My name is Kelsey C. Johnson, and I am a Sergeant for the Whiteacre Bluffs Police Department. I have been a member of the Department for ten years. My family first moved to Whiteacre Bluffs in 1955, and my parents and siblings continue to jive in this community. I attended the John Jay College for Criminal Justice in New York City, and graduated in 1983. Thereafter, I attended the Police Academy in New York and was a member of the New York City Police Department for four years. While in New York, I gained experience and training in the evolution of gang culture, in principles of gang control, and in observing and countering gang- related violence and drug-trafficking activities. In 1988, 1 returned to Whiteacre Bluffs to be closer to my family I was hired by the Department as a patrol officer. I have been the head of the gang task force for the past two years.
Whiteacre Bluffs has a population of about 75,000 and is located approximately 15 miles from Gateway City, which is now a major metropolitan area. Whiteacre Bluffs has grown a great deal since the time my family moved here in 1955. Originally, Whiteacre Bluffs was a semi- rural community of less than 15,000. Many of the citizens lived on small- to mid-size working farms. There was some industry located in Whiteacre Bluffs at that time. The local university was also a primary employer. In the 1950s, Whiteacre Bluffs was a very comfortable place to live. It was a homogeneous community; people shared the same values and backgrounds. In the 1970s and 1980s, many things about Whiteacre Bluffs began to change. Much of this change was brought about by tremendous expansion in Gateway City and by the construction of the Interstate with an exchange located near the university. While Gateway City's population was
about 300,000 in 1950, it more than doubled by 1975. It continued to grow at a significant rate and now is home to more than I million people. As Gateway City expanded, people moved from the city to live in suburban communities. In the 1980s Gateway City had expanded to such an extent that Whiteacre Bluffs became a convenient option for many who wanted to work in Gateway City but have some of the advantages of living in a semi-rural area. Once Whiteacre Bluffs was “discovered” it also experienced significant population growth. in recent years, Whiteacre Bluffs has drawn to it several industries, especially Gentecho Chemical Manufacturing, attracted by the proximity of the Interstate, the presence of the university, the educated workforce, and the relatively low cost of living.
In my view, the changes in Whiteacre Bluffs. have not been good ones. Because of the booming population, more than 9,000 low-cost multi-family housing units have been built in the Northeast part of the city, and economic demographics have changed dramatically since the 1950s. While the population growth has leveled off over the past two years, the real and perceived crime rate continues to increase.
When I first joined the Whiteacre Police Department in 1988, there was little in the way of serious juvenile crime. Oh, there were the occasional fights and petit thefts, but very little in terms of serious street crime. However, drugs were a problem even then, especially at the university. There was also some noticeable increase in the number of drug-related offenses in the 1980s. However, the true escalation in drug-related crimes did not begin until the early 1990s when the manufacturing industries came in from Chicago and other major metropolitan areas. The industries brought with them not only additional jobs, but also additional employees--many of whom do not share the kind of upbringing and moral values Whiteacre Bluffs once stood for.
And Indeed, in the past three years, the overall number of incidents of drug trafficking, burglary, assault, and other violent crimes has increased by approximately 15%. During this time, I have witnessed what I thought I would never see happen in my hometown--the presence of organized youth gang activities. These street gangs are primarily drawn from the residents living in the high-density housing communities. Many of these youths come from Gateway City and from places like New York and Chicago where gang activity is common.
At first, many members of the Police Department refused to believe that gangs were a problem in Whiteacre Bluffs. About a year and a half ago, however, the increasing crime statistics and the complaints from citizens concerning youth-to-youth violence and drug dealing in the streets convinced my colleagues there is a problem. There were ever-increasing reports of youth loitering in public places, harassing and intimidating long-time citizens as well as newcomers These complaints provided me the evidence I needed to persuade the Police Department to establish a special unit on gang violence, which I am proud to head. [ was quite pleased with this new assignment; after all, my training in New York suited me for the task. It was also a very nice promotion for me. I had thought when I left New York I was leaving behind some opportunities for advancement in return for the better living conditions. Now, however, I can have both.
