The red dogs were fukking terrifying for everybody but the people they were supposed to go after. I’ve never had any run in’s with the black cats but I have very distinct memories memories of the red dogs being pretty quick to violence.
They used to cruise around in unmarked vans wearing ski masks, with clubs, bats, shotguns, whatever on the ready. I never saw them actually arrest anybody, just ride up with the door cracked and jump out to fukk somebody up, run their pockets, and ride out.
University Homes used to be on fair st. With corner store next door, and 2 bus stops on opposite sides of the street. I was catching the bus to go to work, one day and another kid my age was across the street waiting on another bus. He had his headphones in and possibly Bought a little nickel/dime sack of some bullshyt from one of the million nikkas standing on the corner of the apartments.
I just saw the van cruise up to him, with no words spoken, blocking my view. All I could hear was them beating the DOGshyt outta dude and all I could do was hop I wasn’t next. The van pulled up a little bit and a couple of officers were standing over the other kid taking his cd player, like $20, the tiny ass bag of weed, a shoe, and they threw his phone into the sewer. They got back in the van and rode off. The drug dealers were still standing in a crowd like “gyad dayumm shawty!”. Dudes bus pulled up and he got on with his headphone not plugged into anything smh. I think the bus driver saw the whole shyt and just let him ride.
Another time they caught me and my brother smoking in his car, near city hall east. They pulled up on us, slid the door open, and held the shotgun on us until he threw the blunt out the car. Then the shotgun disappeared and they rode off laughing. We picked the blunt up and left to smoke somewhere else.
They didn’t give a fukk who’s door they kicked in, or who they had naked in the middle of the street. Old people and elementary school kids used to run when somebody yelled “RED DOGS!”.
I think every major city has or had a unit like this, that is inevitably going to cause some bullshyt and murder people. I was glad when they finally shut the unit down, but they lied and secretly kept them going after the Kathryn Johnston killing. It was only a matter of time until the fukked somebody else up and got caught again.