OFF THE WIRE
Detective Brendan Sullivan gave a keynote speech on the major gangs in Union County and how to raise awareness about local gang activity.
On Thursday, Nov. 17, concerned members of the community, law enforcement, and clergy came together at the Scotch Plains Police Academy to raise awareness and learn about gang activity in Union County. Detective Brendan Sullivan of the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Gangs, Guns, Drugs and Violence Unit gave the keynote presentation.
The program was facilitated by the Union County Human Relations Commission. Commissioner Reverend Alfred Brown Jr. of First Baptist Church in Cranford and Chair of the UCHRC’s Interfaith Community Network gave an introduction.
“We are very concerned about what is going on in our community today. Every week, you open the newspaper and read about a young person dying. Of course we know that a great deal of that has to do with gang violence. I hope that we as a network of organizations can confront this problem in terms of reaching our young people who have a desire to affiliate with gangs,” Reverend Brown stated.
Detective Sullivan began by providing an accessible definition of what legally constitutes a gang in New Jersey. A gang is group of individuals united by a common ideology that identify with each other through geographic location, style of dress, hand signs, language, etc. These individuals commit crimes and create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in the community.
Sullivan explained that a gang’s motivation to spark fear and intimidation is his biggest problem with gang activity.
“I grew up in Elizabeth and I know that there are good people that live in those cities and it bothers me when people say it is beyond saving. What I stress to the recruits is that if you are working there, there are still decent, hardworking people that work and live in those cities. You have to do this job for them,” Sullivan stated.
Sullivan expressed his confidence in the ability of all New Jersey police to accurately combat gang violence in every community.
“You may have certain guys who may have more experience because they see it all the time, but every police officer gets the same training as a recruit and through in-service training during their career. I am totally confident that any cop in any town in Union County can handle gangs just as well as anyone else.”
Sullivan stated that the most common criminal enterprise and most reliable source of revenue for gangs is drug distribution calling the crime “a gang’s bread and butter.” Other common sources of criminal activity include murder, robbery, witness intimidation, general quality of life issues, document fraud, weapons trafficking, money laundering, and assault.
The major gangs in Union County are: Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), and Pagan’s Outlaw Motorcycle Gang.
Bloods
-Sworn enemies of the Crips, the Bloods are the largest criminal street gang in New Jersey and are prevalent throughout Union County, especially in Elizabeth, Linden and Plainfield.
-The Bloods began in Los Angeles and emerged on the east coast in 1993 through inmate connections on Rikers Island.
-Red is the gang’s signature color, but they are also known to wear pink, green, and brown.
-Sullivan noted that each gang has a structure and a hierarchy. The Bloods are organized into individual subgroups called sets. The Bloods often use military rankings such as soldier, Lieutenant, and Five Star General to identify themselves.
-Identifiers include graffiti, clothing (such as red laces or red stitching in denim), tattoos (notably pit bulls, red hearts, “money over bitches” or MOB), hand signs, and language.
-All gangs have their own dialect that translates to their graffiti. This graffiti can often be found on sides of houses, warehouses, railroad overpasses, bridges, and sides of buildings. Like other gangs, the Bloods utilize graffiti to mark their territory; to signify which gangs “own” what neighborhood.
Crips
-The Crips are outnumbered in New Jersey by the Bloods, but are rapidly growing, especially in Elizabeth and Roselle. The gang originated in Los Angeles in the late 1960s. There primary colors are blue and purple. The Crips are also known for violent crimes within the gang itself
-The Crips are also organized by sets. The rank structure from bottom to top is as follows: LOC (foot soldier), B.G. (baby gangsta), Y.G. (young gangsta), G (gangsta now you’ve arrived), DEUCE G (second gangsta), FIRST G (first gangsta), 6-3 (Baby O.G.), 6-4 (O.G.), 00 (Double OG), 000 (Top Rank)
-Sullivan continued to stress that members of the community, especially parents and teachers listen to the language kids use, including the use of the rankings listed above. Crips will often use the signifier “C Up, B down” meaning Crips up, Bloods down (Bloods will use the reverse). This is present in graffiti as well.
