What with all the gentrification, low crime rates, and paranoia about terrorism New Yorkers forget about good old fashioned vice and street violence. But just because NYC's underbelly isn't as dark as it was in the crime-ridden 1970's doesn't mean the average New Yorker can't be stabbed in an alleyway as part of initiation to some Mexican gang. In fact that happens all the time. Here is our guide to the territories of NYC's gangland, complete with addresses. It would be wise, wethinks, to accompany each address with mental note never to be found therein.
Almighty King and Queen Nation, Spanish Harlem, all over Brooklyn (179 Starr Street, 81 Central Avenue, 179 Jefferson Street, and 180 Jefferson Street): The AKQN arrived in NYC via the prison systems in '86. By '94 it was the most powerful Latino gang in New York, and it is the most violent gang in the city's recent history. As recently as two years ago, the kings held many of their meetings in St. Mary's Episcopal Church in West Harlem. About 600-700 kings and queens would attend these meetings. The Kings were invited to march in last year's Puerto Rican day parade and were greeted with cheers from the community.
Los Vatos Locos, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights Queens (85-08 Roosevelt Ave.): Los Vatos is one of the biggest Mexican gangs in the country. Though it originally formed in LA, chapters can be found all across America. The most recent incident in NYC occurred when two gang members stabbed a high schooler outside an apartment building at 592 Amsterdam Ave. The gang was also caught running a major counterfeit ring out of Mainland USA, a Chinese restaurant at 85-08 Roosevelt Ave., Jackson Heights.
Continue reading "Modern Gangs of New York" The Bloods, Crown Heights, Far Rockaway, Harlem, Mott Haven, Hempstead, Washington Heights (Clay Avenue Bloods territory: 167th Street and Clay Avenue): The Bloods gang first appeared in New York when prisoners at Riker's Island formed chapters in the early 90s. Bloods can be identified by their tattoos: two burned dots over a single burned dot. This symbol represents a dog's paw. This August, 12 alleged members of the Clay Avenue Bloods were charged with racketeering, murder, and drug dealing.
The Crips, Harlem, Hempstead, Far Rockaway (Ocean Bay, Beach 41st Street, Ocean Village projects) :Though it was formed in Los Angeles in the 60's, the violent street gang and rival to the Bloods came to New York in the late 80's. While they are one of the most well known gangs in the country, they are neither the most powerful nor the most violent gang in NYC. In a recent incident 29 Crips members were arrested in connection to a drug ring that brought in over $30,000 a week.
Mara Salvatrucha, Hempstead, Long Island, Corona, Queens and Parkchester, the Bronx (103rd St stop off 7 train): Though this is a national gang made up of Salvadoran immigrants, New York City has 24 cliques and over 1,700 gang members. The first New York cliques formed in Long Island and there is still a major presence there, notably at Hempstead High School. Mara Salvatrucha has been one of the fastest growing gangs in the city and recruits members in the high schools of Queens and the Bronx. Their colors are blue and white.
Green Dragons, Flushing, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights (Ithaca and Whitney Avenues, Elmhurst): The Green Dragons are a Vietnamese gang in Queens. Focused mainly on extortion and robbery the gang demanded almost $300 a week from businesses in Queens in exchange for protection throughout the 90's. Their leader Paul Wong is thought to be a major heroin smuggler now hiding in the Fujian Province. Many gang members were turned in when one leader Sonny Wong testified about gang operations in a criminal trial.
Born To Kill, Chinatown (Canal St. from Lafayette to Church St., safe house at 543 56th Street in the Sunset Park): This was America's most notorious Vietnamese gang, and they wreaked havoc in Chinatown in the late 80's and early 90's. Their presence diminished when 11 of their members, including the gang's leader, were arrested and convicted of racketeering charges connecting them to robberies, murder, and a failed plot to bomb a Chinatown restaurant in '91.
