Tag Gang

Capt Black
I don’t do limits.
Artificial barriers like fear ( on my part ) or prejudice ( on someone else ) aren’t acceptable.
Telling me expressing myself against injustice will get me in ” trouble ” means accepting an artificial limitation.
After years of getting myself into ” trouble ” I’ve discovered that whatever others threaten only has power if you buy into it. All their huffing and puffing has yet to do anything but indicate they don’t like being challenged.
Whole populations are controlled by limitation acceptance. One underlying tenet of patriotism is resisting covert or overt invasion because the enemy will impose limits upon you after victory.
Civil rights activism and anti-crime advocacy are replete with struggles against limitation. Offenders in government; private industry or even street gangs, despite obvious differences, stand united in their resolve to make others fit involuntary limitations.
Consider the absence of credible scientific evidence to justify limitation schemes like India’s caste system; American Jim Crow; South African Apartheid; Old style Soviet Communism; sexism; homophobia, etc. The list easily stretches toward infinity as one group plots to curtail another’s freedom.
I don’t accept limits because doing so means someone else becomes your absolute ruler. In this context every activist who defies limitation is a reminder that we are limited by others in direct proportion to our acceptance of their terms.
That’s why there are so few activists relative to the rest of their peers. Add unique activist subgroups like real life superheroes ( RLSH ) and extreme altruists ( X ALTS ) and percentages shrink even more! Limitations are one of mankind’s most unkind inventions and as such are not to be accepted in any form or fashion.
If we do, then we have no right to complain about mistreatment.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes finding your ” super ” through creative crime prevention; homeless outreach and political advocacy. (504) 214-3082
 

Originally posted:http://io9.com/?_escaped_fragment_=5798467/the-real%2Blife-superheroes-of-salt-lake-city-are-charming-andor-terrifying
Cyriaque Lamar — We’ve seen a few real-life superheroes in recent times, including Seattle’s Phoenix Jones and Tennessee’s The Viper. Now, an eclectic mix of suburban dads and ex-hoodlums known as the Black Monday Society are patrolling Salt Lake City’s crime-strewn thoroughfares.
Unlike most spandex-clad homegrown heroes, members of the Black Monday Society dress like Slipknot. Also, the group has antiheroes amongst its ranks, such as the former gang member Fool King and a man known only as “Assylum”:

The hero “Assylum,” who wears a black head mask with a grotesque painted on smile, says he came from a sorted [sic] past. He says he sought out drug users who owed money. “If you got so much in drugs and didn’t pay your money, I was the dude that showed up at 3 in the morning and beat you until you got the money,” he says.

My favorite though is Professor Midnight, whose superpower is total anonymity — nobody knows his real name! Despite carrying tasers and pepper spray, The Black Monday Society aren’t vigilantes. They mete out justice with well-timed phone calls to the cops, aid bags for homeless folks, and a Medico Della Peste.

Originally posted: http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-salt-lakes-super-heroes-patrol-the-city-looking-to-fight-crime-20110503,0,6573619.story
By Aaron Vaughn

With their identities concealed and with names like Asylum, Fool King and Professor Midnight, a Salt Lake superhero group says they seek to enact justice.
The Black Monday Society is a group of men whose influence comes straight from the movie screen and comic book page. They are self-proclaimed crime fighters and good samaritans who patrol the city streets at night.
“How many groups do you want to do since there is eight of us, do you want to break it up into threes?” shouts the leader of the group, who goes by the name of Insignis and sports a metal face plate and dreadlocks.
Insignis introduces his posse to FOX 13 as they gather outside the Salt Lake City Library.
“This is Omen, he is one of our soldiers,” Insignis says, then gestures to another large individual in a skull mask with stringy white hair. “Ghost is better than bringing a gun on patrol. He’s our wall, he’s the one who will pick you up, toss you about if you need it.”
They all are dressed starkly different than the spandex-wearing traditional superheroes. And they are not clean-cut “boy wonders” either.
The hero “Asylum,” who wears a black head mask with a grotesque painted on smile, says he came from a sorted past. He says he sought out drug users who owed money.
“If you got so much in drugs and didn’t pay your money, I was the dude that showed up at 3 in the morning and beat you until you got the money,” he says.
And “Fool King,” who wears a jester mask, says he was an ex-gang member. He says he is making up for it by giving back to the community as a super hero.
Two of the heroes are fathers and most have day jobs. While one, who goes by the name of Professor Midnight, is a complete mystery and whose identity is unknown.
The super heroes patrol outside bars, clubs, and places most try to avoid — like dark alleys– for fear of what’s back there. They are looking for trouble in order to stop it.
On a usual patrol they split into groups of two or three.
“We call the cops if there’s a fight,” one of them says. They say they dress up as a means of intimidation.
Salt Lake police say they don’t condone or condemn the group’s crime fighting efforts and they have not had any problems with them in the past. The public treats them with mixed reaction while they are on patrol. Some respect what they do, or at least the boldness of dressing up. While some say their actions may interfere with law enforcement.
Police say they would investigate the group’s action if they were to receive complaints.

