Gangs rule by fear and intimidation. The irony is that they hide under a cloak of secrecy and prey on the weak and vulnerable. If you have ever been in a place infested by cockroaches what happens when the light goes on? The roaches scatter for cover and disappear into the cracks and crevices to hide and protect themselves. This holds true with gangs, when the cloak is lifted and the truth exposed they scatter. This is why education on gangs is so important. When you learn about them and find out what makes them tick you make them uncomfortable and they simply will not operate outside of their comfort zone.
As an example of what I'm talking about I'll address a case in Danville, Il. Prior to 2007 I had just very elementary and basic knowledge about street gangs. I knew they existed and was aware of some of the ways they identified. What I didn't know is just how sophisticated they were and the strict organizational structure they followed. I adhered to the philosophy set by my department which focused on individual criminal offenders and not a broader criminal element. As such "foot soldiers" were arrested repeatedly but the leadership within the organizations went on unchecked.
In 2007 when I began getting trained by Denny Davis my eyes were opened to a whole new world. He taught me about the inner workings of the gangs and how to infiltrate to get at the leadership. When I began applying this training and knowledge to the streets we started seeing a big difference. The gangs became uneasy and were no longer a beat ahead of us. We were a beat ahead of them and they knew it. They went so far as to put hits out on two of our officers. We foiled this murder-for-hire plot which reeled the leadership. The Danville branch of the Motown Stones was called back to Chicago by their boss'. They had been operating unscathed in Danville since 2000 and controlling the drug flow. With my new found knowledge we were able to rid our community of this infection.
(Before I go any further I should explain that our efforts to bring a murder for hire case against the leadership of the gang were obstructed by the hierarchy of my own department and our State's Attorney. When I sought help from outside agencies I was placed under an internal investigation. I was literally stopped in my tracks by the very department which employed me. I would soon discover that a prosecutor working for our State's Attorney was under the control and influence of the Black P Stones. This prosecutor was highly thought of by high ranking members of my department and they set out on a campaign to silence me. The State's Attorney also worked to protect his prosecutor and prevent us from furthering our investigation. More on this in a future post.)
Knowledge is power and it will allow one to overcome their fear of the unknown. When good people obtain this knowledge they can use it to identify organizations operating in their neighborhoods and inform the authorities. When the authorities gain this knowledge they can work to infiltrate the gangs and break them down from the inside out. Making this strategy work takes several ingredients. It takes a strong partnership with the police and the community, it takes people willing to get involved with taking back their neighborhoods, it takes a police force with the will to take on the gangs and it takes heart by officers who should be dedicated at doing this.
By knowing and understanding gangs it removes their mystique and exposes them for what they really are. Gangs are groups of individuals joined through a common criminal enterprise and unified under an organizational structure. Without leadership the gang will disintegrate. There need not be a paralyzing fear of them. There does need to be people who commit and dedicate themselves to dismantling the gangs through proven strategies, strategies that involve using the power of the mind through education and training. When we know them better than they know themselves it is like the light going on in a dark room full of cockroaches, they will run and scatter.
As an example of what I'm talking about I'll address a case in Danville, Il. Prior to 2007 I had just very elementary and basic knowledge about street gangs. I knew they existed and was aware of some of the ways they identified. What I didn't know is just how sophisticated they were and the strict organizational structure they followed. I adhered to the philosophy set by my department which focused on individual criminal offenders and not a broader criminal element. As such "foot soldiers" were arrested repeatedly but the leadership within the organizations went on unchecked.
In 2007 when I began getting trained by Denny Davis my eyes were opened to a whole new world. He taught me about the inner workings of the gangs and how to infiltrate to get at the leadership. When I began applying this training and knowledge to the streets we started seeing a big difference. The gangs became uneasy and were no longer a beat ahead of us. We were a beat ahead of them and they knew it. They went so far as to put hits out on two of our officers. We foiled this murder-for-hire plot which reeled the leadership. The Danville branch of the Motown Stones was called back to Chicago by their boss'. They had been operating unscathed in Danville since 2000 and controlling the drug flow. With my new found knowledge we were able to rid our community of this infection.
(Before I go any further I should explain that our efforts to bring a murder for hire case against the leadership of the gang were obstructed by the hierarchy of my own department and our State's Attorney. When I sought help from outside agencies I was placed under an internal investigation. I was literally stopped in my tracks by the very department which employed me. I would soon discover that a prosecutor working for our State's Attorney was under the control and influence of the Black P Stones. This prosecutor was highly thought of by high ranking members of my department and they set out on a campaign to silence me. The State's Attorney also worked to protect his prosecutor and prevent us from furthering our investigation. More on this in a future post.)
Knowledge is power and it will allow one to overcome their fear of the unknown. When good people obtain this knowledge they can use it to identify organizations operating in their neighborhoods and inform the authorities. When the authorities gain this knowledge they can work to infiltrate the gangs and break them down from the inside out. Making this strategy work takes several ingredients. It takes a strong partnership with the police and the community, it takes people willing to get involved with taking back their neighborhoods, it takes a police force with the will to take on the gangs and it takes heart by officers who should be dedicated at doing this.
By knowing and understanding gangs it removes their mystique and exposes them for what they really are. Gangs are groups of individuals joined through a common criminal enterprise and unified under an organizational structure. Without leadership the gang will disintegrate. There need not be a paralyzing fear of them. There does need to be people who commit and dedicate themselves to dismantling the gangs through proven strategies, strategies that involve using the power of the mind through education and training. When we know them better than they know themselves it is like the light going on in a dark room full of cockroaches, they will run and scatter.
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