Last Spring, I was asked to testify before City Council concerning the adoption of an anti-loitering ordinance similar to those recently enacted in many other cities across this country. I testified before the Council concerning the increase in citizen complaints over the past three years. I further testified concerning what I had observed about the gangs operating in Whiteacre Bluffs. Two have surfaced, although in different parts of the City. The first gang, the Fuchsia Posse, has been in existence since 1987. To my knowledge, the F.P. originated in Gateway City. Graffiti and other signs were noted around 1990. The Fuchsia Posse is known for drug trafficking, primarily in marijuana and cocaine, and for car thefts and robbery Organized and run by leadership in Gateway City, it was the more violent of the two gangs in Whiteacre Bluffs. I considered it to be the true hard core gang in the City. The Fuchsia Posse has accounted for a significant number of the citizen complaints and crime statistics, particularly in the Northeast neighborhoods. Those neighborhoods were not safe were not safe--they were crime-ridden venues featuring streets patrolled by Fuchsia Posse members. Fortunately, because of the nature of the Fuchsia Posse's activities, the gang members tend to stay in their own area of town near many of the new housing developments.
The other gang of any note in Whiteacre Bluffs is the Double Deuce. The Double Deuce are significantly less violent than the Fuchsia Posse, but a more significant problem for a greater number of citizens. The Double Deuce tend to hang around downtown, in malls, parks, and public gathering places where they are responsible for a great deal of the harassment and intimidation noted in the citizens' complaints. Their colors are white and green; the gang's Insignia is a gold medallion with interlocking twos in the middle. (See Exhibit 3.) Their presence is particularly bad on weekends in the downtown area, which attracts a great deal of customer trade on Friday and Saturday evenings. There are several fine restaurants and other entertainment venues there.
In my testimony, I related to the City Council the studies demonstrating that young peripheral or associate gang members get their first exposure to the gang culture through various aspects of the media-news shows, movies, videos, and even through the music of various artists.
Some music and movies tend to glamorize the gang lifestyle. While the City Council was aware of the loitering problem, many were not aware of the extent to which loitering itself is a tool of gang recruiting and neighborhood control.
Many kids who gravitate to gangs do so out of a need to belong to something and for the power or material goods that can be obtained through being in a gang. The society we live in, especially in larger urban areas such as Chicago and New York, makes alternative lifestyles very appealing. Youth in Whiteacre, who may not have been exposed previously to many of these alternative lifestyles, are now being influenced by them because of the influx of residents from Gateway City and Chicago. Once youngsters become attracted to gang life, the gang's ongoing and obvious presence holds them in thrall.
Fortunately, the City Council chose not to keep its head in the sand about the real threat to our way of life presented by the presence of these gangs in Whiteacre Bluffs. The anti- loitering gang ordinance was passed and went into effect on September I, 1998. It gave my department the tool it needed to begin the process of eliminating gang blight from our city. I knew it would not be long before the opportunity presented itself to begin to crack down on the Fuchsia Posse and the Double Deuce--I was not disappointed.
On September 25,1998,1 was on duty from 3:00p.m. until 12:00 am. At approximately 9:15 p.m., Roan Lewis, owner of the Panache Restaurant at 2598 Napa Valley Drive, contacted our Department complaining about a gang of kids hanging around outside his/her restaurant. Lewis indicated there were approximately ten or so kids, between the ages of 13 and 19, standing near the entrance to the Panache. Lewis was immediately put through to my office and s/he informed me that I was needed to disperse the youth from the premises. When I asked him/her to describe what the youth were wearing, s/he indicated that several of the youth had on green- and-white bandanas, green shirts, and jeans. I asked Lewis whether they were wearing any kind of jewelry or other insignia. Lewis went away from the phone momentarily and then returned. S/he had asked one of Panache's patrons who had been harassed by the group and the patron had indicated that several of the youth had on gold medallions. At that point I was convinced Lewis's patrons were being harassed by the Double Deuce and I informed him/her we would be right out. Lewis identified one of the youth, K.J. Tyler. Tyler was known tome. Tyler had a drug problem and in the past has had several run-ins with my officers. Although she had connections with the Fuchsia Posse, her one appearance in court resulted in no more than a tap on the wrist: she was required to do some community service and go to drug rehab. Judges just don't understand--these kids need discipline and correction, not touchy-feely group sessions or arts-and-crafts projects.