DDP (Dominicans Don't Play), Washington Heights and the Bronx: DDP is a rising force on the NYC Latino gang scene and is a popular gang among high schoolers. They have territories in Washington Heights and the Bronx as well as New Jersey and Florida, and they are in a feud with the Bloods. High schools with known DDP presence include Brandeis HS, Washington Irving HS, Adlai Stevenson HS, Pelham Prep and John F. Kennedy HS. Members wear black, blue, white and red beads.
The Flying Dragons, Chinatown (Canal St.): The Flying Dragons are connected to one of Chinatown's major tongs the Hip Sings and outsource protection and extortion rackets to smaller Vietnamese or Chinese gangs while they smuggle drugs. The Flying Dragons' longtime head Johnny Eng was arrested five times in the 70's and named one of the five biggest heroin dealers in New York by the late 80's.
Hell's Angels, East Village (E 3rd St.): Though it's now more of motorcycle club than actual gang, at one point the Hell's Angels were outlaws. They have chapters all over the world. The members at the NYC HQ mainly sell merch and admire their bikes.
By Annie Sweeney Tribune reporter 9:19 p.m. CST, March 10, 2011
The beating officially started with a quick crack to the back of the gang member's head. And then about 15 others descended, punching and kicking him for two minutes.
The rapid-fire punches landed from all directions on his body, sounding strangely like corn popping. Then the victim fell to the floor and the group continued to pummel him with punches and kicks.
The gang member at the bottom of the heap, a Latin King in the Cicero section, was there for his "violation," punishment in gang parlance. He had allegedly failed to follow through on an order from one of the four ranking Latin King members now on trial in federal court in Chicago.
The beatdown, planned ahead of time and carried out by his own fellow gang members, is not unusual on the street.
But in the darkened federal courtroom as a secretly recorded videotape of the beating was aired to the jury, it was a disturbing reflection of the violence that drives and unites gangs.
The four alleged Latin Kings — Augustin Zambrano, Vicente Garcia, Alphonso Chavez and Jose Guzman — are accused of racketeering, drug conspiracy and weapons offenses while running the 26th Street section of the Latin Kings. The gang's influence reached into the suburbs, the reason prosecutors featured the west suburban beating in the trial.
It is an example, prosecutors said, of the violence that was orchestrated on behalf of the gang. Garcia, accused of being a "regional officer" for the gang, allegedly had ordered the punishment in an attempt to mediate a dispute between two Latin King members.
Gang literature, entered into evidence earlier at the trial, demands loyalty to a gang hierarchy. It references violations and protecting neighborhoods with guns.
Over two days of testimony, Nedal Issa, who headed the Cicero Latin Kings and oversaw the videotaped violation, explained to the jury how the beating unfolded.
Issa, who joined the gang at 13 and was promoted to "Inca" by 2006, had to mediate a dispute between one of his members — identified only as "Chongo" in the trial — and a Latin King from a different section.
"I was the Inca," said Issa, who cooperated with authorities after he was caught up in the same federal conspiracy probe as the defendants. "So it was my responsibility to make sure none of the guys was involved in anything like that."
But no solution was found, so the problem wound up in Garcia's hands, Issa testified.
"Since we couldn't resolve it, that's when the Latin King nation got involved," he said.
Garcia ultimately decided that Chongo would be "violated" for the dispute and as a further punishment should shoot at a rival gang member within 72 hours, Issa testified he was told.
When Chongo failed to carry out the shooting, Issa was ordered to a meeting by Garcia. There Issa was violated, suffering fractured ribs and bruises in the attack, he testified.
Issa then followed through on the order to have Chongo violated. The March 2006 beating was captured by a video camera hidden by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in a gang hangout with the help of an informant within the Latin Kings.
The lights in the courtroom in the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse were turned off Thursday as the black-and-white footage played.
As the punches accelerated — with some of the gang members landing blows with both arms — the victim can be heard grunting and groaning. At one point as the beating stopped, Issa called out, "Don't stop, don't stop," he acknowledged in court.
Under cross-examination, attorneys for the four reputed gang leaders repeatedly asked Issa about his extensive criminal history and his hopes of receiving a break in his sentence for his cooperation. He also admitted that when he went to the hospital for medical care after his violation, he lied about his legal name to avoid paying the bill.
