Norfolk gang leaders face dozens of counts in U.S. courtroom

people like their products with labels. two people conspired to be bloods and did an overt act that could've have been associated with being a member of a gang. they called themselves bloods and now , they are supposedly hiding the o.g that started it all. then you have some kids that want to make some money, but you have some tougher guys that might take your money . so, you team up with them because you fear them. now, the disrespect to the bloods is associated with the members using the blood name to instill fear on the weaker minded individuals that go through initiation. i'm sure they didn't "shoot a 31".never even heard of that in cali, where this supposedly began.anyways, if you arrest the dealers , but leave the users on the streets to work , have money to spend on the drugs the next time they need a fix , then you must want this little groups to exist. but understand that the goal of a gang, is just l

"Don't totally blame the parents either. no matter how hard a parent tries, sometimes kids just want 2 grow and become jerks and future "guests" of the state and fed barbed-wire hotels."

I do blame the parent(s). It's an extremely rare case where a child from a loving and caring home will turn into a gmember.

1. this information is old and this area is behind b/c gangs are now starting to NOT wear identifiable colors to avoid "Jake" (the police) and rival gmembers
2. Hip Hop is NOT the reason for gang warfare. If that were the case, how did la costa nostra begin b4 Hip Hop was introduced? I don't recall Al Capone killing rival gang members while listening to a 50 Cent cd in the 40's.
3. youths' involvement with gangs is a reflection of a broken system somewhere in the youths' lives. Don't totally blame the parents either. no matter how hard a parent tries, sometimes kids just want 2 grow and become jerks and future "guests" of the state and fed barbed-wire hotels.

"Gang crimes are not all about drugs - it's power, "respect,"

Without money and a source of income the gangs lose most of their appeal. They are just a bunch of broke losers. Stealing is not as lucrative as selling and transporting drugs.

How much "power" or "respect" will they have w/ no money?

Punks do not control Ocean View, if anyone does than it would be Boone Realty.

There are gangs in Europe, just do a google search. Where do you think the Mafia came from? The problems over there are not gangs though but is the largely unemployed Muslim population now.

I don't agree with what you have said. Not all black youth look up to these hip hop folks as role models. Believe it or not, there are quite a number (of black youth) out there trying to shake this stigma placed over their heads. Guilt by association doesn't apply to everything. Also, I don't believe anyone should choose a role model based on color, etc. A role model is one that serves as a good example to society as a whole, not just specific segments. That could be anyone, such as a humble neighborhood elder to a more prominent, unscandalized figure (if one exists). Consequently, not only did I look up to my parents, I also looked up to my next door neighbor (an elderly Native American lady) and the neighbor across the street (an elderly black lady.) As for the subjects of this article, they made the choices and should now suffer the consequences thereof; whatever society deems necessary and fitting.

Call them whatever you want to, but I call them punks. I will not glorify them with their stupid titles. Call them a "g" member gives them the notority they want, they take pride in such a name, well.... there are too many other names they can be called besides what they want, and it's right on target too.

Gangs need to be dealt with very harshly!! To bad liberals don't see that. It's bad enough with the home grown gangs, now we're dealing with central american gangs! I would go into it more but the pilot sensorship does'nt care for me very much! LOL

I blame it on hip-hop. All young black youths have to look up to are rappers that glorify this type of life. Honestly, what mentors do young black youths have to look up to these days. Even the athletes these days are promoting this type of lifestyle. I want Micheal Jordan back or even better Martin Luther King. Where have all the positive role models gone?

You really need to do some broader research on The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Only The Netherlands have "pot cafes", they are also the highest rated nation for child health, general well being and happiness. I do not think the coffee houses made that happen. The Dutch are committed to personal responsibility and tolerance.
Please flag my post first post "parents". The one with errors. I was in a hurry. Thank you. Your OK.

I may disagree with some of your statement, but i agree with you totally that the issue of gangs is related to parental responsibility. Punishing parents may be technically difficult so the community must step in out of pure self defense to get these problem kids identified early and get them involved in developmental activities. However, As H.L.Mencken said: "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong."

Do any of the European countries with the legalized "pot cafes" have the same type of gang make-up that we do--i.e., gangs that are all black or all Hispanic or all Asian? I have lived in two European countries (England and Germany) with some gang activity, mainly skinheads and foreigners, but without legalized drugs at the time, as best I recall. So my concern would be just that we are comparing apples with apples. Pls tell me what you know about how the gangs operate in the countries you reference (how do they make their euros?). Cheers, MGM

Where are the parents? If a gang member is caught, the parents should also be held accountable. All these problems start at home with parents that don't care. Make parents be responsible for the actions of their kids. Ideas like lowering GPAs for athletes just so they won't join gangs--why? Why can't the parents just kick the kids in their rears and help them to care? When their kids are arrested, it's the fault of society, schools, whatever, and never the parents. I say the fastest way to get a grip on these problems is to make it painful for not only the kids but the parents as well.Send a message that if they won't be parents on their own, other people will "help" them.

The justice system doesn't make me feel safer. Its not there to prevent crime. Its there to punish criminals AFTER they hurt you. It doesn't even do that well.