When I arrived at the Panache, I observed 12-13 kids, both male and female, between the ages of 14 and 21. They were hanging around the Worldwide Pizza Palace. Worldwide is located next to the Panache. There is a grassy area between the two buildings. The kids were standing around smoking and talking. Some of them were on the patio, but most of them were so spread out on the sidewalk that no one could get by without walking into the street.
I watched while several of our finest citizens, people who had lived in Whiteacre Bluffs all their lives, had to cross the street so that they could walk in relative safety. Some of the kids would also step out in front of cars as the cars approached the intersection, causing the drivers to swerve or stop. A couple of the kids in bandanas made various hand signals to the people in the cars. Although some of the hand signals were gang signals that had no meaning to the people in the cars, a few of the hand signals were, shall I say, universal in their meaning.
I watched them from the cruiser for about 15 or 20 minutes I saw one kid, Ronell Grayan, who they sometimes call "Big G." Big 0 is the local leader of the Double Deuce. He is from Chicago and is, I believe, primarily responsible for initiating the growth of this Chicago gang in Whiteacre Bluffs. To my knowledge, there are about thirty local members altogether. I tried to see if I could tell what Big 0 was saying, but I could not. I saw several other of the Double Deuce members-Bobby Jones and Rene Fontaine. I also observed defendant K.J. Tyler. At first, Tyler was listening to Big U and smiling. No, Tyler did not have on the bandana or the medallion Double Deuce members usually wore, but she did have on a fuchsia shin with swooshes. I ran a records check on Big U, Bobby Jones, Fontaine, and Tyler to see if there were any outstanding warrants; nothing came up. While Big G was running his mouth, Tyler was talking to several of the other kids; one I think was Lee Sullivan, the other was Jamie Grayan. A college student approached Big G. I witnessed what I believed to be the beginnings of a drug transaction. Then, some kind of dispute started between Big G and Tyler. They were gesturing back and forth and Big G got louder and more emphatic. Unfortunately, at about the same time, Big G saw me, said something to the college student, and then signaled to several of the kids to leave.
At that point I knew that I had all I needed to make an arrest under the new anti-loitering statute. There were clearly members of the Double Deuce present; given the gang fight that had gone on the night before, and the heated interaction that had just transpired between Big 0 and Tyler, not to mention the repeated intimidation of the pedestrians making their ways towards the Panache, I reasonably believed that there was an imminent threat to public peace and order. I proceeded across the street towards the Worldwide Pizza Palace.
Several of the persons whom I believed to be associated with the Double Deuce-- specifically, Bobby Jones, Rene Fontaine, and others-- ran when they saw me. I ordered those remaining, including Big U, Jamie Grayan, Lee Sullivan, and K.J. Tyler, and three others, to disperse and to remove themselves from the area. Some of the kids ran off at the mouth about this being a free country and said that they weren't doing anything but hanging around with their friends. About four or five of the kids, including K.J. and Big G, refused to budge. At about that time Reagan Locksdale came running out from the restaurant, yelling at me that I was harassing his/her customers. I informed Locksdale about the complaint I had received, that his/her "customers were in violation of the anti-loitering statute, and that if s/he were wise, s/he should return inside the establishment unless s/he wished to be charged with obstructing official police business. K.J. Tyler, Big G, and a few others still refused to leave. Lee Sullivan and Jamie Grayan did, however, begin to move away when Big G told them to do so. Tyler mouthed off; talking about how she was in a public place; that she had a right to be on the street just like everyone else; that she was not engaged in any kind of unlawful activity; and that she could eat what, when, where and with whom she chose. Without any further hesitation, I placed Tyler and Big G under arrest for violating Section 9-5-014 of the Whiteacre Bluffs Municipal Code. I transported them to the police department where they were booked and later released on bond.