Nishay Sanan, one of the lawyers, pointed out that Issa lied for a "benefit" at the hospital and then asked him: "You're also asking the government to give you a benefit here, right?
That article seems like a quick one-over of the gang scene in NY. Some of these gangs are definitely in more than three neighborhoods. I can't speak for other parts of NYC but both the Bloods and the Crips have sets in Bushwick.
Re: Gangs of New York Territory
[Re: m2w]
#633691 02/08/1206:33 AM02/08/1206:33 AM
scorsese so according to you these gangs that barely exceed 2 or 3 neighbourhoods are on the same level or cosa nostra? lol
I never said that. The latin kings are one of the biggest gangs in the country and have sets all over the cities there in. Another thing is most of the major street gangs have expanded into suburbs and other areas to conduct business. Im not saying that their on the same level as the mafia. Im just saying that they dont have to bow down or be afraid of them. The mobs sort of similar in a way because they have different sets and crews under the same organisation as well. I dont want to get into an argument on this thread, i only posted the video cause i thought it was entertaining.lol
Blood gang members out to silence witnesses behind bars at Rikers Island Comments (54) BY KEVIN DEUTSCH / DAILY NEWS WRITER
Sunday, April 10, 2011, 4:00 AM Bloods gang members at Rikers Island have launched a campaign of beatings and death threats to silence fellow inmates set to testify in a murder trial, sources said.
As many as nine potential witnesses have been attacked or threatened by Bloods who fear key gang leaders could be convicted, two sources said.
Several Bloods members - and three former Rikers correction officers - go on trial this summer for the October 2008 beating death of inmate Christopher Robinson, 18.
"The Bloods leadership has passed down orders to go after anyone they think might testify," said one law enforcement source with knowledge of the case. "They want to keep those guys off the stand."
The case made headlines in 2009, when correction officers Michael McKie, Khalid Nelson and Denise Albright were accused of ceding control of their jail wing to a "Lord of the Flies"-style gang that killed Robinson over a commissary card.
The Bloods' interest in the case revolves around a dozen inmates who also were charged, including three reputed gang members accused of manslaughter: Anquant Bryant, Joseph Hutchinson, and Shaddon Beswick, all 18.
At least three other reputed Bloods - including convicted killer Robert Denis, 18 - face conspiracy charges.
Lawyers for the teens did not return calls for comment.
Several defendants are high in the gang's New York hierarchy, overseeing cliques such as the Gorilla Stone Bloods and Desperado Bloods, sources said.
"This case is a very big deal to them, because it would deplete the leadership," the law enforcement source said.
The Bronx district attorney's office has kept its witness list a secret, but the gang's massive network has managed to locate and beat down witnesses locked up there and in other prisons, prosecutors said.
"The fear is that witnesses will start changing their minds instead of taking another beating - or worse," a source in the DA's office said.
Prosecutors had refused to hand over evidence to defense lawyers on the case until last week, fearing more witness identities would be leaked. Judge Steven Barrett told the lawyers he would kick them off the case if they divulged those names to clients.
A Correction Department spokesman said the agency is working closely with the DA to "ensure that all necessary and appropriate measures are being taken to ensure the security of the defendants and the safety of the witnesses."
I never said that. The latin kings are one of the biggest gangs in the country and have sets all over the cities there in
yes you said that most of the gangs in the states are on the same level... i know that a couple of gangs like latin kings or bloods have sections in several cities but i doubt they are coordinated eachother i bet everyone can start a chapter on himself and claiming he's a blood or latin kings, its a joke they are not an old, permanent and extremely coordinated organization like the mafia and they are involved in a couple of illegal fields at most
Re: Gangs of New York Territory
[Re: m2w]
#633800 02/08/1204:43 PM02/08/1204:43 PM
I never said that. The latin kings are one of the biggest gangs in the country and have sets all over the cities there in
yes you said that most of the gangs in the states are on the same level... i know that a couple of gangs like latin kings or bloods have sections in several cities but i doubt they are coordinated eachother i bet everyone can start a chapter on himself and claiming he's a blood or latin kings, its a joke they are not an old, permanent and extremely coordinated organization like the mafia and they are involved in a couple of illegal fields at most
The mafia prospered due to the fact that they were pretty much ignored by the government as an organisation and were not prosecuted in the big groups like they are now. Also the rise of labour movements and unions gave them that push into the legitimate world, they were in the right place at the right time. Also in a places like new york, chicago, la and even new jersey you cant just start a chapter of blood or latin kings without some authorisation from the gangs leadership, The sets have leaders that work together resolve disputes within their ranks. Do you really think every crew in the mafia know eachother and work together?
