In an effort to decrease Portland's gang violence this summer, even the deceased will be monitored for gang symbols and colors. In a bold move, Portland pastors banded together Tuesday with a sweeping policy. And they announced to the public that those who wear gang colors to a funeral will not be allowed inside the church. No more gang colors, No more hats, No more disrespect. That's the announcement by pastors who signed the new covenant for gang-related funerals. "We need places of safety and places of welcome," said Pastor Mark Knutson with the Augustana Lutheran Church, "because we believe that every person is made in the image of God." This is a joint effort between religious leaders at various churches and the Portland Police Bureau. Reverend Dr. Allen Bethel says the effort began several months ago, after gang members showed up at a funeral at Maranatha Church dressed in gang colors. Even the person in the casket was dressed in a hat with gang colors. And there have been instances in Portland where gang fights have escalated as a result of funeral gatherings. Sometime those fights have happened during funerals, or right outside the church. As such, Portland Police are hoping this move will help decrease the odds of that happening again. This decision comes just one day before the official first day of summer. Summer is a time when gang violence tends to spike in the Rose City, and beyond. Pre-funeral meetings now mandated Now, with the new covenant, the rules not only include the ban on gang colors in church but also include mandatory pre-funeral meetings between family members and church leaders. Lyrics to songs and any videos played during the funeral also must be approved two days before the service. The deceased person's clothing also may not reflect any gang colors or symbols. "We believe there is decorum in our houses of faith inside our sanctuaries," said Rev. Dr. T. Allen Bethel. "And we will establish, we will have decorum when it comes to serving in our communities."
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Leaders of El Salvador’s Mara street gangs said they are ready to start negotiations with the government toward a permanent peace pact following the success of a three-month-old temporary truce that has lowered the Central American country’s murder rate dramatically. The gang leaders said during a ceremony at the Izalco prison to celebrate the first 100 days of the truce that they want the government to offer job programs or some other sort of aid to gang members in exchange. “We want to reach a definitive ceasefire, to end all the criminal acts of the gangs,” said Mara 18 leader Oscar Armando Reyes. “But we have to reach agreements, because we have to survive. There was talk of job plans, but we haven’t gotten any answers, and it is time for the government to listen to us.” Mr. Reyes said the gangs weren’t thinking of ending the temporary truce. “We are issuing a call for us all to sit down and have a dialogue, to reach a definitive accord,” he said. There was no immediate response from the government. Former leftist guerrilla commander Raul Mijango and Roman Catholic Bishop Fabio Colindres mediated a truce between the Mara Salvatrucha and the Mara 18 gangs in March that has helped lower homicide rates. Mr. Mijango said the country’s homicide rate has dropped from about 14 murders a day in March to about five a day in early June. “This effort has saved the lives of more than 850 innocent Salvadorans,” Mr. Mijango said. An estimated 50,000 Salvadorans belong to street gangs that deal drugs, extort businesses and kill rivals. Gang leaders say they want to stop the violence that has given El Salvador one of the highest murder rates in the world, behind neighbouring Honduras. In April, authorities rejected a proposal that El Salvador’s gangs receive the subsidies the government currently spends on public transportation in exchange for gang members stopping extortion of bus drivers.
last of 27 alleged gang members indicted in April was arrested Tuesday afternoon by the U.S. Marshals Service. Darius Smith was taken into custody around 3 p.m. after authorities found him on James Street, officials of the service said. The indictment, handed up April 3, alleges that Smith, 29, conspired to sell more than 280 grams of cocaine and heroin. He was to appear Wednesday in U.S. District Court. Smith was allegedly a member of the Uptown, or Gunners, gang. In an April news conference, U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian said the gang used guns to terrorize the neighborhood and its members marked buildings in the Central State Street neighborhood with graffiti to mark their territory. The investigation led to the arrests of 27 alleged gang members listed on the indictment; 23 were arrested
An accused member of the notorious Malvern Crew street gang has lost a last-ditch bid to stay in Canada and is being deported to his native Jamaica for criminality. Raoul Andre Burton, 28, of Toronto, was one of 65 suspected members of the east-end gang rounded up in May 2004 by Toronto Police in Project Impact. Members of the gang were involved in a rivalry with the Galloway Boyz over turf in 2003 and 2004 that left four people dead. Burton was charged with nine offences and sentenced to eight-months in jail along with a 165-day stint of pre-sentence custody. He pled guilty to participating in a criminal organization, known as the Malvern Crew, and two counts of drug possession and trafficking that made him inadmissable to Canada Officers of the Canada Border Services Agency have been trying for years to deport Burton, who arrived here from Jamaica at age 10 and never obtained citizenship. Lawyers for Burton sought to appeal the deportation order to the Federal Court of Canada, but Judge David Near dismissed the application which means Burton will be sent packing. “Mr. Burton was right in the thick of things, an active member of the Malvern Crew, actively participating in the activities of the organization,” Near said in his June 11 decision. “He may have occupied a rather influential or responsible place in the organization.” Near said Burton’s involvement with the Malvern Crew was “significant.” “He was obviously fully integrated and well-invested into the organization,” Near wrote. “He was also prepared to engage in criminal activities on a significant scale for the benefit of the organization.” Police gang experts said Burton was a loyal Malvern foot-soldier who was a “good money-earner” for the gang. Officers said the gang was involved in the trafficking, importation and distribution of drugs as well as other crimes, including murder.