-Identifiers include tattoos, clothing, and even grotesque burn marks in the shape of a C as displayed in a photo of a New Jersey prisoner presented during Sullivan’s presentation.
“If you hear this language being spoken, it can’t mean anything else,” Sullivan stated. “If you see a kid and he has a blue doo-rag, and a blue jersey and he’s throwing up hand signs that look like c’s and he’s talking about killing slobs, what do you think that means? It really can’t mean anything else,” he said.
ALMIGHTY LATIN KING AND QUEEN NATION
-The Latin Kings started in Chicago and came to the east coast via the NY state prison system and are active throughout New Jersey with large populations in Elizabeth and Plainfield.
-Sullivan, who spent months wiretapping the gang and communicating with informants stated that “these guys are everywhere.” Sullivan warns that in order to strike fear and intimidation in their neighborhoods, gang members will often try to portray themselves as a religious or community organization that will strive to protect citizens when the police cannot.
-The structure of the Latin Kings is incredibly elaborate. Members are organized by chapter or “tribes” and adhere to a regional, state, and a national system. Officers are supported by a crown council of seven members which set rules and regulations and holds disciplinary hearings. The hierarchy leads to a Supreme Inca ruler based in Chicago.
-New recruits have to go through a long initiation process. Recruits must study Latin King History and are given “lessons” on the gangs manifesto by current members and are even given a CD Rom copy of the Latin King constitution.
-Identifiers include hand signs in the shape of the crown, yellow and black colors, crown tattoos. Latin King members will often greet each other with the phrase “amore de rey” (love of kings) and refer to each other as “mani” or “manito” meaning brother or little brother.
Mara Salvatrucha (MS – 13)
- According to Sullivan, Mara Salvatrucha closely translates to “watch out for boys from El Salvador.” MS-13 originated in Los Angeles in early 1980s by youths from El Salvador who banded together in order to protect themselves from other gangs.
The program was facilitated by the Union County Human Relations Commission. Commissioner Reverend Alfred Brown Jr. of First Baptist Church in Cranford and Chair of the UCHRC’s Interfaith Community Network gave an introduction.
“We are very concerned about what is going on in our community today. Every week, you open the newspaper and read about a young person dying. Of course we know that a great deal of that has to do with gang violence. I hope that we as a network of organizations can confront this problem in terms of reaching our young people who have a desire to affiliate with gangs,” Reverend Brown stated.
Detective Sullivan began by providing an accessible definition of what legally constitutes a gang in New Jersey. A gang is group of individuals united by a common ideology that identify with each other through geographic location, style of dress, hand signs, language, etc. These individuals commit crimes and create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in the community.
Sullivan explained that a gang’s motivation to spark fear and intimidation is his biggest problem with gang activity.
“I grew up in Elizabeth and I know that there are good people that live in those cities and it bothers me when people say it is beyond saving. What I stress to the recruits is that if you are working there, there are still decent, hardworking people that work and live in those cities. You have to do this job for them,” Sullivan stated.
Sullivan expressed his confidence in the ability of all New Jersey police to accurately combat gang violence in every community.
“You may have certain guys who may have more experience because they see it all the time, but every police officer gets the same training as a recruit and through in-service training during their career. I am totally confident that any cop in any town in Union County can handle gangs just as well as anyone else.”
Sullivan stated that the most common criminal enterprise and most reliable source of revenue for gangs is drug distribution calling the crime “a gang’s bread and butter.” Other common sources of criminal activity include murder, robbery, witness intimidation, general quality of life issues, document fraud, weapons trafficking, money laundering, and assault.
The major gangs in Union County are: Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), and Pagan’s Outlaw Motorcycle Gang.
Bloods
-Sworn enemies of the Crips, the Bloods are the largest criminal street gang in New Jersey and are prevalent throughout Union County, especially in Elizabeth, Linden and Plainfield.
