Published: March 31, 2009 07:40 pm
Rome News-Tribune (GA)
Five arrested in robbery of pizza deliverer charged with violating street gang act
Mark Millican
Four more people have been arrested in the March 26 armed robbery of a pizza delivery man at gunpoint near 306 N. Henderson St.
Dennis Shammad Love, 17, of 715 Trammel St., and three juveniles were arrested Tuesday by officers with the Dalton Police Department. Damarion Johnson, 17, was arrested on Friday. All are charged with armed robbery and violation of the Georgia Street Gang Act. Police spokesman Bruce Frazier said officers believe some of the youth are part of a gang but do not want to publicize a gang name over concerns that other gangs may commit crimes to gain publicity.
Investigating officers found a pellet gun in the area where the robbery occurred and believe it was used in the holdup, Frazier said.
Love and Johnson are students at Northwest Whitfield High School, according to a spokesman at the Whitfield County Jail. They remained in custody Tuesday afternoon. Frazier said the juveniles were taken to the Regional Youth Detention Center where a decision would be made about incarceration or releasing them to their parents.
Punishment by the school system could include suspension or expulsion under the school system’s code of conduct. Spokesman Eric Beavers said Northwest principal Carolyn Towns could take the students before a discipline tribunal hearing.
The delivery driver was robbed in the area of apartments at 306 N. Henderson St. after someone called in an order for an address where the resident was not home, police said. As the driver was about to leave, he was approached by a group of young males who claimed to have made the order. He went to his truck to retrieve a change bag when one of the males pulled out a gun and demanded money.
The driver left after giving up $25 and the pizza.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Mississauga (Canada) homes raided in street gang bust
Mississauga.com
April 2, 2009 09:48 AM -
A series of pre-dawn raids yesterday, including two in Mississauga, have resulted in more than 100 people being arrested in what police described as the biggest street gang takedown in Ontario's history.
About 1,000 police officers executed more than 100 search warrants during a bust of "unprecedented scale," Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said this morning.
Police from across the province, including OPP officers, burst into apartment buildings and homes as early as 5 a.m. in an effort to dismantle both high and low-level operatives of various criminal organizations.
Two Mississauga homes were raided, with four people being arrested.
"We have achieved the purpose that we set out to do today," Blair said.
Police continued to make arrests and seize property throughout the day.
Project Fusion, as police are calling Wednesday's takedown, began last year and focused on crimes dating back to 2003, Chief Bill Blair told a news conference at police headquarters today.
The investigation focused on two street gangs: MNE (Markham Road/Eglinton Ave. E.) and the 400 Crew (400 McCowan Rd.) located in southeast Toronto, Blair said.
"But there is an overarching criminal enterprise that supplies weapons and drugs to the street gangs, " Blair said. They don't have a name but "they have been extremely well organized and sophisticated in their operation."
One hundred homes and 61 vehicles around the GTA were the targets of search warrants.
Police arrested 125 people. Some face weapons trafficking and criminal organization charges while some facing less serious offences already have been released from custody. Prosecutors will try to detain the accused who face the most serious charges. No names have been released.
"This is the culmination of a complex and obviously successful organized crime investigation," Blair said.
lrosella@mississauga.net
April 2, 2009 09:48 AM -
A series of pre-dawn raids yesterday, including two in Mississauga, have resulted in more than 100 people being arrested in what police described as the biggest street gang takedown in Ontario's history.
About 1,000 police officers executed more than 100 search warrants during a bust of "unprecedented scale," Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said this morning.
Police from across the province, including OPP officers, burst into apartment buildings and homes as early as 5 a.m. in an effort to dismantle both high and low-level operatives of various criminal organizations.
Two Mississauga homes were raided, with four people being arrested.
"We have achieved the purpose that we set out to do today," Blair said.
Police continued to make arrests and seize property throughout the day.
Project Fusion, as police are calling Wednesday's takedown, began last year and focused on crimes dating back to 2003, Chief Bill Blair told a news conference at police headquarters today.
The investigation focused on two street gangs: MNE (Markham Road/Eglinton Ave. E.) and the 400 Crew (400 McCowan Rd.) located in southeast Toronto, Blair said.
