really?
LOS ANGELES GANG ATTEMPTS TO TAKE OVER CHICAGO STREETS
By Clark Staten, ENN Editor
Chicago,Il. (ENN)-- Chicago gang crime specialists are reporting that members of the "Crips" street gang, from the Los angeles area, are attempting to take control of at least one neighborhood here. Police insiders say that several recent raids have revealed a "new and different type of criminal element" on Chicago's West side.
A recent arest of a burglar, on Chicago's West side, resulted in his revealing to police the location of a
cache' of automatic weapons and military fragmentation grenades. Also confiscated was a quantity of liquid PCP (Angel Dust/Animal tranquilizer). Reportedly, the weapons and drugs belonged to a member of the Los Angeles based "Crips" street gang. A Chicago Police intelligence officer, who asked to remain anonymous, reported that an increase in the quality and quantity of "rock cocaine" or "crack" can be attributed to an
"invasion from the West Coast". Chicago Police had previously reported that there was very little "crack" available for sale in Chicago.
"Street people" in certain West side neighborhoods have confided that "there are bloods from out of town" who have attempted to intimidate and control given areas where drugs are sold. Several recent outbursts of violence and "drive-by" shooting have reportedly been perpetrated by unknown "gang types", who are not associated with any
known Chicago gang. One friendly neighborhood resident told this reporter, "them brothers is from LA-LA land...you know... out West". "They's bad boys...that group...they kill you soon as look at you", he concluded.
A recent raid called "Operation Hammerlock", which was carried out against members of the Chicago "Vice Lords" street gang resulted in the arest of more than sixty (60) youths and adults and confiscation of numerous cars, houses, and weapons. This raid resulted in the further fragmentation of traditional control of neighborhood "retail drug sales". At least one Chicago intelligence analyst has hypothesized that the decline of certain Chicago gangs has lead to the a void that is being filled by Los Angeles based gangs.
He points out that many Chicago street gangs were frequently a "loosely affiliated relationship of convenience and self defense" and that they were under no centralized authority.
"The Crips are another matter entirely...they are ruthless and will stop at nothing to conduct their business", he offered. "We can expect the level of violence to increase even further...if `the Crips' continue their effort to control Chicago's market in drugs and weapons", the wary expert added. "If I lived in Iowa City, or Boise, or Kansas City, I would also be extremely worried...the gangs will be there soon", he concluded.
(c) EmergencyNet News Service, 1991, All rights Reserved.
Emergency Response & Research Institute