Underboss
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,449 New Jersey
another way that i look at this argument is i ask myself what is the top racket in the underworld? i dont think anyone can argue that its not drugs. drugs are pretty much the primary hussle for all gangs, even the mob to a lesser extent although thier operations are much more varied which leads to more longevity but drugs are where the fast money is.
Last edited by Five_Felonies; 02/08/1204:49 PM.
It's either blue cheese with wings or go fuck yer mudda!
drugs is a good business if you have a monopoly when its too fractured is not so well it only takes gang wars and arrests and heavy sentences but yeah drugs are where the fast money is
Quote:
Do you really think every crew in the mafia know eachother and work together?
no by every crews answer to overstructures they are not independent and they have to follow the rules dictated by the organization as a whole no street gangs is even nearly coordinated like the mafia, according to fbi even russians and chineses are loosely organized compared to italians
Underboss
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,449 New Jersey
with the insane profits though, even after they get busted, which it seems like there are multiple huge drug ring busts in nj every week, somebody steps up right away. its like the rackets never stop, only change hands.
It's either blue cheese with wings or go fuck yer mudda!
with the insane profits though, even after they get busted, which it seems like there are multiple huge drug ring busts in nj every week, somebody steps up right away. its like the rackets never stop, only change hands.
Underboss
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,449 New Jersey
some have more longevity, but it seems like alot of the people in the drug underworld are in it for the quick money to be made and they know its only a matter of time before a raid or worse and just want to have thier family/friends taken care of money wise and the heroin game is so big in nj that money can be made real quick. my 100th post wow.
It's either blue cheese with wings or go fuck yer mudda!
Heroins definately the big moneymaker. All the suburban users send one of their friends to the ghetto to buy $400 worth at once your gonna be rollin in $$$$.
heres another blood story from jersey. they must be pretty prevalent there aswell. This guys an example of westcoast members spreading the gang on the eastcoast.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/alleged_bloods_leader_pleads_g.html NEWARK — He walked into the courtroom at 12:15 p.m., thickly muscled, stern-faced, tattoos blanketing his arms. Surrounded by six U.S. marshals and with a heavy chain wrapped around his back, the reputed gang leader hobbled slightly as he prepared to plead guilty to a racketeering-conspiracy charge. For about a decade, authorities say, 41-year-old Vincent Young had been running a violent set of a Bloods gang that has been called the most powerful street gang in New Jersey. And he said he did it all from a state prison, where he’s been locked up since 1994, after killing a man. Among the earmarks of the gang that Young admitted to today was the use of strict, vigilante-like "West Coast principles," such as tagging members who’ve cooperated with authorities as "food," before ordering their slayings. The highest-ranking member of the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims — a set that operates in Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties — Young was revered by some members, feared by others, and known as the Triple Original Gangster. Today he wanted U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to know — when asked whether he’d been running the gang since 1999 — that he’d actually been commanding it for years longer. "In ’94, I was already Triple OG," he said, seeming slightly agitated as he gazed at the judge across the hushed federal courtroom in Newark. Young pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. He faces up to 20 years in prison, though under his plea agreement with the government he’s expected to get between 12 1/2 years and 15 1/2 years. Young was the first-named defendant — followed by 14 other alleged Fruit Town and Brick City Brims members — listed in a 52-page, January indictment that details 20 counts, including 63 overt acts that the defendants allegedly committed in furtherance of a racketeering conspiracy. Several of the defendants have pleaded guilty over the past few months. Young admitted today to using unauthorized cell phones — gained while incarcerated at Northern State Prison in Newark — as a means of conspiring with fellow gang members to sell heroin and crack cocaine, including at least 100 grams of heroin in Newark and at least 100 grams of crack in Paterson. According to a statement U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman released today, Young