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A southwestern Illinois man claims he shot in self defense when a 17-year-old gang-banger attempted to break into the home where he was staying Tuesday night. Law officers, however, tell another story. They say the 38-year-old shooter fired at the teen from a distance of 75 to 100 feet away. And -- they say -- the teen wasn't trying to break into the house. He was shot while spray painting graffiti on the garage in the backyard. The incident occurred unincorporated Collinsville just down the street from the Fairmount Park race track. The teen was found a few blocks away...

The ties between drug cartels and street gangs in Mexico are well-established. But now, there are signs the cartels are looking to exploit gang connections in the U.S. military. But Apodaca’s past caught up with him this summer. He’s now facing capital murder charges for the contract killing of a drug cartel informant in El Paso. "They picked him because of his background. Before he went in the military, he was a member of a gang – the east side whatever,.... The Department of Defense doesn’t deny there are gang members in the military ranks.... The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division...

The father who helped his daughter to recover bit by bit from a devastating gunshot wound, died on Sunday. WCCO has covered several stories about Vernice Hall, an innocent girl shot two years ago. The family was told she wouldn't recover but her father never gave up on the daughter he called "Star." This weekend though their story took a terrible turn. Steve Hall collapsed on a relative's couch and died from internal bleeding. They believe it was caused by a bleeding ulcer. "I just don't understand it. I'm shocked, I don't understand," said his wife, Latice Hall. Their family...

PINE RIDGE, S.D. — Richard Wilson has been a pallbearer for at least five of his “homeboys” in the North Side Tre Tre Gangster Crips, a Sioux imitation of a notorious Denver gang. One 15-year-old member was mauled by rivals. A 17-year-old shot himself; another, on a cocaine binge and firing wildly, was shot by the police. One died in a drunken car wreck, and another, a founder of the gang named Gaylord, was stabbed to death at 27. “We all got drunk after Gaylord’s burial, and I started rapping,” said Mr. Wilson, who, at 24, is practically a gang...

PHOENIX - Violent gangs are popping up in the last place you would ever expect: Upper-middle-class Valley neighborhoods. The parents are doctors and lawyers. Some live in gated communities but police say these educated, privileged high school and college students are just as willing as your average street thug to steal, cheat and even kill. Twenty-two suspected gang members have been arrested so far and investigators say more arrests are coming. They range in age from 19 to 24 years old. Investigators say they committed crimes in all corners of the Valley and those crimes were becoming increasingly violent.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund said yesterday that it would file a federal civil rights complaint accusing the Philadelphia School District of failing to address violence against Asian immigrant students at South Philadelphia High School. The complaint will claim that the district violated the students' right to equal protection under the 14th Amendment, said Cecilia Chen, a staff attorney with the organization. Chen said the complaint would be filed with the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. The news came on a day when the city schools chief and South Philadelphia High principal spoke out publicly...

Note: The following text is a quote: December 11, 2009 286 arrested in ICE's largest ever enforcement surge targeting criminal aliens 2 convicted rapists and armed robber among those captured in 3-day California operation LOS ANGELES - Nearly 300 foreign nationals with criminal records have been removed from the United States or are facing deportation following a three-day enforcement surge in California, making it the biggest operation targeting at large criminal aliens ever carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). During the operation, which concluded late Thursday, ICE officers located and arrested a total of 280 criminal aliens...

The Cook County Prosecutors In Chicago have announced that they have charged the first gang member with possession of an illegal firearm under a new law the Illinois governor signed last week. He faces a potential 3 to 10 year sentence if convicted as a gang member in possession of a firearm, and no probation is available. We predicted late last week, when the bill became law, that persons charged under this law would also have committed several other crimes at the same time, and that there was a great possibility of this new "Enhanced Gun Crime" charge being plea...

Black Gangs Vented Hatred For Whites In Downtown Attacks'I Hate You F---ing White People,' Woman Shouts At Victim Black gangs roaming downtown Denver often vented their hatred for white victims before assaulting and robbing them during a four-month crime wave, according to interviews and court records obtained by 7NEWS. "I hate you f---ing white people," said a black woman in a large group of black men, according to the victim who was beaten up as he and three buddies left a LoDo bar after midnight on Aug. 30. "F---- you, white boys," the woman added, according to the 25-year-old Westminster...

In Denver, CO "police believe a series of violent attacks in downtown Denver between July 17 and September 20 of this year were motivated by racial hatred of white people by the black suspects": Explosive new information revealed today, in the arrest warrants issueed to nearly three dozen gang members accused in a series of attacks in the LoDo area. Police say the attacks have occured over the last four months, involving numerous victims, some of whom were beaten severely and seriously injured. Arrest affidavits realeased by the Denver Police Department show a pattern of racially charged statements by the...

