Thread: California gang presence felt here in Chicago

http://www.dailyherald.com/story.asp?id=200781

California gang presence felt here
By Kara Spak
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Monday, June 19, 2006


A gang with its roots in the California prison system has steadily migrated east, stopping and settling in Chicago’s suburbs along the way.

The gang is believed to be the fastest-growing street gang in the suburbs, including Mount Prospect, Algonquin, Grayslake, Naperville and West Chicago, according to a report being released today by the Chicago Crime Commission.

The report is based on information provided by the Chicago Police Department as well as 81 suburban police agencies.

The Sureno 13 gang was formed in California prisons to provide protection from attacks by other prison gangs.

“It’s a very, very unique gang,” said Arlington Heights Detective Shawn Gyorke, who is one of the officers focusing on gangs in the village. “Their affiliation is a loose membership, and they’re strictly Hispanic.”

While the local version of the gang has its roots in California and Mexico, it exhibits its forebears’ same lack of fear of law enforcement, according to the report.

Sureno 13 gang members were first spotted in the suburbs about a decade ago and their membership continues to grow here, said West Chicago Cmdr. Bruce Malkin, who trains police officers on identifying and dealing with gangs.

“They are really good at staying under the radar,” Malkin said. “Most of them are extremely hard core. They’re pretty tatted (lots of tattoos) up.”

And they’ve made their home in the suburbs.

“There’s not a lot of information about them being in Chicago,” said Jim Wagner, president of the nonprofit Chicago Crime Commission. “We’re hearing more about their influence in suburban areas. They’re very active in the distribution of drugs.”

Suburban police are taking notice and cracking down.

In May, 14 men believed to be Sureno 13 gang members were arrested during a targeted anti-gang sweep in Aurora.

All foreign nationals, they now face deportation as well as criminal charges as part of a crackdown by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on crime-committing illegal immigrants.

West Chicago arrested more than a dozen of the gang members selling methamphetamine in August 2005.

Five other members of the group were arrested and charged with the March 2004 beating death of Angel Fernandez, a 16-year-old from Palatine who was purported to be a member of a rival gang.

Despite action against individuals, suburban gang membership is believed to be growing steadily. Sureno 13 “is the fastest growing,” Gyorke said. “The Chicago area is a transient point for them.”

Gyorke said because most suburban gang members move into the suburbs instead of being born and raised here, they don’t always bring with them the same tenor of deadly violence found elsewhere.

“The vast majority are transients,” he said.

It’s not a new phenomenon for gang members to live in the suburbs, but a number of factors are increasingly pushing them out from the city, Wagner said.

The destruction of public housing in Chicago is one factor, he said. Immigration to the suburbs is another.

And some gang members are here because Chicago Police Department crackdowns on gangs and the drug trade have convinced them that the suburbs are a more welcoming business environment, he said.

“Altogether, this pushed a great deal (of gang activity) out toward the suburbs,” he said.

Unlike the Chicago Police Department, smaller suburban departments are limited by jurisdictional boundaries that gang members simply ignore.

“They don’t have the same size and staff, and they certainly don’t have the budget” Chicago has, Wagner said.

Malkin, of West Chicago, said while he believes suburbs have a good handle on the gang presence, there are problems with information sharing across the suburbs.

“We deal with a lot of groups and a lot of different agencies — how do you share info?” he said. “I think that’s probably the biggest thing that’s lacking.”

In Aurora’s case, the city has welcomed the help of federal agencies in the fight against the gang problem.

Aurora police have been working since 2002 with the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help stem the growth of gangs.

Eight gang sweeps in the last four years, coupled with tough federal prosecutions and prison sentences, have led to a significant decrease in shootings in Aurora, said Dan Ferrelli, Aurora police spokesman.

Ferrelli said shootings dropped 52 percent from 2004 to 2005. Shootings are down another 20 percent so far in 2006.

It just never ceases to amaze me how our government can idly stand by and let foreign gangs who are here illegally control our cities, towns and communities while terrorizing citizens. Was watching Scarborough Country with Juan Hernandez who as usual was denying all the problems on the border and in our cities too, spouting his usual rhetoric about how wonderful illegal aliens are.

All foreign nationals, they now face deportation as well as criminal charges as part of a crackdown by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on crime-committing illegal immigrants.

I assume "foreign nationals" is another politically correct way of saying illegal aliens. Whatever happen to "undocumented worker" - oops, guess that wouldn't work since these were gang members and not workers.

quoteWas watching Scarborough Country with Juan Hernandez who as usual was denying all the problems on the border and in our cities too, spouting his usual rhetoric about how wonderful illegal aliens are.

Yeah, I watched Scarborough Country tonight too. That Juan Hernandez certainly spouts a rosey picture. Notice how he squeezed in how wonderful "these" (illegal immigrants) people are on two different occasions. I've seen him spewing his rhetoric on several different shows over the last month - why in the world does anyone even allow him air time to spread his lies? The guy knows what's going on, yet he insist on pushing his false perception of reality down our throats. On top of everything else, he's extremely rude and arrogant.

Originally Posted by MW

All foreign nationals, they now face deportation as well as criminal charges as part of a crackdown by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on crime-committing illegal immigrants.

I assume "foreign nationals" is another politically correct way of saying illegal aliens. Whatever happen to "undocumented worker" - oops, guess that wouldn't work since these were gang members and not workers.

Anytime you see something like "Mexican national" or "Mexican citizen" is another PC way of avoiding the "illegal" word.