"But there is an overarching criminal enterprise that supplies weapons and drugs to the street gangs, " Blair said. They don't have a name but "they have been extremely well organized and sophisticated in their operation."
One hundred homes and 61 vehicles around the GTA were the targets of search warrants.
Police arrested 125 people. Some face weapons trafficking and criminal organization charges while some facing less serious offences already have been released from custody. Prosecutors will try to detain the accused who face the most serious charges. No names have been released.
"This is the culmination of a complex and obviously successful organized crime investigation," Blair said.
lrosella@mississauga.net
Injunction targets O.C. (CA) street gang
Lps Angeles times
6:19 PM | March 27, 2009
An Orange County judge issued a court order today that bars dozens of alleged members of a street gang from assembling with each other, authorities said.
Superior Court Judge Kazharu Makino signed the preliminary injunction against the Orange Varrio Cypress gang, which claims territory in the city of Orange, according to the district attorney’s office. The court order is the sixth signed in Orange County in the last 2½ years. The last injunction was issued against a rival gang, also in Orange, in July.
Law enforcement authorities served 108 alleged gang members with injunction notices starting last month, and 55 of them were named in Friday’s injunction.
The judge’s order demarcates a 3.8-square-mile area, mostly in downtown Orange west of the 55 Freeway, in which alleged gang members are not allowed to congregate together, drink or use drugs in public, or wear gang attire. They must also obey a curfew and other laws or face increased penalties.
“They’ve been committing violent crime and really been a nuisance to the community,” said Orange Police Sgt. Dan Adams, who added that the gang dates back to at least the 1970s.
More recently, police said, the gang's members have been involved in dozens of attempted homicides, weapons violations, assaults and drug crimes from 2005 to 2008.
As in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, gang injunctions have become more common in Orange County as a way to step up the fight against gangs in Anaheim, Orange, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente and Santa Ana.
Gang injunctions are somewhat controversial, with civil libertarians saying they cast too wide a net and can amount to racial profiling.
But law enforcement officials say that they pursue court orders in response to fears and concerns by law-abiding residents, and that they include only the most active and well-documented gang members, such as those who have admitted to gang membership, dress in gang colors, bear gang tattoos or have committed crimes on behalf of the gang.
--Tony Barboza
6:19 PM | March 27, 2009
An Orange County judge issued a court order today that bars dozens of alleged members of a street gang from assembling with each other, authorities said.
Superior Court Judge Kazharu Makino signed the preliminary injunction against the Orange Varrio Cypress gang, which claims territory in the city of Orange, according to the district attorney’s office. The court order is the sixth signed in Orange County in the last 2½ years. The last injunction was issued against a rival gang, also in Orange, in July.
Law enforcement authorities served 108 alleged gang members with injunction notices starting last month, and 55 of them were named in Friday’s injunction.
The judge’s order demarcates a 3.8-square-mile area, mostly in downtown Orange west of the 55 Freeway, in which alleged gang members are not allowed to congregate together, drink or use drugs in public, or wear gang attire. They must also obey a curfew and other laws or face increased penalties.
“They’ve been committing violent crime and really been a nuisance to the community,” said Orange Police Sgt. Dan Adams, who added that the gang dates back to at least the 1970s.
More recently, police said, the gang's members have been involved in dozens of attempted homicides, weapons violations, assaults and drug crimes from 2005 to 2008.
As in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, gang injunctions have become more common in Orange County as a way to step up the fight against gangs in Anaheim, Orange, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente and Santa Ana.
Gang injunctions are somewhat controversial, with civil libertarians saying they cast too wide a net and can amount to racial profiling.
But law enforcement officials say that they pursue court orders in response to fears and concerns by law-abiding residents, and that they include only the most active and well-documented gang members, such as those who have admitted to gang membership, dress in gang colors, bear gang tattoos or have committed crimes on behalf of the gang.
--Tony Barboza
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Alliance marshals for war on gangs
The Republican
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
By PETER GOONAN
pgoonan@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD - Law enforcement and youth service agencies - assisted by a $1.4 million state grant - have announced plans for a series of neighborhood deployments to combat gang and youth violence.