As the United States turns its attention to security threats abroad, the disturbing trend of extremism in America’s Somali communities is a reminder that there are also real and present dangers at home. A growing body of evidence suggests that Somali communities in the Unites States have become fertile ground for terrorist groups to recruit and implant operatives. On November 23, the federal government announced eight more indictments of Somali-Americans in Minnesota on charges of recruiting members of their community to join the al-Shabaab terrorist organization in Somalia. This brings to 14 the number of Somalis from Minnesota who have...

Zhihua Tian traveled thousands of miles from his native China earlier this year to profit from the treasures of the American education system. Unfortunately, he landed at South Philadelphia High School, where the number of violent incidents often overshadow student achievements. Tian, 19, of South Philly, and five other students who are recent immigrants are staying home today because they were among 26 Asian students who were attacked by a gang of other students throughout the day yesterday, said Xu Lin, of the Chinatown Development Corporation, who works with victimized students.

This CBS3.Com story describing how Asian kids are the subject of race-based attacks at South Philadelphia High School -- the alma mater of Mario Lanza, Al Martino and Larry Fine -- is going around the word via a link to the Drudge Report and what is glaringly unclear in it? No where does is it spelled out who exactly are the racist anti-Asian attackers. The story quotes one unidentified student as saying "It was blacks and whites and they saw the Asians at the school, it all started with an argument." Well, that certainly explains it.

comments Four Lakewood Police Officers murdered on Sunday may have been the target of gangs on the east side of Tacoma. Previous attacks on officers have been reported. On Sunday, Nov. 29, four Lakewood officers were gunned down in a coffee shop ambush before the start of their shift in Parkland. There are no suspects in custody. The police have recently started a crack down on Mexican gangs in the state. In July 2009, after the gang crackdown was announced. On July 30, 2009 a Lakewood police officer's personal car was spray painted with gang tags and set on fire,...

Las Vegas Metro Police Officer and Marine veteran Trevor Nettleton was murdered by alleged gang members during a robbery of his home, and there's some moving video of his funeral services. My question is how come this country is so behind the eight-ball in tackling the gang problem that is so pervasive. I do a lot of research into gangs, and I know that law enforcement is dedicated to the issue and routinely is bringing them down; however, it seems like the hydra's head and for every gang enterprise that gets busted another 100 pop up. A lot of innocent...

Law enforcement authorities are concerned the influence of warring Mexican drug cartels may now be penetrating the U.S. military. * * * It may be a small number, but there is still a big concern when it comes to gangs. "The troubling trend is that if you do have former, active duty or reserve military that are engaging in this kind of activity," said Fred Burton, with Stratfor Global Intelligence. "It brings a level of discipline as well as military training and military bearing. * * * "We have enough isolated cases of U.S. military personal being engaged with these...

Thirty-two black males, most of whom are alleged members of either the Rolling 60 Crips or Black Gangster Disciples, have been arrested in Denver, CO for allegedly engaging in violent and racist muggings against whites and Latinos. The attacks are "part of a trend spreading across the country" as reported by Kirk Mitchell for The Denver Post: As part of the trend, black gang members videotape the assaults in trendy tourist districts and sell them on the underground market as entertainment. * * * "They knock a young white guy out with one blow to see if his knees will...

The Denver Police Department announced today that they have made 32 arrests during a sweep to end a four-month spree of what police said were racially motivated assaults and robberies in downtown Denver, including the LoDo entertainment district. A task force comprised of the Denver Police, FBI and the Denver District Attorney's Office investigated 26 incidents in which groups of black males verbally harassed and then assaulted white or Hispanic males, according to Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman. Many of the victims were robbed after being assaulted. Three suspects, Allan Ford, Torrance McCall and one juvenile are still at large....

SNIPPET: "ONTARIO, Calif. -- State lawmakers are holding a hearing today in Ontario to discuss the rise in the number of criminal gangs using networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Officials say the hearing entitled "Gangs 2.0: The Emerging Threat of Cyberthugs" will explore the use of social networking tools in gang recruitment and gang-related crime. Assembly majority leader Alberto Torrico, and attorney general candidate, says gang members both in and out of prison are making more use of technology."

