrun by suspected Norteños and Sureños.

Law enforcement officials across the country have noticed the surge in suspected gang members using the Internet to glorify the lifestyle and, in some instances, recruit. Just as some gangsters tag buildings with spray paint, these online taggers leave their mark in cyberspace. But, given the anonymous nature of the Web, authorities admit it is nearly impossible to gauge whether a posting, blog or Instant Message comes from actual gang members or wannabes.

Los Angeles police detective Chuck Zeglin first noticed the phenomenon four years ago, and estimated then that about a third of the thousands of gang-related Web sites were operated by the Crips, Bloods, Norteños and Sureños, and members of various Asian and other gangs. He now believes that number is growing as Internet access becomes ubiquitous and increasingly mobile.

``Gangs are definitely keeping up with the technology of the times,'' said Jared Lewis, director of Know Gangs, a Wisconsin-based firm that offers training and resources on gangs to police agencies. ``This is a new generation of gangsters.''

Bowing to pressure from police, Internet providers have shut down several of the more notorious gang sites in recent years, Lewis said. So ``cyberbanging'' has moved to other sites such as BrownPride.com; vidaenelvalle.com, which bills itself as the ``Latino Voice of the San Joaquin Valley'' offering sports highlights, news and feature stories, among other content; and Northern-Ridaz.com, which features new releases from Bay Area rap artists.

But law enforcement officials acknowledge that much of the cyber-traffic remains under the radar of police, including gang detectives in the tech-savvy Bay Area.

Lt. Phan S. Ngo, of San Jose's gang investigations unit, said his officers are aware of purported gang activity online but do not regularly monitor the Internet for clues. It's not a priority, because officers have not come across any instances of gang-related violence in San Jose that stemmed from a Web site, he said.

Traditional gang investigations usually involve tapping phone lines or surveillance of certain neighborhoods. Seizing computers is seen more often in cases of Internet fraud (news - web sites) or sex-related crimes against children -- not gangs.

But Lewis believes that by not looking online officers could miss spotting clues to gang violence.

Lewis, a former Modesto police officer, said he read message boards on a rapper's Web site to help solve a gang homicide in 2001. The site piqued his interest after he spotted familiar city street names and monikers that were later linked to murder suspects.

Last May, vitriol exchanged between members of two rival gangs in an Internet chat room led to a street brawl in a Dallas suburb.

Gabe Morales, author of ``Varrio Warfare: Violence in the Latino Community,'' said his Web page, www.angelfire.com/biz4/stopvarriowar/gps.html, doesn't have a chat room or guest book because he doesn't want to be tagged by gang members. He suspects the majority of cyberbanging is done by unsupervised teenagers at home or school. Parents, he said, are often computer illiterate and are largely unaware of what their children are doing online.

``These kids are computer-savvy,'' he said. ``They may be better equipped with a keyboard than with an aerosol can. It's a freedom of speech thing, but it's not positive.''

``Clowner,'' whose e-mail address includes the number 13 -- for Sureños -- recently posted a message laced with expletives on a Web site originally intended to showcase Latino art and music.

``Yeah, I shout out for the hood,'' he told the Mercury News in an e-mail. ``It's family, and I hate red.''

He explained that he had been in a fight at school with someone dressed in red and went online to continue the challenge.

``Clowner'' posted his message on a board that also talked about the recent preliminary hearing for suspected Norteños Malik Alayube and James Ortega, who is the youngest person tried as an adult for murder in Santa Clara County history. The two teenagers allegedly killed two rival gang members at an East San Jose Jack in the Box last year. The posting denigrated Ortega and Alayube, mentioning a rival gang: ``Blue ragin here in San Jose. It's Sur X3 . . . Evil side of So Jo!''

Another posting praised drive-by shootings: ``Click, click, bang, bang puro Norte.''

Rojas, a Web master based in Orange County, said he was bothered that his site -- created to inspire and empower -- now hosts a scrolling log of gang challenges. He shut down a live chat room about six months ago after the popular feature -- which had sparked romances and friendships -- had degenerated into a ``hate fest,'' mostly between Norteños and Sureños.

``I wish everyone had the opportunity to study and go to college . . . but we're caught up in the daily struggle,'' he said of some of his site's visitors. ``They hate without even knowing the reason why they hate.''
posted by Nawojczyk at 5:30 AM 0 comments

MS-13 Creating Huge Problems in the US
FBI confronts new gang threat

``They hate without even knowing the reason why they hate.''

Expressing hate is like expressing love, you need to be taught how to do it. These kids are unfortunately learning something that could result in their death.

``They hate without even knowing the reason why they hate.''

Expressing hate is like expressing love, you need to be taught how to do it. These kids are unfortunately learning something that could result in their death.

Originally Posted by Agenda21ispoison

``They hate without even knowing the reason why they hate.''

Expressing hate is like expressing love, you need to be taught how to do it. These kids are unfortunately learning something that could result in their death.

My bet is there is little parental influence in these kid's lives and they are out-of-control and beyond rehabilitation because their "family" is not mom, dad and siblings but their "homies" and "the hood."

Originally Posted by Agenda21ispoison

``They hate without even knowing the reason why they hate.''

Expressing hate is like expressing love, you need to be taught how to do it. These kids are unfortunately learning something that could result in their death.

My bet is there is little parental influence in these kid's lives and they are out-of-control and beyond rehabilitation because their "family" is not mom, dad and siblings but their "homies" and "the hood."