Representatives of the participating agencies gathered on Tuesday at City Hall, saying that the coordinated effort is aimed at stepping up gang prevention, intervention, and suppression efforts. The initial deployment will be in the Forest Park and lower Forest Park area, said officials.
The grant, announced last fall, was awarded under the state Sen. Charles E. Shannon Jr. Community Safety Initiative grant program.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
By PETER GOONAN
pgoonan@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD - Law enforcement and youth service agencies - assisted by a $1.4 million state grant - have announced plans for a series of neighborhood deployments to combat gang and youth violence.
Representatives of the participating agencies gathered on Tuesday at City Hall, saying that the coordinated effort is aimed at stepping up gang prevention, intervention, and suppression efforts. The initial deployment will be in the Forest Park and lower Forest Park area, said officials.
The grant, announced last fall, was awarded under the state Sen. Charles E. Shannon Jr. Community Safety Initiative grant program.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Violence broke out as rival gangs fought for territory
Violence broke out as gangs fought for turf
By Mark Cowan
Mar 24 2009, Birmingham Mail
THE murders of teenage party-goers Letisha Shakespeare and Charlene Ellis six years ago brought into sharp focus the gang problem that had plagued the city for a decade.
The innocent girls were caught in the crossfire as members of notorious street gangs, Burger Bar Boys and the Johnson Crew, fought a deadly battle on the streets.
Investigators believe the gangs’ roots can be traced back to the 1980s when groups of young black men banded together to counter threats to their community from the Far Right. They soon evolved into criminal street gangs battling each other and Jamaican Yardies for control of the booming crack cocaine market.
The Johnson Crew’s territory was Aston and Nechells while the Burger Bar Boys claimed Handsworth, Lozells and Perry Barr.
By the late 90s, the gangs had become chaotic and the city saw a rise in gun crime and stabbings as they brazenly targeted each other in public, with shootings developing from organised hits in conflicts over the drug trade to tit-for-tat issues of “respect, revenge and revenue”.
Their street war came to a head in January 2003 when members of the Burger Bar Boys went hunting rival Johnson Crew members at a party at a hairdressers in Aston. Letisha, aged 17, and 18-year-old Charlene, were murdered in a drive-by shooting. Their murders galvanised the city into action.
Within three years the gangs were splintered as almost all of the 50 ‘Most Wanted’ members of the two gangs were behind bars with members of the Burgers jailed over the girls’ murders and members of the Johnson Crew imprisoned for the murder of doorman Ishfaq Ahmed, killed in 2004.
A raft of new measures were also introduced to mediate between the warring factions to stop the tensions from spilling over onto the streets and give gang members an option to escape their lifestyle.
While it is debatable whether the two street gangs exert the same control they once did, the influence on youngsters attracted to what they see as a glamorous lifestyle is undeniable.
Younger gangs, made up mostly of teenagers attracted by the lure of being part of a gang, emerged with names such as Slash For Money Crew and the Bang Bang Crew. A trivial row between members of those gangs led to the stabbing of Odwayne Barnes in Birmingham city centre in March 2007.
Despite a drop in shootings, the gang problem has not disappeared. Last summer police saw an increase in tensions on the streets that led to an increase in gun crime and two murders.
By Mark Cowan
Mar 24 2009, Birmingham Mail
THE murders of teenage party-goers Letisha Shakespeare and Charlene Ellis six years ago brought into sharp focus the gang problem that had plagued the city for a decade.
The innocent girls were caught in the crossfire as members of notorious street gangs, Burger Bar Boys and the Johnson Crew, fought a deadly battle on the streets.
Investigators believe the gangs’ roots can be traced back to the 1980s when groups of young black men banded together to counter threats to their community from the Far Right. They soon evolved into criminal street gangs battling each other and Jamaican Yardies for control of the booming crack cocaine market.
The Johnson Crew’s territory was Aston and Nechells while the Burger Bar Boys claimed Handsworth, Lozells and Perry Barr.
By the late 90s, the gangs had become chaotic and the city saw a rise in gun crime and stabbings as they brazenly targeted each other in public, with shootings developing from organised hits in conflicts over the drug trade to tit-for-tat issues of “respect, revenge and revenue”.