The last defendant in the hate-crime killing of 14-year-old Cheryl Green was sentenced Wednesday to 238 years to life in prison. Ernesto Alcarez was found guilty of murder, attempted murder and a hate crime last month in the killing of Green, a black girl who was gunned down while standing with friends on a street in her Harbor Gateway neighborhood. Alcarez's sentence was imposed by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephen Marcus. Prosecutors said Alcarez acted as a lookout for the shooter, 204th Street gang member Jonathan Fajardo. On Dec. 15, 2006, Fajardo faced off with a black motorist in the neighborhood earlier in the day. He went to a stash house for a gun and then walked back to the neighborhood with Alcarez in tow looking for the motorist, according to testimony in previous court hearings. The pair came upon Green and several other African Americans. In broad daylight, Fajardo opened fire without a word, hitting the girl in the stomach, and wounding several of her friends. Green's friends rushed her to a hospital, where she died. The crime cast light on long-standing violence by Latino street gangs against blacks in many neighborhoods of the city. The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations said Latino street gangs were the most violent perpetrators of hate crimes in the region, mostly against blacks. The tiny Harbor Gateway neighborhood where Green lived became a symbol of those tensions. Black residents told The Times that they were often harassed and beaten by the Latino 204th Street gang, and could not patronize the area's only market, which the gang used as its hangout. The neighborhood had averaged about one Latino-on-black homicide a year since 1997, according to LAPD figures. Most of the victims were not affiliated with any gang, police said. Within weeks, FBI Director Robert Mueller, along with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, then-Police Chief William Bratton, Sheriff Lee Baca and then-City Councilwoman Janice Hahn held a news conference in front of the market, vowing to eradicate the gang and invest in services long lacking in the dense, isolated neighborhood. A 2008 gang injunction put many 204th Streeters in jail. The Cheryl Green Youth Center opened in 2009, offering after-school activities for the neighborhood's kids. Green's murder gave rise to another killing -- of 204th Street associate Christopher Ash, 25, whom gang members believed had told police that Fajardo was responsible for Green's slaying. Two weeks after Green was killed, Ash was lured to the garage of a house in Carson and stabbed repeatedly by Fajardo and other 204th Street gang members. His body was then dumped on a Carson street. Police officials said Ash had not cooperated with them. In 2010, Fajardo was found guilty of two counts of murder and committing a hate crime for shooting Green and stabbing Ash, and given the death penalty. Defendants in that case – Robert Gonzales, Daniel Aguilar and Raul Silva – have all been convicted of Ash's murder, along with Fajardo. Another defendant in that case, Jose Covarrubias, testified against his former 204th Street associates.