Street Gangs in the United States fall into categories based most importantly on thier “prison alliance”. This is so that weaker gangs increase the influence and power of the gangs closer to the top of the ladder, while in return their members receive a measure of protection while incarcerated.

The main categories being:

• Folks
• Crips
• Bloods
• Peoples
• White Power/Aryan
• 1Percenter (outlaw bikers)

Traditional Gangs
– have existed over a long period of time to have established a system of traditional motivations that are adhered to.
It has an exact organizational chart, identifiable colors and specific hand signals.
They have aligned themselves with either the ‘Folk’ or the ‘Peoples Nations’. Examples are Crips, Bloods and Black Gangster Disciples.
Non-Traditional Gangs
– This type of gang is slowly evolving into a traditional gang, but it has not been around long enough to have adopted long standing traditions. They have no structure or organization. They tend to form and dissolve frequently.
• These gangs are still struggling with their identities.
• It is unique to a local area and has not aligned with either the Folk or People’s Nation.
Criminal Enterprise
– This type of gang is bonded together by a common criminal interest. It is made up of adults and they are mainly involved in the wholesale of narcotics, i.e. Mafia, Jamaican Posse, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (1%ers are known to be involved in drugs, murders, thefts, prostitution, etc.).
Tag Artist
– This group is bonded together by the common interest in Graffiti Art. They are, for the most part, a non-violent group and consist mainly of Anglo and/or Hispanic males.

In some cases, smaller gangs call themselves war crews and claim either “Renegade” or “Outlaw“. Upon entering the prison system, they usually meld into one of the above groups for protection.The most popular gang alliances of today being the “top four”, we will look at thier relationships “in a nutshell”. Let’s try and simplify things some.

1. Originating from the West Coast, Bloods and Crips are notorious worldwide. The public often thinks they are merely two gangs. They are split up into many smaller gangs, that claim Bloods or Crips. (“Claiming” an alliance means “representing” it.)
2. While the Bloods and Crips (unlike Peoples‘ and Folks) started as single neighborhood gangs, then grew into large alliances, the Folks and Peoples did not. They are both alliances formed behind bars, by the leaders of the most powerful gangs in the midwest, in 1978.
3. White Power gangs are often seen as less of a threat, being that they are low-profile right now. This is not always the case. Gangs such as the NLR (Nazi Low-Riders) from California, The Hammerhead Skins, and Christian Identity, have grown to occupy prisons and towns nationwide and in some cases, beyond U.S. borders. The most dangerous of these at the moment would be the Nazi Low Riders.

