Gang Watch | 12.21.2016

ALASKA - FBI notes rise of gang violence in Anchorage

ANCHORAGE — The FBI says it has seen an uptick in gang activity in Anchorage, with most of the crime centered on drugs. FBI agent Mike Watson described Anchorage as a “melting pot” for various types of gangs, which have been active in the city for years. “We see a little bit of everything,” Watson told KTVA-TV. “We’ve seen, in the past, connections to Mexican cartels. We see Hispanic gangs, we see white Aryan gangs, so it’s not just the Bloods and Crips.”...(Full Article)

FLORIDA - Sheriff says recent violence in Pine Hills might be gang-related

ORLANDO - Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said gangs might be to blame for recent violence in Pine Hills. It’s sparked a call for a curfew for children. Demings said he’s concerned that some of the suspects in the cases are young teenagers. The concern comes as police investigate a shooting in Pine Hills on North Lane Parkway that sent five people to the hospital late Sunday. “Some of what we’re seeing may very well be gang-related,” Demings said. “When we look at the teenagers who are involved in violent crimes, who are involved in homicide, often times they are involved in gang activity.”...(Full Article)

FLORIDA - The fights stemmed between gangs from Gainesville neighborhoods

GAINESVILLE - Multiple gang-related fights that broke out in the courtyard at Eastside High School Wednesday resulted in the arrest of more than two dozen students, numerous students being pepper-sprayed or Tased and a campus lockdown. The melee stemmed from disputes between gangs from east Gainesville neighborhoods, and school resource deputies had heard Tuesday that something could be afoot, sheriff's Lt. Brandon Kutner said....(Full Article)

GEORGIA - Gangs No Longer Boys Misbehaving But Networks Of Organized Crime

ATLANTA - Soon-to-be former DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James says when he assumed the job 6 years ago, there were “a bunch of local hybrid gangs of 16, 17, 18 year old boys” with names like “Block, and Duct Tape”. While James says only remnants of those groups are still around, he says the gang situation “has gotten out of control”. So, what happened? About 4 or 5 years ago, he says, the national gangs, (the Bloods, the Crips, the GDs or Gangsta Disciples) came in and essentially started consolidating some of the gangs and making their presence known...(Full Article)

TENNESSEE - Gangs and domestic violence leading cause in homicide increase

MEMPHIS - As an unprecedented homicide rate looms over the city of Memphis, Mayor Jim Strickland lays out his concrete plan to address our biggest problems in the new year. - There have been 222 homicides this year. That's a record number in the city of Memphis and the year isn't over yet. For a mayor who campaigned on making our city safer, it's a big let down. He says most murders in this city stem from two issues. "Between gangs and domestic violence. Those two causes are the majority of our homicides," said...(Full Article)