The 40-year-old’s behaviour “has come into question on more than one occasion” since his release from custody last December on statutory parole after serving two-thirds of a six-year federal sentence for cocaine trafficking, according to a June 14 National Parole Board decision. Harper’s release included special conditions such as a daily curfew, abstaining from alcohol and non-prescribed drugs, and avoiding deliberate contact with anyone involved in crime. About a month after his release, he was observed in a local bar with two unidentified men. No alcohol was consumed and Harper “left immediately when recognized,” the document notes. His curfew was tightened following the incident and parole officials added a more restrictive condition specifying that he not enter bars or liquor stores. “In February 2012 you requested a curfew extension for a specific location but you went elsewhere instead, lending itself to question your intentions and behaviours,” the decision stated. Then on April 13, a warrant was issued for Harper’s arrest after his urine tested positive for cocaine. “You turned yourself in and took full ownership of your drug use. You stated your cousin came over and brought the cocaine and alcohol. You denied using alcohol. You stated it was your first and only use since release. Reports note there is reason to speculate you may maintain some connections with the illicit drug trade,” the board wrote. A parole officer in the community expressed concerns about Harper not being forthright regarding his drug use, as well as his part-time work schedule, the decision notes. The parole officer “had questions relating to your finances as he wondered how you were able to maintain your lifestyle on your minimal income,” it adds. “You stated you achieved this by using your line of credit. You acknowledged you were aware of the special conditions on your statutory release. The board notes you have returned to your previous behaviour as evidenced by your use of cocaine.” Harper maintains he no longer has any affiliation with the Terror Squad, the decision noted. He will become eligible for statutory release again in late May 2013, after serving two-thirds of the remainder of his sentence.
Mexican marines believed the car salesman they arrested was a growing force within the Sinaloa cartel
On Thursday officials paraded before the media a man they said was Jesus Alfredo Guzman, whose father leads the powerful Sinaloa cartel.
But the arrested man was in fact Felix Beltran Leon, a car salesman, the attorney general's office said.
The authorities had hailed the arrest as the most important in years.
Known as El Chapo" or "Shorty", Joaquin Guzman has been in hiding ever since he escaped from prison in 2001.
The Sinaloa cartel controls much of the flow of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine to the United States.
'Embarrassing U-turn'
Felix Beltran Leon's distraught mother said the family had no connection to the GuzmansThe BBC's Will Grant in the capital, Mexico City, says within hours of the high-profile arrest, doubts had started to be cast on the official version of events.
A lawyer proclaiming to speak for the Guzman family released a statement denying that the suspect in custody was the drug boss's son.
Mr Beltran Leon's mother then spoke to journalists and denied any link to Joaquin Guzman or the Sinaloa cartel.
It took another few hours, while identity tests were carried out, before the government admitted it had made a huge mistake.
In less than a day, the episode has transformed from an apparent coup against one of Mexico's biggest drug cartels to a major embarrassment for President Felipe Calderon's administration, our reporter says.
US agencies, such as the Drug Enforcement Administration, were among those that had applauded the arrest.
On Thursday, the Mexican Navy had said that Jesus Guzman - known as "El Gordo", or "The Fat One" - was a growing force within his father's cartel and controlled most of its trade between Mexico and the US, where he was indicted in 2009.
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman photographed when under arrest in 1993El Chapo was jailed in 1993, but escaped from his maximum-security prison in a laundry basket eight years later.
The US state department has offered a reward of up to $5m (£3.2m) for information leading to his arrest.
Our correspondent says if nothing else, the debacle goes to underscore how murky and confused the world of drug cartel arrests and government intelligence has become in Mexico.
With few recent photos of the main players in the drug world available, there may be more such cases of mistaken identity to come for the Mexican armed forces, he says.
More than 55,000 people have died in Mexico in drug-related violence since President Calderon declared war on the cartels nearly six years ago.