directed other members and associates of the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims, both in and out of prison, in carrying out crimes to further the gang’s affairs — including murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, bribery, extortion, threats of violence, trafficking in controlled substances and intimidation of witnesses. Throughout today's 25-minute hearing, Young seemed sharp-minded as he listened to detailed questions from the judge and answered them quickly. Wearing a beige prison jumpsuit, he stood behind a defense table and often replied with a simple, "Yes, your honor." At the start of the hearing, he told a judge’s clerk that "I can’t do all that ... I can’t maneuver," referring to his handcuffed wrists, as he was asked to hold a Bible, raise a hand and say an oath. According to the indictment and information Fishman put out about Young in January, the gang leader came to New Jersey from Los Angeles in 1993 to kill a man he believed had threatened members of his Los Angeles-based Fruit Town Brims gang. He got a maximum of 20 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter after the killing — a sentence he is still serving today — but while in New Jersey state prison, he founded and became the leader of the New Jersey-based Fruit Town Brims. Young met Altariq Gumbs, aka "Killer Reek," authorities say, while they were both locked up and recruited Gumbs to join the gang. They say he promoted Gumbs to lead a Newark-based subset of the gang, known as the Brick City Brims. Gumbs, 33, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate RICO in July, was made the "Double Original Gangster," or "OOG," the gang’s second-highest ranking position in New Jersey. Authorities said the rules governing the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims required members to be quizzed about the history of the West Coast Bloods (known as the "69"), and about Young’s life history — including details of his childhood, the crimes he committed and his struggles against the rival Crips gang. Failure to recite this history to the satisfaction of a ranking member could mean a member would be physically disciplined, authorities said. After today’s hearing, Young’s court-appointed attorney, Gregory E. Tomczak, said his client "took full responsibility for what he did."
Re: Gangs of New York Territory
[Re: m2w]
#633828 02/08/1205:33 PM02/08/1205:33 PM
I never said that. The latin kings are one of the biggest gangs in the country and have sets all over the cities there in
yes you said that most of the gangs in the states are on the same level... i know that a couple of gangs like latin kings or bloods have sections in several cities but i doubt they are coordinated eachother i bet everyone can start a chapter on himself and claiming he's a blood or latin kings, its a joke they are not an old, permanent and extremely coordinated organization like the mafia and they are involved in a couple of illegal fields at most
Agreed !!
Re: Gangs of New York Territory
[Re: Scorsese]
#641941 03/28/1206:16 AM03/28/1206:16 AM
Long Island Press Releases — Multi-Agency Crackdown Leads to 261 Count Indictment Charging Defendants With Distributing Drugs In NYC, Seven Upstate Counties And Vermont
(Long Island, NY) In the largest single take down in the history of the Organized Crime Task Force, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the arrests and 261 count indictment of 52 members of a violent narcotics network who were distributing massive quantities of cocaine, heroin and various illegal prescription medications, including Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, and Percocet from New York City, throughout the Capital Region, as well as Greene, Orange, Rensselaer, Rockland, Schenectady, Ulster and Warren Counties in New York, in addition to the State of Vermont.
As part of an operation code-named “OGK,” based on the affiliation of some of the defendants with a home grown Albany-based street gang called the Original Gangsta Killas, state and local law enforcement agents led by the New York State Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), the Albany Police Department and the New York State Police, concluded a six-month investigation into this drug network that was conducting its illicit activities on the streets of the Capital Region.
“These drug traffickers threatened our communities and wreaked havoc on families across the state for too long, and now they will be brought to justice,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “This investigation has shut down a major network of gang members responsible for the sale of illegal drugs and possession of dangerous weapons in our neighborhoods. I want to thank our partners in law enforcement – Albany Police Department and the New York State Police – for working with us to get these dangerous individuals and deadly narcotics off the streets.”