These guys are accused of systematic, organized crime. Worse, they are leaders who bring others who may not have otherwise become criminals to their game. They are a cancer that needs to be removed. But, if they go to jail, they will be royalty. How does that deter would-be gangster hommies from following suit?

I would gladly pay more in taxes if a huge prison were built in a remote corner of Alaska, a chilly place with no cable tv, fitness equipment, etc., where these punks can make small rocks out of big rocks, all day, every day, until they go to meet their maker.

I hope the FBI finds a way to eradicate all of the gangs. Guilt by association rules with them, if they haven't committed any crimes they will. Initiations usually involve violence & crime-no exceptions. That is how they judge their levels of trust. All members have done one or both to become members, so don't think any of them are innocents. By minimizing consequences for them, we encourage their level of violence & other crimes. Their intent is to do as much harm to communities as they can. Once they enter a neighborhood, safety for honest working people goes down. Really it disappears. Older members look for troubled kids to recruit for their crimes & more lives are destroyed. Our kids are not just targets of their violence, but targets for new recruits. They survive best by growing larger, by corrupting more & more kids. The only emotion they seem to understand is anger & we are all their tar

You still ignore evidence that the decimalization of cannabis has lowered overall hard drug use and drug related crime in the countries that have have taken a reduced harm stance.

Many facets, yes, but the article itself said the gang was dealing cocaine in Ocean View and saying they controlled the Ocean View turf. So drugs are definitely a piece of the puzzle.

There are good books out there about gangs as well--I am old-fashioned enough to read a lot of hardcopy things and browse the occasional website. But thanks for suggesting that website. Cheers, MGM

As long as we fuel gang's war chests by making drugs illegal for consumer use we will have gangs vying for territory for their gangs power. They will supply what the consumer wants at whatever the cost and get compensated for it. The war on drugs does not work.
Legalize all of it and tax it or at least make them go through some type of medical profession and castrate the gang's money. No money for the gangs and no money for the gangs to play with.

In the meantime...lock them up and keep them locked up. Just like the zoo - they are wild animals.

The marijuana argument was about crime in general unrelated to gangs, MGM. Gang crimes are not all about drugs - it's power, "respect," and a sense of family/belonging. How do they show their power? Through home invasions, rapes and murder - which gives the perpetrators "credibility" among their members.

There is a group of former gang members know as God's Ex-Gangsters that spoke at a conference on bullying I attended a few years ago. They offered interesting insights on the reasons kids join and how they are targeted for recruitment. They also had first-hand knowledge of the success (or lack thereof) of jail, juvie, rehabbing and getting out of a gang alive. I;m sure their organization can be found on the web if anyone out there wants to know more.

What a nice safe family friendly city...

When you have termites and cockroaches in your house you call an exterminator to destroy them. When we have animals on the street threatening the safety of our children, selling kilos, invading homes, torturing people, and murdering we call the police to make an investigation, form a trail, call a lawyer, plead to a judge and maybe jail. To be civilized should mean weeding out the pests from your homes, not putting them in jail. Extermination on the spot!!

The fallacy of your argument is proven by the evidence that the decimalization of cannabis has lowered overall hard drug use and yes drug related crime in the countries that have have taken a reduced harm stance.
No vitriol just the facts.

This follows a week-long VP debate on legalizing marijuana.

As I see it, unless we are prepared to legalize *everything,* legalizing marijuana, LSD, cocaine, meth, etc. will only lead to the gangs dealing in other drugs. They will *always* have a way to set themselves apart from ordinary society. This is not about Al Capone and tax evasion, and it won't be stopped by legalizing every drug in sight. Cheers, MGM

Let us (1) pray for God's direction & intervention, (2) be watchful, and (3) get involved with the movement. What movement? You tell us, because it begins with you (and me).

I don't really care if they themselvespulled the trigger or shoved in the knife. These gang-bangers know what it is to be in these gangs: drugs, violence, murder, etc. By the most basic defintion of the law, they're aiding and abetting - guilt by association. Rather than coddle them, just "do unto them that which they do unto others". Death Penalty. They'll get the message soon enough.

The question now is how the Judges will handle these cases. To call them gang members is giving them a title of recognition that I refuse to use. These "punks" belong in jail for the rest of their lives. What this article fails to mention is the camera's at East Ocean View that according to Randy Wright had been funded over a year ago, and STILL not installed. For a decade all Hampton Roads cities downplayed they had a "punk" problem. Maybe now they can see what wasteing time and denial can do to the citizens of our cities.

I guess mean well citizens and family will say "Only if Norfolk had move rec. centers or more things for kids to do, they wouldn't be in gangs" You hear it on the news, kids need more things to do they say, yeah but these kids want more such as gang respect and big money, not your rec. centers and milk and cookies. Kids in the 4th grade are know to join.
If do gooders check gang members home and family life they may see the root cause of the problem. Shame we don't have a law that states that if you are a known gang member you can receive time in prison or juvenile detention for just being a member. Until you, a family member or a friend become a victim of gang you may think having a law like that is too rough on gang members. Teens learn that gang life is not for them and want to get out in most cases not through classes or jail but through that realizing that it's not for them anymore, it's not as cool as they thought. Un

Send 'em all to Gitmo.