-The Bloods began in Los Angeles and emerged on the east coast in 1993 through inmate connections on Rikers Island.
-Red is the gang’s signature color, but they are also known to wear pink, green, and brown.
-Sullivan noted that each gang has a structure and a hierarchy. The Bloods are organized into individual subgroups called sets. The Bloods often use military rankings such as soldier, Lieutenant, and Five Star General to identify themselves.
-Identifiers include graffiti, clothing (such as red laces or red stitching in denim), tattoos (notably pit bulls, red hearts, “money over bitches” or MOB), hand signs, and language.
-All gangs have their own dialect that translates to their graffiti. This graffiti can often be found on sides of houses, warehouses, railroad overpasses, bridges, and sides of buildings. Like other gangs, the Bloods utilize graffiti to mark their territory; to signify which gangs “own” what neighborhood.
Crips
-The Crips are outnumbered in New Jersey by the Bloods, but are rapidly growing, especially in Elizabeth and Roselle. The gang originated in Los Angeles in the late 1960s. There primary colors are blue and purple. The Crips are also known for violent crimes within the gang itself
-The Crips are also organized by sets. The rank structure from bottom to top is as follows: LOC (foot soldier), B.G. (baby gangsta), Y.G. (young gangsta), G (gangsta now you’ve arrived), DEUCE G (second gangsta), FIRST G (first gangsta), 6-3 (Baby O.G.), 6-4 (O.G.), 00 (Double OG), 000 (Top Rank)
-Sullivan continued to stress that members of the community, especially parents and teachers listen to the language kids use, including the use of the rankings listed above. Crips will often use the signifier “C Up, B down” meaning Crips up, Bloods down (Bloods will use the reverse). This is present in graffiti as well.
-Identifiers include tattoos, clothing, and even grotesque burn marks in the shape of a C as displayed in a photo of a New Jersey prisoner presented during Sullivan’s presentation.
“If you hear this language being spoken, it can’t mean anything else,” Sullivan stated. “If you see a kid and he has a blue doo-rag, and a blue jersey and he’s throwing up hand signs that look like c’s and he’s talking about killing slobs, what do you think that means? It really can’t mean anything else,” he said.
ALMIGHTY LATIN KING AND QUEEN NATION
-The Latin Kings started in Chicago and came to the east coast via the NY state prison system and are active throughout New Jersey with large populations in Elizabeth and Plainfield.
-Sullivan, who spent months wiretapping the gang and communicating with informants stated that “these guys are everywhere.” Sullivan warns that in order to strike fear and intimidation in their neighborhoods, gang members will often try to portray themselves as a religious or community organization that will strive to protect citizens when the police cannot.
-The structure of the Latin Kings is incredibly elaborate. Members are organized by chapter or “tribes” and adhere to a regional, state, and a national system. Officers are supported by a crown council of seven members which set rules and regulations and holds disciplinary hearings. The hierarchy leads to a Supreme Inca ruler based in Chicago.
-New recruits have to go through a long initiation process. Recruits must study Latin King History and are given “lessons” on the gangs manifesto by current members and are even given a CD Rom copy of the Latin King constitution.
-Identifiers include hand signs in the shape of the crown, yellow and black colors, crown tattoos. Latin King members will often greet each other with the phrase “amore de rey” (love of kings) and refer to each other as “mani” or “manito” meaning brother or little brother.
Mara Salvatrucha (MS – 13)
- According to Sullivan, Mara Salvatrucha closely translates to “watch out for boys from El Salvador.” MS-13 originated in Los Angeles in early 1980s by youths from El Salvador who banded together in order to protect themselves from other gangs.
-Many from gang members who come from El Salvador also have military experience. The gang which is known for extreme violence and merciless revenge has become a serious problem in Plainfield.
-MS-13 identifies with the colors blue and white, tattoos and hand signs resembling devil horns, and tattoos that become abundant on the neck and near the face.