Their street war came to a head in January 2003 when members of the Burger Bar Boys went hunting rival Johnson Crew members at a party at a hairdressers in Aston. Letisha, aged 17, and 18-year-old Charlene, were murdered in a drive-by shooting. Their murders galvanised the city into action.
Within three years the gangs were splintered as almost all of the 50 ‘Most Wanted’ members of the two gangs were behind bars with members of the Burgers jailed over the girls’ murders and members of the Johnson Crew imprisoned for the murder of doorman Ishfaq Ahmed, killed in 2004.
A raft of new measures were also introduced to mediate between the warring factions to stop the tensions from spilling over onto the streets and give gang members an option to escape their lifestyle.
While it is debatable whether the two street gangs exert the same control they once did, the influence on youngsters attracted to what they see as a glamorous lifestyle is undeniable.
Younger gangs, made up mostly of teenagers attracted by the lure of being part of a gang, emerged with names such as Slash For Money Crew and the Bang Bang Crew. A trivial row between members of those gangs led to the stabbing of Odwayne Barnes in Birmingham city centre in March 2007.
Despite a drop in shootings, the gang problem has not disappeared. Last summer police saw an increase in tensions on the streets that led to an increase in gun crime and two murders.
Police: Watsonville shootings may be linked to gang rivalry
Police: Watsonville shootings may be linked to gang rivalry
MercuryNews.com
By Jennifer Squires
Posted: 03/26/2009 01:30:02 AM PDT
WATSONVILLE -- Police are putting more officers on the street after a recent upsurge in gun violence that may be the result of Sureño gangs trying to target rival Norteño gang members.
Three gang-related shootings in less than a week have left a Hollister man dead and hospitalized two others.
Police said Wednesday they have no information indicating the shootings will continue, but they also have no reason to believe the violence will stop.
"The only commonality is that in all three occasions the suspects perceived the victims to be opposing gang members," said Lt. Darren Thompson, who added that the victims were not necessarily gang members. "We're bringing in people in uniforms to provide a little additional presence in the street."
The additional patrols started midday Wednesday and will continue through the end of the week. Also, detectives are being brought in on overtime to follow up on leads in the three shootings. No suspects have been identified in any of the shootings.
"Our best hope is going to be tracking down some of these leads that we started yesterday that we didn't have time to track down," Thompson said.
Detectives think the aggressors may be Sureños, who claim blue, because the victim in Tuesday's shooting was wearing red shoes, Thompson said. Norteños, the rival gang, claim red.
Watsonville has about 560 documented active gang members, about 70 percent of whom are Norteños, according to patrol supervisor Eric Taylor, who was the department's gang investigator until recently. There are seven or eight Norteño and two Sureño gangs that operate in the city, he said.
The most recent shooting happened in a residential neighborhood off Airport Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon. Two men in a sedan pulled alongside an 18-year-old Watsonville man walking down the street, one got out of the car and asked the teen what gang he claimed. Then the man fired four or five shots, hitting the teen several times in the torso, police reported.
Police said the teen suffered life-threatening injuries and underwent surgery at the out-of-county trauma center he was flown to Tuesday afternoon. By Wednesday, the young man's condition had improved.
"The victim's status is positive," Thompson said. "He's been listed as critical but stable, and we're hoping that he continues to recover."
The manner in which the gunmen approached the teen Tuesday was similar to the fatal shooting on a park basketball court occurred Saturday afternoon.
In that shooting, which killed Angel Gabriel Escobedo, 19 of Hollister, two men approached Escobedo and his friends at a hoops court on Green Meadow Drive and asked what gang they were in, police said. Escobedo's friends ran, but he was shot several times and died at the scene.
The third incident of gun violence happened around 2 a.m. Saturday when a 25-year-old Salinas man was shot in the leg in front of La Esperanza Market on Main Street. Neither the victim, who was caught leaving the scene, nor the apparent witnesses were cooperative with investigators, police reported.
MercuryNews.com
By Jennifer Squires
Posted: 03/26/2009 01:30:02 AM PDT
WATSONVILLE -- Police are putting more officers on the street after a recent upsurge in gun violence that may be the result of Sureño gangs trying to target rival Norteño gang members.