Anthony Phillips, 26, of San Bernardino, is accused of fatally shooting Maurice Major, 29, of Riverside, at an apartment complex in the 1200 block of North Sierra Way. Phillips was arrested the next day. He is charged with one count of murder, and prosecutors have added a gang enhancement for Phillips' alleged involvement in a San Bernardino gang. Phillips, who was in San Bernardino Superior Court on Thursday, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. During the hearing in front of Judge James Dorr, a detective and an officer from the San Bernardino Police Department were called as witnesses. They testified about the shooting and gangs in the area. Phillips, also known as Ant, is affiliated with the Delmann Heights Bloods, said Officer Jonathan Plummer, a gang investigator with the San Bernardino Police Department. "(The shooting) enhances the gang by sending a message to rival gang members and to the community - that Delmann Heights is very violent," Plummer said. The officer testified about Phillips' reported noteworthy tattoos, including "DH" under his eyes, "Bloods" on his body, "San Murderdino" on his abs and "Delmann Heights" on both arms. Witnesses told police that Major was also a gang member, Detective Albert Tello testified. Advertisement His street name was West and he was affiliated with the West Covina Neighbor Hood Crips out of Los Angeles County. Recently, Los Angeles County gangs have come into the Inland Empire to sell drugs, Plummer said. Delmann Heights, which has more than 150 documented members, claims the boundaries of California Street to the west, Medical Center Drive to the east, Cajon Boulevard to the north and Highland Avenue to the south, according to police. Following a recent gang injunction in Delmann Heights, several DH members have migrated over to the 1200 block of Sierra to sell narcotics, Plummer said. Major's girlfriend told police that on the night of the shooting they were at a party outside a San Bernardino apartment complex, Tello testified. She told police that 20 to 30 people were there, including Phillips. The two men were familiar with each other, she told police, and at one point Phillips approached Major and asked to speak with him, Tello testified. The two walked away, Tello said, and while they were talking they got into an argument. Phillips then allegedly shot the victim several times in the chest, the girlfriend told police. "After he shot the victim, the suspect ran from the complex, put the gun away and ran toward Fame Liquor," on Base Line, Tello relayed on the witness stand. Major was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Deputy District Attorney David Tulcan said prosecutors are still investigating whether Major had a gun on him that night. Authorities did find a clear, plastic bag with several pieces of suspected rock cocaine on the victim, police said. Testimony in the preliminary hearing will continue on Monday, where a judge is expected to set trial dates. May was a deadly month for the city. There were 12 reported homicides - five in one week. The spate of May violence prompted memories of the 1990s, when gang violence peaked in the area. The number of people killed in the city this year is up to 23
A Jersey City man who is a ranking member of the Fruit Town Brims set of the Bloods street gang was sentenced to 63 months in prison Wednesday for his role in the gang’s criminal enterprises, officials said. Tequan Ryals, 34, had pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy before U.S. District Court Judge Stanley R. Chesler, who imposed the sentence in Newark federal court Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said. Ryals, with fellow gang members, conspired to distribute quantities of heroin in Jersey City between December 2008 and February 2009, according to court documents and statements. Ryals also made two drug sales monitored by law enforcement in December 2008, officials said. Ryals, who was involved in the daily activities of the Fruit Town Brims from 2004 until his arrest, acted as a middleman drug distributor, officials said. Ryals was supplied “bricks” of heroin by an associate of the set and he resold them to gang members, officials said. The indictment unsealed in January 2011 charged Ryals and 14 other defendants with racketeering conspiracy and other offenses including acts pertaining to murder, murder conspiracy, aggravated assaults, a kidnapping, firearms offenses and various drug distribution conspiracies, officials said. The gang members charged in the indictment ran the gang’s activities in Jersey City, Newark, Paterson and other locations, officials said. In November, Ryals completed a state prison term for drug crimes, corrections records say. Last week, 30-year federal prison terms were meted out to Emmanuel Jones, 28, of Jersey City, and Torien Brooks, 31, of Paterson, both members of the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims set of the Bloods, officials said. Jones and Brooks were charged in the July 2004 murder of 17-year-old Michael Taylor of Jersey City, who was gunned down in a case of mistaken identity during gang retaliation, officials said. Fishman credited a number of law enforcement agencies for the investigation leading to Ryals’ conviction, including the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, and Jersey City Police Department.
A mob snitch who couldn’t shoot straight easily pointed the finger at a reputed Colombo gangster on trial for murder. Dino Basciano took the witness stand in Brooklyn Federal Court to testify that he heard Frank (BF) Guerra was part of a hit team that successfully whacked Joseph Scopo in 1993. Basciano, 56, wasn’t much of a hit man himself, botching at least three rubout attempts. In one case, he shot Patricia Capozzalo, the sister of Peter (Fat Pete) Chiodo, telling defense lawyer Gerald McMahon, “I knew I didn’t kill her. She was still screaming when we left.”
The twin half brothers of Ramarley Graham, the Bronx teen fatally shot by a police officer in February, were convicted Tuesday for gun possenion and being part of a Harlem street gang. Hodean and Kadean Graham were sentenced to eight years in jail for heading a crew known as "One-Twenty-Nine" and "Goodfellas/The New Dons" between 2007 and 2011 in the area around W. 129th Street, between Lenox and Fifth Avenues. The 20-year-old brothers were cleared of attempted murder. "This violent street gang was as young as it was dangerous, its members having been involved in multiple shootings over a four-year period," Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said in a statement. Fifteen members of the gang were convicted on charges of drug dealing and weapons possession. Last week, police officer Richard Haste, 31, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter for shooting Ramarley Graham in the Bronx while officers were investigating a drug deal. As officers made the bust, they were radioed that Graham was armed, when he in fact was not. Graham was shot was trying to flush a bag of marijuana down a toilet. Haste's attorney said in court that the officer was conviced the teen was carrying a weapon.
