EmergencyNet News Service
08/19/96 - 14:00CST
GANGBANGERS INVADE CYBERSPACE
By Steve Macko, ENN Editor
Chicago, IL (ENN) -- As if law enforcement officers didn't already have enough to worry about, there is now a new
hangout in cyberspace. It's for street gang members and gangbanger wannabes. Just what was needed -- a place for gang
members to exchange ideas on how to improve drug sales, what's the best gun to use to shoot your business rivals and
what's the best drugs to use in your spare time?
All of that and even more can be found on the Glock3 Web site. This site is said to link members of street gangs from
around the world, from 'Lil Shorty's Click in London to the Gangster Disciples in Chicago to the West Side Crips in
Phoenix. Experts say that the site provides a virtual how-to-be a street gang member.
The site was said to be created in early January by gangbangers in Detroit. In the first three months, it recorded about
9,000 hits -- which is pretty respectable. After its internet service provider saw what was going on -- Glock3 was deleted
from the service. In April, the enterprising gang members found a new internet provider ... in New Zealand.
The Auckland internet provider has received complaints about the Web site, but the company feels its powerless to do
anything about it. The operations manager for the provider said, "We have no legal right to censor the content. We don't
have the authority. The legislation hasn't caught up with the internet."
An example of the type of individual that visits the Web site is a gang member who calls herself, "GDLookin'" She talks
about her favorite music groups, partying in Mexico and smoking "out" on the Glock3 "phat linkz" page. She must be a real
charmer. Other members have bragged about serving time for such offenses as: carjacking, carrying a concealed weapon,
auto theft, assault and arson.
Sergeant Mark Clark of the Scottsdale, Arizona, Police Department says that he is more concerned about Web sites
showing how to make bombs then how to act and dress like a gangbanger.
The Scottsdale Police Department has established its own Web site that is dedicated to fighting gangs. The new site offers
gang statistics, phone numbers and tips for parents on keeping their kids out of gangs. Any questions can be directed to
Sergeant Clark at his e-mail address of: spdganggood@net.com
As a reminder, the Emergency Response and Research Institute's EMERGENCY BBS has a large library on information
about Chicago street gangs. You can reach the EMERGENCY BBS at the number given at the end of the ENN DAILY
REPORT or if you don't want to pay long distance fees -- you can reach the BBS through telnet from anywhere in the
world.
Clark said that there are not a large number of street gang members in Scottsdale. "Half the gang population of Arizona
lives in Phoenix," he said. "And we're a part of the Phoenix metropolitan area."
In the United States, there are at least 25,000 street gangs with an estimated membership of about 650,000 people.
Gangbangers in the Southwest portion of the U.S. are said to be less organized than those on the East Coast, said Jim
Ledy, a criminal-intelligence analyst for the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Captain David Gonzales, who heads up the Arizona DPS gang task force, said about gangs on the internet, "Now it's in
your home, your living room, your den. Street gangs are moving toward more of an organized crime stature." (Editor's
Note: the captain needs to come to Chicago and see how organized they are.)
Gonzales, who has been tracking gangbangers for almost ten years, added, "Unfortunately, these guys can talk about
anything they want and there's nothing law enforcement can do about it. It establishes a worldwide connection to gangs
everywhere."
* Thanks to G.I. Wilson for his help in the preparation of this article.*
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