Three gang-related shootings in less than a week have left a Hollister man dead and hospitalized two others.
Police said Wednesday they have no information indicating the shootings will continue, but they also have no reason to believe the violence will stop.
"The only commonality is that in all three occasions the suspects perceived the victims to be opposing gang members," said Lt. Darren Thompson, who added that the victims were not necessarily gang members. "We're bringing in people in uniforms to provide a little additional presence in the street."
The additional patrols started midday Wednesday and will continue through the end of the week. Also, detectives are being brought in on overtime to follow up on leads in the three shootings. No suspects have been identified in any of the shootings.
"Our best hope is going to be tracking down some of these leads that we started yesterday that we didn't have time to track down," Thompson said.
Detectives think the aggressors may be Sureños, who claim blue, because the victim in Tuesday's shooting was wearing red shoes, Thompson said. Norteños, the rival gang, claim red.
Watsonville has about 560 documented active gang members, about 70 percent of whom are Norteños, according to patrol supervisor Eric Taylor, who was the department's gang investigator until recently. There are seven or eight Norteño and two Sureño gangs that operate in the city, he said.
The most recent shooting happened in a residential neighborhood off Airport Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon. Two men in a sedan pulled alongside an 18-year-old Watsonville man walking down the street, one got out of the car and asked the teen what gang he claimed. Then the man fired four or five shots, hitting the teen several times in the torso, police reported.
Police said the teen suffered life-threatening injuries and underwent surgery at the out-of-county trauma center he was flown to Tuesday afternoon. By Wednesday, the young man's condition had improved.
"The victim's status is positive," Thompson said. "He's been listed as critical but stable, and we're hoping that he continues to recover."
The manner in which the gunmen approached the teen Tuesday was similar to the fatal shooting on a park basketball court occurred Saturday afternoon.
In that shooting, which killed Angel Gabriel Escobedo, 19 of Hollister, two men approached Escobedo and his friends at a hoops court on Green Meadow Drive and asked what gang they were in, police said. Escobedo's friends ran, but he was shot several times and died at the scene.
The third incident of gun violence happened around 2 a.m. Saturday when a 25-year-old Salinas man was shot in the leg in front of La Esperanza Market on Main Street. Neither the victim, who was caught leaving the scene, nor the apparent witnesses were cooperative with investigators, police reported.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Judge upholds suspension of HHS student
March 24, 2009 @ 09:30 PM
CURTIS JOHNSON
The Herald-Dispatch
Huntington, WV
HUNTINGTON -- A federal judge on Tuesday upheld the suspension of a 15-year-old Huntington High School freshman who claimed his constitutional right to free speech had been violated.
The court case revolved around one phrase -- "Free A-Train" -- which student Anthony Joseph Brown had written on his hands with felt-tip marker on March 17.
The statement was meant to be an expression of support for fellow Huntington High student Anthony "A-Train" Jennings, who is charged with the March 4 shooting of a Huntington police officer after the officer had chased the suspect from an armed robbery, according to court documents.
Brown, whose father Joseph David Brown filed a lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court, was suspended March 17.
Brown complied with orders from a school official to remove the phrase from his hands, but later opted to re-write it and show his defiance to school administrators, Huntington High Principal Greg Webb testified at a hearing Tuesday.
The high school suspended Brown for 10 days. Administrators cited a disruption of the educational process. The suspension ends April 1.
U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers said it is unlikely the Browns would succeed at trial. He acknowledged that the punishment was serious, but said it was appropriate when viewed in context with gang activity by some students attending Huntington High.
Webb testified members of the Black East Thugs (BET) gang wore T-shirts to school that expressed the "Free A-Train" slogan, and some students had referred to Jennings as the gang's leader. He testified gang members were responsible in March for seriously beating a transfer student off-campus and threatening a girl at the school.
School administrators decided to ban the phrase upon receiving numerous complaints from parents, students and faculty worried about safety. Concerns about safety prompted many students to leave early on several days, while others stayed home, Webb said.