A St. Paul man who beat his 4-year-old son for wearing a rival gang's color was sentenced this week to the 86 days he has served in jail. Kenny Tamon Jackson, 30, pleaded guilty to malicious punishment of a child, a gross misdemeanor, in the Aug. 25 incident. Ramsey County District Judge Kathleen Gearin ordered Jackson on Tuesday to have no contact with the 4-year-old until he completes a parenting program. Gearin also sentenced him to two years' probation. According to the criminal complaint, police were called about 12:30 p.m. to Jackson's house in the 500 block of Sherburne Avenue....

The Texas Department of Public Safety is warning parents across the state that violent Mexican cartels and transnational gangs are actively recruiting Texas youngsters in schools and communities. These criminal organizations are luring teens with the prospect of cars, money and notoriety, and promise them that if they are arrested, they will receive light sentences. The gangs are responsible for massive drug deals and related slayings, and authorities say that they will often use youths in their crimes because juveniles are typically treated with more leniency by the criminal justice system.

November 16, 2009 Arnold Schwarzenegger visits Iraq - and aims to transfer military tactics to California Oliver August in Baghdad The governor of California trots out his most famous one-liner wherever he goes but, at the Victory military base in Baghdad today, he apparently meant it. “I’ll be back,” Arnold Schwarzenegger growled after working out with a group of American soldiers on active duty in Iraq, all with necks and trunks as thick as his. The muscleman who rose to Hollywood fame as The Terminator came to the site of America’s bloodiest war in a generation to cheer up troops,...

Picturesque Copenhagen, renowned for its fairy-tale palaces and Little Mermaid, has for more than a year been the scene of a full-blown gang war that the government admits it is powerless to end. Daily police patrols, raids and harsher sentences for gang-related crimes have failed to quell the wave of drive-by shootings, execution-style killings, and grenade attacks that have rocked the Danish capital and its suburbs since 2008. Although Denmark is no stranger to gang wars, after dealing with clashes between rival biker gangs Hells Angels and Bandidos in the 1990s, this upsurge of violence - pitting biker gangs against...

Forgotten Proof of Islamic Evil on U.S. Soil byPaul L. Williams, Ph.D. thelastcrusade.org Violent crimes committed by Muslim extremists on U.S. soil were not confined to the events of 9/11, the Beltway sniper killings, and the murderous rampage of Major Nidal Maik Hasan at Fort Hood.One of the most horrific incidents of Islamic rage has escaped the attention of the mainstream media and the American people.The mayhem was conducted in the name of Allah and resulted in the deaths of over 280 white Christians.And it occurred in California. The killings began on October 19, 1973 when members of an...

New York Daily News SNIPPET: "NEW YORK — El Salvadoran leaders of the MS-13 gang allegedly put out a contract on the federal agent responsible for a crackdown on its New York factions, the Daily News has learned. The brazen plot to assassinate the unidentified Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was revealed in an arrest warrant for reputed gang member Walter (Duke) Torres. Torres tipped authorities to the plan after he and four other MS-13 members were stopped by NYPD detectives for hassling passersby on Northern Blvd. in Queens last month."

SAN JOSE -- Three teenagers and a Milpitas man have been arrested in the Halloween shooting and stabbing of two trick-or-treaters in San Jose whom they mistook for rival gang members, police said. The victims, boys ages 12 and 13, were attacked while trick-or-treating. The younger boy was shot in the head and remains in critical condition. The older boy was stabbed and has been released from a hospital.

Richmond, California, is a town with a lot of questions and no immediate answers following the brutal gang rape and beating of a 15-year-old girl at her homecoming dance — an attack watched by at least ten other people. Richmond — located in the East Bay area of California, about 15 miles north of San Francisco — is a poverty-stricken industrial town that few outside of Northern California heard of until this week. It has been shoved into the spotlight, and the residents are angry over the public discussion of the incident. But somebody has to be at fault, starting...

Note: The following text is a quote: Superseding Indictment Returned Charging Members of the Krazy Locos Criminal Street Gang with Two Homicides, Robbery, Firearms, and Narcotics Charges Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael F. McAuliffe, Palm Beach County State Attorney, John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, Hugo Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Investigations, and Ric L. Bradshaw, Sheriff, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office,...

Note: The following text is a quote: MS-13 Gunman Sentenced 80 Years for Attempted Murder ALEXANDRIA, VA—Dennis L. Gil Bernardez, 33, of Landover, Md., the gunman in an MS-13 shooting, was sentenced to 80 years in prison today for attempting to murder rival gang members on Oct. 6, 2008, at a park near homes in Reston, Va. His accomplice, Jose M. Aguilar Orantes, 18, of Reston, Va., who provided the firearm, was sentenced to 55 years in prison for his role in the attempted murders. A third member, Carlos B. Guzman Cruz, 25, of Richmond, Va., was sentenced to 144...