The indictment, which was unsealed today in Albany County Court, contains 261 counts, charges 52 people with various Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (class A, B, C, D felonies) and Conspiracy in the second degree (class B felony) in relation to their involvement in the narcotics trafficking network. Five of the defendants, Anthony Lugo, Mario Perez, Guy Anderson, Michael Williams and Haneef Washington, are also charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, which carries the potential of a life sentence.
Richard Gibbs (aka “50 Cent”), was one of the main subjects of this investigation. Back in February, he was murdered in the South End of Albany by a rival gang. Following that incident, OCTF investigators were informed about additional retaliation over authorized wiretaps. This allowed investigators to intercept the gun that was intended to be used in the retaliation attempt. The increasing violence on the streets made it necessary for OCTF to move quickly on this case before there was any more bloodshed.
Among those indicted are five members of OGK – Jamel Pearson, Tahreen Jeanotte, Michael Marabel, Allen Bace and Marquis Johnson. Additionally, two of the drug network’s leaders were members of another street gang – the Bloods – Michael Williams, Haneef Washington, along with Gilbert Pilet.
Gerald D. Jennings, Albany Mayor said, “Through a very collaborative investigation some of the area’s most dangerous people and drug traffickers are now off our streets. As we move forward we will continue to work with all of our law enforcement partners in order to keep our streets safe and provide an environment where everyone can live freely without the fear of senseless violence and illegal drugs in their neighborhoods. We will hold anyone accountable who chooses to partake in the sale and distribution of illegal drugs and violence. I commend Attorney General Schneiderman and his office for spearheading this investigation.”
Joseph A. D’Amico, New York State Police Superintendent said, “The collaborative investigative efforts of the State Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force, the New York State Police, the Albany Police Department, and our law enforcement partners, have resulted in the dismantling of a major narcotics distribution network and the arrests of numerous dangerous individuals. Drug trafficking has long been a catalyst for violence and other criminal activities that plague a number of our communities. These arrests send a strong message that New York State will not tolerate these threats in our communities.”
This massive take down and indictment is the culmination of a major investigation which is part of Attorney General Schneiderman’s ongoing efforts to combat narcotic trafficking and other crimes through OCTF’s Upstate Guns, Gangs, and Drugs Initiative.
The Attorney General’s indictment contains 261 counts, and charged the following 52 people with different crimes in relation to their involvement in the narcotics trafficking operation.
According to the Attorney General’s investigators, in 1993, a group on the East Coast created a gang known as the United Blood Nation. Formed in New York City’s Rikers Island jail, inmates created the group as a way to protect themselves from the Latin Kings, which was the preeminent gang in the jail system at that time. Although the United Blood Nation was born in the prison system, as members were paroled to the streets, they formed the Bloods street gangs on the East Coast emulating the Los Angeles Bloods lifestyle.
The Original Gangsta Killas is considered one of Albany’s most notorious street gangs. The South End-based gang was formerly known as the “Black Gangstas.” Their rivals are predominately a gang from the North-End of Albany called the “Jungle Junkies.”
The charges contained in the indictment are the result of a six-month joint investigation by the OCTF, Albany Police Department and the New York State Police, with the assistance of the NY National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, the United States Marshals Service, Rensselaer County Task Force, City of Troy Police Department, and the Bennington Police Department (Vermont).
The investigation was directed by OCTF Special Investigator Dennis Guiry under the supervision of Special Investigator William Charles, and Deputy Chief Investigator, Gene Black, under the supervision of Chief Dominick Zarrella. The Albany Police Department Sergeants Brian Quinn and Ed O’Leary, and Detectives John Monte and James Wood, under the supervision of Lt. Jeff Roberts, Commander Anthony Ryan, and Chief of Police Steven Krokoff, and New York State Police Senior Investigator Samuel Mercado, under the supervision of Lt. Michael Tietz also assisted in the case.
The case is being prosecuted by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Michael Sharpe, under the supervision of OCTF Deputy Attorney General Peri Alyse Kadanoff and Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice, Nancy Hoppock.
The charges against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