Webb further illustrated the concern by reading a series of memos and e-mails. One writer feared gang members had carried guns to school in the past, a parent wondered to what extent gang violence would rise, while another student worried about a Columbine-type incident, referring to the April 1999 school shooting that killed 13 in Colorado. That student told the school any gunman who would shoot a police officer could shoot a student.
Chambers agreed with Brown's attorneys in saying their client's expression caused no physical disruption, but the judge sided with the school in ruling the term "disruption" has a much broader definition. Chambers said the phrase disrupted the educational process through absenteeism and distraction.
Cabell County Schools Superintendent William Smith praised the decision, which denied the student's request for a temporary restraining order. School attorney Greg Bailey had argued the school's defeat would undercut its ability to enforce rules, control the gang situation and ensure safety of those attending Huntington High.
"I'm very pleased that the courts were able to support the administration's way of dealing with this and trying to keep the school environment safe," Smith said out of court. "We have to have some control over how the climate works."
Webb testified the school began receiving complaints March 10. He testified it has been a constant disruption ever since. He said officials found graffiti on the gymnasium floor Tuesday morning.
Brown, who is represented by Rich Weston and Glen Conway, said he does not belong to B.E.T., nor does did he provide any positive or negative comments about the gang. Brown said he supported Jennings because Jennings stood up for him in the past. Weston said the phrase was "a sign of solidarity."
Weston argued the phrase was a political expression on a court case. He said those complaining feared the gang, not the statement. Weston argued simply offending someone did not provide grounds for censorship.
"Obviously he is disappointed with the ruling," Conway said of Brown.
Bailey argued on behalf of the school that many students simply turned their "Free A-Train" shirts inside out and were not suspended. Brown refused to comply. Bailey said the plaintiff could return to school before April 1, if his family provided assurance future incidents would not occur.
Chambers said schools have a unique responsibility. He ruled Brown's statement was more than a simple difference of opinion. The judge said evidence indicates gang members attended Huntington High in prior years, but he said the threat became more serious and imminent with the shooting and slogan.
Smith agreed. The superintendent said changing the climate requires parental intervention and community involvement. He said many times gangs form and attract members when the students' lives lack organization and direction toward goals.
"When families start breaking down, kids start looking for some place to belong," he said. "I think parents have to step up to the plate and parent. If there is an inkling of an idea that their student is associated with a gang or a group of students who feel that violence is OK, that to me should be the biggest red flag for a parent."
Webb testified school officials first learned of B.E.T.'s existence approximately two to three years ago. A piece of paper found on a classroom floor contained aliases for different people, along with actual names. The group had about 10 members at the time. Webb testified five of those students named were involved in the March 3 beating of a transfer student from New Jersey.
Webb testified B.E.T. members had approached the transfer student at Huntington High and asked him about previous gang affiliations in New Jersey, which the transfer student said he did not have. Gang members then offered the transfer student an invitation to join B.E.T. The student refused. That resulted in bullying and harassment, Webb said.
Webb testified gang members eventually took a bus from school that allowed them to locate the student's residence. A fight followed on March 3. Webb said brass knuckles and a mask were present.
School officials received word of the after-school beating a day later after they approached a group of men who were speaking with two girls. Webb testified at least one of the girls told school officials the men had threatened to shoot her in the head. Six students were expelled.
Webb testified Jennings was enrolled as a student at Huntington High, but he withdrew from classes approximately one week before the police officer was shot.
CURTIS JOHNSON
The Herald-Dispatch
Huntington, WV
HUNTINGTON -- A federal judge on Tuesday upheld the suspension of a 15-year-old Huntington High School freshman who claimed his constitutional right to free speech had been violated.
The court case revolved around one phrase -- "Free A-Train" -- which student Anthony Joseph Brown had written on his hands with felt-tip marker on March 17.
The statement was meant to be an expression of support for fellow Huntington High student Anthony "A-Train" Jennings, who is charged with the March 4 shooting of a Huntington police officer after the officer had chased the suspect from an armed robbery, according to court documents.
Brown, whose father Joseph David Brown filed a lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court, was suspended March 17.
Brown complied with orders from a school official to remove the phrase from his hands, but later opted to re-write it and show his defiance to school administrators, Huntington High Principal Greg Webb testified at a hearing Tuesday.