WHY DO KIDS JOIN GANGS?
Gang members are usually males who join the gang by either committing a crime(s) or undergoing an initiation procedure wherein they are beaten severely by fellow gang members to test their courage and fighting ability. Their motivation for joining gangs is varied, but usually falls within one if the following categories:
1. Identity or recognition…being part of a gang allows the youth gang member to achieve a level of status he feels is impossible outside the gang culture.
2. Protection…many members join because they live in the gang area and are therefore, subject to violence by rival gangs. Joining guarantees support in case of attack and retaliation for transgressions.
3. Fellowship and brotherhood…to the majority of the youth gang members, the gang functions as an extension of the family and may provide companionship lacking in the gang members home environment.
4. Intimidation…some members are forced into joining by their peer group. Intimidation techniques range from extorting lunch money to physical beatings. If a particular violent gang is recruitment in progress, the recruitment tactics used by the gang can be extremely violent, even to the point of murdering a non-member to coerce others into joining the gang.
Levels of Involvement
LEVEL I FANTASY
1. Knows about gangs primarily from newspaper, newscasts and the movies.
2. May or may not know about “real” gangs.
3. May or may not know one or more gang members, but does not associate.
4. May or may not like, respect or admire a gang, a gang member or the gang lifestyle.
5. See gang members “living out a fantasy”.
LEVEL II AT RISK
1. Knows about gangs and gang members first hand.
2. Occasionally casually associates with gang members.
3. Lives in or near gang areas (turf).
4. May like or admire gangs or gang members as individuals.
5. May like and/or admire the gang lifestyle, but not participate fully.
LEVEL III WANNA-BE, ASSOCIATE
1. Knows and likes gang members first hand.
2. Regularly associates with gang members.
3. Considers gangs & related activity as normal, acceptable or admirable.
4. Finds many things in common with gang members.
5. Is seriously thinking about joining a gang.
LEVEL IV GANG MEMBERS
1. Is officially a gang member.
2. Associates almost exclusively with gang members to the exclusion of family and former friends.
3. Participates in gang crimes and most other related activities.
4. Is not considered hard core by fellow gang members or others.
5. Has substantially rejected the authority or value system of family and society.
LEVEL V HARD-CORE GANG MEMBER
1. Totally committed to the gang and gang lifestyle.
2. Totally rejects anyone or any value system other than the gang.
3. Is considered hardcore by self, other gang members and authorities.
4. Will commit any act with the approval of a demand from the gang.
5. Does not accept any authority other than the gang.
Identifiers
1. Graffiti – one of the first indicators of gang activity is the appearance of graffiti in area. To most members of society graffiti is just vandalism and childish pranks and means nothing more than that. However, to gang members and trained observers, it is a clear marking of territorial boundaries and serves as a warning or even a challenge to a rival gang. You can find graffiti on almost any available space, be it a building, bus bench, park wall, street sign, or even a private residence. The purpose of graffiti is to glorify the gang and make its existence well known.
2. Hand Signals – the use of hand signals is multipurpose. It is a means of communicating gang affiliations to both rival and allied gang members. Hand signals are also used as means of challenging rival gangs i.e. “throwing signs”.
3. Tattoos – the tattoos can be used to identify the member’s gang, set and moniker. The tattoo may appear on any place of the member’s body such as the neck, arms, wrists, hands, chest and legs.
4. Colors – matching clothing such as shoes, shirts, caps and bandannas are common group identifiers. Colors are of paramount importance to the gang. They serve not only to identify gang members but also promote group solidarity. Degrading of one gang’s colors and/or symbol is the ultimate humiliation.
Profile:
1. Usually male.
2. School dropout or truant; poor student that does not like school and who does not adapt well at school.
3. Does not receive adequate family attention. The gang provides identity and status. In some cases, a single parent or family member may approve or condone participation especially if the gang member helps to support the family through narcotic sales or profits derived from criminal activity.
4. Victim of abuse/neglect and/or parental brutality.
5. Middle to lower economic background.
6. Negative role models.
7. Very street wise.
8. Activities confined to close proximity to his residence or gang’s turf.
9. Anti-social, aggressive and hostile.
10.Gang members commit crimes against people who are unable to defend themselves. They work where they have the advantage i.e. in the dark, from speeding cars and in packs.

 

Well now that I’m back in town I took a quick look around last night to see if the local precinct had been able to make any progress w/ the tips I left them before I flew out of the city.
All of the gang graffiti for at least a 2 block radius has been cleaned up, and there were no signs of drug dealers at 10:30 PM which is rare in the area I pinpointed. So rare it almost never happens at night.
Within the next few days I’ll get to see how much of a long-term impact this makes (things move fast around here), and see if somebody else tries to take the turf…which in that case, the Tac Force has already been tipped off, so I probably wouldn’t have to prod too much to stop a turf war.
Now I wait…