Pagan’s Outlaw Motorcycle Gang
The Pagans are the dominant motorcycle gang in New Jersey and are longtime rivals of the Hells Angels, determined to defend New Jersey sites as Pagan turf. There clubhouse is located at the bar Jessie’s Place in Elizabeth, but up until recently, the President of the local chapter was a resident of Berkeley Heights.
Detective Sullivan stated that members of Pagan’s OMC attend the Fourth of July celebration in Berkeley Heights every year along with other competing motorcycle gangs to try and recruit new members. Sullivan states that police pat everybody on motorcycles down and keep the rival gangs separated, but their presence is known at this family event.
-The gang has also been spotted at the Harley Dealership in Rahway as well as other motorcycle runs and rallies where gang members hand out business cards in order to recruit new members.
-Pagan’s OMC identifiers include denim vests with “Pagans” on the top rocker, an image of Surtr (the Norse god of fire) in the center, and “MC” on the bottom rocker. The language used includes the mottos “god forgives pagans don’t” and “forever pagans.”
Awareness and Common Myths
-MS-13 identifies with the colors blue and white, tattoos and hand signs resembling devil horns, and tattoos that become abundant on the neck and near the face.
Pagan’s Outlaw Motorcycle Gang
The Pagans are the dominant motorcycle gang in New Jersey and are longtime rivals of the Hells Angels, determined to defend New Jersey sites as Pagan turf. There clubhouse is located at the bar Jessie’s Place in Elizabeth, but up until recently, the President of the local chapter was a resident of Berkeley Heights.
Detective Sullivan stated that members of Pagan’s OMC attend the Fourth of July celebration in Berkeley Heights every year along with other competing motorcycle gangs to try and recruit new members. Sullivan states that police pat everybody on motorcycles down and keep the rival gangs separated, but their presence is known at this family event.
-The gang has also been spotted at the Harley Dealership in Rahway as well as other motorcycle runs and rallies where gang members hand out business cards in order to recruit new members.
-Pagan’s OMC identifiers include denim vests with “Pagans” on the top rocker, an image of Surtr (the Norse god of fire) in the center, and “MC” on the bottom rocker. The language used includes the mottos “god forgives pagans don’t” and “forever pagans.”
Awareness and Common Myths
Detective Sullivan concluded the forum noting that community members should always be aware of public gatherings especially those near schools or parks (such as Jefferson Park in Elizabeth), the styles of dress associated with gangs, the language and hand signs used, and to always take an admission of gang membership seriously. He also noted that gang members often use the internet, especially YouTube to promote involvement and attract younger members.
Sullivan reminded the community that no youth is immune to gang involvement, describing his interactions with parents of gang members who refused to acknowledge their children’s crimes even when every wall was painted red and Bloods paraphernalia scattered throughout a child’s bedroom.
In response to inquiries regarding gang interaction in more suburban settings, Sullivan responded noting that towns like Cranford or Scotch Plains are not sheltered from gang activity.
“For a lot of gangs, their basis or origin of operations may be in a city like Elizabeth or Plainfield, but they have tentacles, and they grow. For example, you might have a kid from Plainfield who has taken up residence in an apartment in Scotch Plains… just because they don’t lay their head down and rest in your town doesn’t mean they can’t drive through your town and commit a crime.”
http://clark.patch.com/articles/community-leaders-give-presentation-on-gangs-in-union-county
Sullivan reminded the community that no youth is immune to gang involvement, describing his interactions with parents of gang members who refused to acknowledge their children’s crimes even when every wall was painted red and Bloods paraphernalia scattered throughout a child’s bedroom.
In response to inquiries regarding gang interaction in more suburban settings, Sullivan responded noting that towns like Cranford or Scotch Plains are not sheltered from gang activity.
“For a lot of gangs, their basis or origin of operations may be in a city like Elizabeth or Plainfield, but they have tentacles, and they grow. For example, you might have a kid from Plainfield who has taken up residence in an apartment in Scotch Plains… just because they don’t lay their head down and rest in your town doesn’t mean they can’t drive through your town and commit a crime.”
http://clark.patch.com/articles/community-leaders-give-presentation-on-gangs-in-union-county