The high school suspended Brown for 10 days. Administrators cited a disruption of the educational process. The suspension ends April 1.
U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers said it is unlikely the Browns would succeed at trial. He acknowledged that the punishment was serious, but said it was appropriate when viewed in context with gang activity by some students attending Huntington High.
Webb testified members of the Black East Thugs (BET) gang wore T-shirts to school that expressed the "Free A-Train" slogan, and some students had referred to Jennings as the gang's leader. He testified gang members were responsible in March for seriously beating a transfer student off-campus and threatening a girl at the school.
School administrators decided to ban the phrase upon receiving numerous complaints from parents, students and faculty worried about safety. Concerns about safety prompted many students to leave early on several days, while others stayed home, Webb said.
Webb further illustrated the concern by reading a series of memos and e-mails. One writer feared gang members had carried guns to school in the past, a parent wondered to what extent gang violence would rise, while another student worried about a Columbine-type incident, referring to the April 1999 school shooting that killed 13 in Colorado. That student told the school any gunman who would shoot a police officer could shoot a student.
Chambers agreed with Brown's attorneys in saying their client's expression caused no physical disruption, but the judge sided with the school in ruling the term "disruption" has a much broader definition. Chambers said the phrase disrupted the educational process through absenteeism and distraction.
Cabell County Schools Superintendent William Smith praised the decision, which denied the student's request for a temporary restraining order. School attorney Greg Bailey had argued the school's defeat would undercut its ability to enforce rules, control the gang situation and ensure safety of those attending Huntington High.
"I'm very pleased that the courts were able to support the administration's way of dealing with this and trying to keep the school environment safe," Smith said out of court. "We have to have some control over how the climate works."
Webb testified the school began receiving complaints March 10. He testified it has been a constant disruption ever since. He said officials found graffiti on the gymnasium floor Tuesday morning.
Brown, who is represented by Rich Weston and Glen Conway, said he does not belong to B.E.T., nor does did he provide any positive or negative comments about the gang. Brown said he supported Jennings because Jennings stood up for him in the past. Weston said the phrase was "a sign of solidarity."
Weston argued the phrase was a political expression on a court case. He said those complaining feared the gang, not the statement. Weston argued simply offending someone did not provide grounds for censorship.
"Obviously he is disappointed with the ruling," Conway said of Brown.
Bailey argued on behalf of the school that many students simply turned their "Free A-Train" shirts inside out and were not suspended. Brown refused to comply. Bailey said the plaintiff could return to school before April 1, if his family provided assurance future incidents would not occur.
Chambers said schools have a unique responsibility. He ruled Brown's statement was more than a simple difference of opinion. The judge said evidence indicates gang members attended Huntington High in prior years, but he said the threat became more serious and imminent with the shooting and slogan.
Smith agreed. The superintendent said changing the climate requires parental intervention and community involvement. He said many times gangs form and attract members when the students' lives lack organization and direction toward goals.
"When families start breaking down, kids start looking for some place to belong," he said. "I think parents have to step up to the plate and parent. If there is an inkling of an idea that their student is associated with a gang or a group of students who feel that violence is OK, that to me should be the biggest red flag for a parent."
Webb testified school officials first learned of B.E.T.'s existence approximately two to three years ago. A piece of paper found on a classroom floor contained aliases for different people, along with actual names. The group had about 10 members at the time. Webb testified five of those students named were involved in the March 3 beating of a transfer student from New Jersey.
Webb testified B.E.T. members had approached the transfer student at Huntington High and asked him about previous gang affiliations in New Jersey, which the transfer student said he did not have. Gang members then offered the transfer student an invitation to join B.E.T. The student refused. That resulted in bullying and harassment, Webb said.
Webb testified gang members eventually took a bus from school that allowed them to locate the student's residence. A fight followed on March 3. Webb said brass knuckles and a mask were present.
School officials received word of the after-school beating a day later after they approached a group of men who were speaking with two girls. Webb testified at least one of the girls told school officials the men had threatened to shoot her in the head. Six students were expelled.
Webb testified Jennings was enrolled as a student at Huntington High, but he withdrew from classes approximately one week before the police officer was shot.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)