In 2003, several counties in Northern Virginia banded together to form a joint task force to crack down on illegals and gangs. Then in March of last year, Prince William County made national headlines by upping the ante even further. They passed an ordinance that required County police to verify the immigration status of any criminal or traffic suspects when there was probable cause to think they were in the country illegally. The suspects were held and transferred to ICE, irrespective of the disposition of the underlying charge.

In 2003, several counties in Northern Virginia banded together to form a joint task force to crack down on illegals and gangs. Then in March of last year, Prince William County made national headlines by upping the ante even further. They passed an ordinance that required County police to verify the immigration status of any criminal or traffic suspects when there was probable cause to think they were in the country illegally. The suspects were held and transferred to ICE, irrespective of the disposition of the underlying charge.

Crackdowns on illegal immigrants and other law enforcement efforts are driving gangs out of Northern Virginia and into Maryland and the District, a report released Monday concluded. "Many gang members from Northern Virginia are moving or driving to Prince George's and other Maryland counties, into the District of Columbia or further south and west into Virginia to avoid dealing with police departments that are unrelenting in their efforts to keep gangs under control," authorities wrote in the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force report. The report said the task force's success is the result of Virginia law enforcement's use of...

October 22, 2009 Note: The following text is a quote: http://milwaukee.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel09/mw102209.htm Forty-One Defendants Federally Indicted in Racine Gang Case United States Attorney Michelle L. Jacobs announced today that two indictments were unsealed in federal court charging 41 defendants with various drug-trafficking offenses. The defendants, many of whom are alleged to be members of the Vice Lords and North Side Gangster Disciples street gangs, are charged with, among other things, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A) and 846. The defendants are identified as: Starsius T. Barnes, a.k.a. “Star” (32), Brian T....

EL PASO, Texas — An alleged Mexican gang leader named to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list may have surgically altered his face and changed his finger prints to hide his identity, federal investigators said Wednesday. Eduardo "Tablas" Ravelo was added earlier this week to the wanted list that includes the likes of Osama Bin Laden and Boston crime lord James "Whitey" Bulger. "From what I've heard, it's my understanding he may have had ... plastic surgery and manipulated his finger prints," said Samantha Mikeska, the FBI's lead investigator in a 5-year-old probe of Ravelo's Barrio Azteca gang. If Ravelo...

A white pupil was battered with a hammer at a school where politically correct teachers were afraid to deal with racial tensions, the High Court heard yesterday...

They flashed wads of money and brazenly showed off military-style assault weapons on MySpace.com. They started fights in clubs, distributed drugs throughout Palm Beach County and left a trail of more than a dozen bodies. They called themselves Top 6. And they were the most violent gang in Palm Beach County history. They influenced most of the drug trade in Lake Worth and parts of the trade in Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton during their latter years.

RIO DE JANEIRO – A police helicopter flying over an intense shootout between rival drug gangs in a Rio slum was hit by gunfire Saturday and crashed in a fiery explosion on a football field. Two officers were killed while the pilot and another officer on board suffered burns but managed to escape, a police spokesman said. Bullets flying from the Morro dos Macacos ("Monkey Hill" in Portuguese) slum in northern Rio de Janeiro hit the pilot in the leg as he hovered above the clash, causing him to lose control and crash, turning the helicopter into a blackened wreck.

Note: The following text is a quote: Remarks by Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden at the 78th Interpol General Assembly SINGAPORE ~ Monday, October 12, 2009 In Bucharest, a little over a year ago, my predecessor U.S. Deputy Attorney General, Mark Filip, joined by the Romanian Prosecutor General, announced criminal charges in a case that was emblematic of the evolution of transnational organized crime. That case charged that a racketeering enterprise in Romania joined forces with other criminals around the world -- including street gangs in Los Angeles -- to use the Internet to defraud thousands of people and...

A self-styled gangsta rapper who wrote lyrics about shooting people in the head was convicted of second-degree murder Friday in a slaying last year in San Francisco's Western Addition. Ronnie "Ron Ruger" Louvier, 24, of San Leandro, shook his head as the jury found him guilty of the murder and of a separate weapons allegation stemming from the March 20, 2008, killing of 17-year-old Marquise Washington. Louvier faces a minimum term of 40 years to life in state prison when Superior Court Judge Donald Mitchell sentences him. No date has been sent. Prosecutors argued that Louvier was a member of...