Governor Mitch Daniels, a Republican, has authorized changes to a 2006 legislation that legalizes the use of deadly force on a public servant — including an officer of the law — in cases of “unlawful intrusion.” Proponents of both the Second and Fourth Amendments — those that allow for the ownership of firearms and the security against unlawful searches, respectively — are celebrating the update by saying it ensures that residents are protected from authorities that abuse the powers of the badge. Others, however, fear that the alleged threat of a police state emergence will be replaced by an all-out warzone in Indiana. Under the latest changes of the so-called Castle Doctrine, state lawmakers agree “people have a right to defend themselves and third parties from physical harm and crime.” Rather than excluding officers of the law, however, any public servant is now subject to be met with deadly force if they unlawfully enter private property without clear justification. “In enacting this section, the general assembly finds and declares that it is the policy of this state to recognize the unique character of a citizen's home and to ensure that a citizen feels secure in his or her own home against unlawful intrusion by another individual or a public servant,” reads the legislation. Although critics have been quick to condemn the law for opening the door for assaults on police officers, supporters say that it is necessary to implement the ideals brought by America’s forefathers. Especially, argue some, since the Indiana Supreme Court almost eliminated the Fourth Amendment entirely last year. During the 2011 case of Barnes v. State of Indiana, the court ruled that a man who assaulted an officer dispatched to his house had broken the law before there was “no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers.” In turn, the National Rifle Association lobbied for an amendment to the Castle Doctrine to ensure that residents were protected from officers that abuse the law to grant themselves entry into private space. “There are bad legislators,” the law’s author, State Senator R. Michael Young (R) tells Bloomberg News. “There are bad clergy, bad doctors, bad teachers, and it’s these officers that we’re concerned about that when they act outside their scope and duty that the individual ought to have a right to protect themselves.” Governor Daniels agrees with the senator in a statement offered through his office, and notes that the law is only being established to cover rare incidents of police abuse that can escape the system without reprimand for officers or other persons that break the law to gain entry. “In the real world, there will almost never be a situation in which these extremely narrow conditions are met,” Daniels says. “This law is not an invitation to use violence or force against law enforcement officers.” Officers in Indiana aren’t necessarily on the same page, though. “If I pull over a car and I walk up to it and the guy shoots me, he’s going to say, ‘Well, he was trying to illegally enter my property,’” Sergeant Joseph Hubbard tells Bloomberg. “Somebody is going get away with killing a cop because of this law.” “It’s just a recipe for disaster,” Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police President Tim Downs adds. “It just puts a bounty on our heads.”
Federal Judge Robert P Patterson sentenced Coke to 20 years on the first count and three years on the assault charge, both sentences are to run consecutively.
His prison sentence will be followed by two years of supervised release during which time he will be subject to drug testing and supervision of the probation office.
DNA samples will also taken from him.
Coke has 14 days in which to file an appeal if he so wishes.
In court this morning, an eloquent but nervous Coke asked that the judge be lenient and take into consideration his good deeds which he said included homework and remedial programs for students, as well as a curfew which took school aged children off the streets at a certain time.
He said he took care of his people and made sure they were alright.
Coke also told the court that he was innocent of allegations directed at him from Jermaine "Cowboy" Cohen and Anthony Brown, noting he was seeing Brown for the first time in his life when he appeared in court two weeks ago to testify against him.
Defense attorney Stephen Rosen also told the court that there was not on iota of truth in anything the witnesses said. This included corporating witnesses one and two whose names cannot be released.
Coke family member lead by aunt Angella Jackson were very upset and had no comment but asked the press to respect the privacy of their family.
The extradition request led to a protracted dispute between the governments of Jamaica and the US.
The dispute lasted for almost a year and ended with then Prime Minister Bruce Golding acceding to the US request and sending both the Jamaica Defence Force and the Jamaica Constabulary Force into Tivoli Gardens to arrest Coke in May 2010.
The ensuing standoff between the armed forces and gunmen resulted in the deaths of at least 73 persons, one soldier and many unanswered questions.