Black Leaders Ignore Black-on-Black Crime. This article was written in light of the recent murder of the African-American, 16-year-old honor student in Chicago.

Note: The following text is a quote: Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, October 2, 2009 Three Gang Members Plead Guilty to Murder and Drug Conspiracy Charges; Two Others Sentenced on Drug Charges Three members of the violent gang known as the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (ALKQN) pleaded guilty today to charges related to their participation in a drive-by shooting and a drug conspiracy, and two other members were sentenced for their roles in a drug conspiracy. Robert Allen Ramirez, aka "Nesyo," 27, of Big Spring, Texas; Eduardo Daniel Mares, aka "Pitt," 21,...

CHICAGO – The funeral of a Chicago teen who was beaten to death on his way home from school drew civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan on Saturday, both calling for an end to youth violence. Farrakhan said he came to the funeral because he was "deeply pained" by the death of 16-year-old honor roll student Derrion Albert. The boy was walking to a bus stop after school when a group of teens attacked him during a street fight late last month. "Naturally, we wonder why such a beautiful life? Such a...

Last week in Cook County, Illinois, Derrion Albert, 16, was murdered after being in the wrong place at the wrong time as a gang fight broke out. What a tragic death for a kid who had a promising future. As a father, my heart goes out to his family - I couldn't even imagine what they must be going through. Unfortunately, Derrion wasn't the only black child killed last week in Cook County - an estimated 159 unborn children of color were also murdered last week - not by street gangs, but by gangs of doctors and nurses.[1] Like Derrion,...

Cell phone footage showing a group of teens viciously kicking and striking a 16-year-old honors student with splintered railroad ties has ramped up pressure on Chicago officials to address chronic violence that has led to dozens of deaths of city teens each year. The graphic video of the afternoon melee emerged on local news stations over the weekend, showing the fatal beating of Derrion Albert, a sophomore honor roll student at Christian Fenger Academy High School. His death was the latest addition to a rising toll: More than 30 students were killed last school year, and the city could exceed...

This is the hard lesson some students at Fenger High School have to deal with after a day of learning. For them it's a hard lesson of reality on the streets.

PEORIA — .More than 24 hours after a melee broke out at an apartment complex for Illinois Central College students early Sunday, police were still sorting out the details. Preliminary information from East Peoria police indicates a party Saturday night at WoodView Commons, an apartment complex at 100 WoodView Lane, grew out of control. “As best we can gather, the initial scenario is that there were some discourse between two gangs that became heightened by the playing of a certain rap song that insulted one of the gangs, and the fight was on,” Police Chief Ed Papis said Monday. “Whoever...

Published : Saturday, 26 Sep 2009, 10:00 PM EDT * By Darlene Hill, FOX Chicago News This is the hard lesson some students at Fenger High School have to deal with after a day of learning. For them it's a hard lesson of reality on the streets. Thursday after school, two rival gangs got into a fight three blocks from the high school. In all four students were beaten in that melee -- one was released from the hospital Friday morning.

Note: The following text is a quote: YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report Warden Message: Belgrade Expatriates Experiencing Attacks CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS Europe - Serbia 25 Sep 2009 U.S. Embassy Belgrade issues the following Warden Message September 25: The U.S. Embassy wishes to alert American Citizens to a recent spate of crimes affecting the expatriate community in Belgrade. The Regional Security Office (RSO) states that trends involving physical assaults and gun violence remain a threat to foreigners. The RSO wishes to highlight the some recent criminal events: · On September 16, 2009, a British...

Suspected drug hitmen burst into a Mexican radio station and shot dead a journalist in front of his colleagues in the latest brazen attack on the media, authorities and a Mexican newspaper said on Thursday. Gunmen shot Norberto Miranda, 44, several times in the rural town of Nuevo Casas Grandes in Chihuahua state near the U.S. border on Wednesday night. "His body was found full of bullets in the radio's offices," said a spokesman for the Chihuahua attorney general's office. The newspaper El Diario said Miranda, who was well-known locally, had recently reported on growing drug violence in the remote...

Under the cover of darkness this morning, about 1,200 heavily armed officers from the Los Angeles Police Department, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and several other agencies launched a major assault on the Avenues gang, hoping to deal a blow to one of Los Angeles' most notorious criminal groups. Warrants in hand, teams of officers departed a massive command center in Elysian Park around 3 a.m. and descended on dozens of homes in search of 54 alleged members or associates of the Avenues gang who were wanted on an array of federal charges related to the gang's extensive drug dealing,...