5/23/06

Do we rate?

Does Roanoke rate high enough to have gangs?

Nope..

Do dopes in Roanoke think we rate high enough to have gangs? According to the news, yep.

Guess what: I could drop the local thug life in my old hood in NY, and they would be back here - happy to mow the lawn, in moments.

But, you have to remember the "cool" factor - its cooler to tell people you are in a gang. Guess what? Im a Ghostbuster! Ain't I cool?

Roanoke has nothing so organized, nothing so encompassing as organized crime. Well, I shouldn't say that. Roanoke does have a history with organized crime (the local former moonshine operations are not the only reason the FBI is HQ here), just not of the kind that would create gangs.

Local gangs, sure. We probably have tons of them. Probably even some in the County high schools, they just don't seem like gangs.. but they are. Gangs as a defineable term exist everywhere, Gangs as an organized "terrorist" group (lets not mince words, thats pretty much the only thing they are good for) exist rarely. But, the threat of a organized gang is visceral enough to bring the city's population to trembles.

Honest to god truth, word from the street. Not gangs. Trust the street on this one folks - don't get hoodwinked by the media's portrayal of the hype. Yes, Gaskins did say it could have been gang-related. But I assure you, he was not talking about organized national gangs. He was talking about bored hoodlums with nothing better to do than commit crime, flagrantly break laws, and not work.

You want a gang worth fearing, try the Irish Mafia, MS-13, and the like.

You wont see any of them wasting time on Roanoke.

UPDATE***(10:22pm) If you wish to discuss further, head over to the messageboard. Free flowing conversation without having to post comment after comment...

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Since you seem so positive there are no "national" gangs here are you saying the community shouldn't fear "local" gangs? 7 shot down...1 killed, his relatives say it was a "gang". A gang is a gang is a gang. Does it really matter what the hell you call them or if they're national or local when a bullet is blowing in your brain? And don't be fooled...Roanoke is the ideal type of community that "national" gangs would just love to infiltrate. Untapped and ripe for the picking, and totally naive.

Anonymous said...

This must be another dream you have. Roanoke does have these gangs, just not where you live. I happen to live off Melrose, and trust they are very active. Roanoke is a much worse place than New York, trust me, your not the only one that has lived there. By the way MS-13 has found a nice comfortable home in Galax. Still think there wasting their time on same towns.

RoanokeFound said...

Ms. - No, the community should NEVER fear any gang. But then again, where is the community? Do the GuineaBoys in Bensonhurst worry about gangs? Nope...

His relatives say it was a "gang", and thank god they say that - because Im sure the real reason couldn't possibly be something else. Something they don't want anyone knowing about, could it?

No, Roanoke is not the ideal community - for that to happen, there has to be profit in it. Gangs are nothing more than gutter-level mafias, dealing in drugs and guns.. and neither is particularly profitable here - otherwise they would have been here allready.

The Bloods and Crips have history and foundations in the S. Bronx... going back even before the names..

Besides, I'll just call my buddy Curtis Sliwa, his mouth alone would scare anyone.

And Weill, please - stop reading my blog. There are reasons beyond your understanding that these things happen. Did you ever think Galax has quite a large immigrant population? And Roanoke does not have the ability to be worse than NYC.. so just remain ignorant, and go away. If I could, I'd make my blog R Rated, 18+ only... but I can't so I ask you nicely, don't come back.

Anonymous said...

Guinea Boys? I'm surprised at you, some of those "Guinea Boys" are my friends and family. And whether they "fear" the gangs or not, they are at least acknowledged.

Anonymous said...

I have worked in the Northwest area of Roanoke for the past 7 years. I began at 24th and Melrose and responded to that area. I also worked at the Peters Creek Station and currently the Airport station which respondes to the crossroads/Williamson Road/Valleyview area. All three of those stations overlap in areas and all are located in the NW. I either worked on an ambulance, engine, or ladder truck. I have responded to all sorts of stuff.

That being said, I will offer that I have never once thought that we have had gangs in our area which parallel the crips or the bloods or MS-13 etc. I have heard stories and listened to others who say there are, but I have never thought that gangs (in that sense) have ever been present here.

ms. brings up a good point though.If you wanted to you could take certain actions, certain cliques, certain crimes or events and say that indeed they were carried out by a gang. A lot of the drug pushers might be considered a "gang".

So in that sense I guess you could say that we are suffering from gang activity. We might not be dealing with the gang problems of other cities though.

When I worked in Richmond, the crimes were worse and more often. Was it gangs? Probably some of it. But I think that most of the worst stuff I saw had more to do with poverty.

That is my two cents.

Anonymous said...

And if your blog was R-rated, I would still be able to get in. You act so childish. Your rights stop where mine begins, that includes telling me I can't read your blog. You can't have everybody agree with you, and sometime before you leave this world, your going to have to learn that lesson. Your blog is not all trash, there are some great reads and extraordinary opinions on how things should be. Until the next time you post, Ill see you.

Anonymous said...

weill....you're not the sharpest tack in the box are ya?

Anonymous said...

Roanoke had 16 murders last year in the city, so If the city is about 100,000 and New York is about 8,000,000 and has 952 murders (2000) so if you take 16 times 10 equals 160 times 8 equals 1280 which is a higher than New Yorks, so if Roanoke had that many people living here, that would be how many murders. Of course, this is just murders.

Anonymous said...

If you are so blind and have your head so far shoved up your ass hole that you can't see that there are gangs in Ronaoke, than i would suggest you walk, and i did say walk, down the street on Melrose avenue or my favorite Day avenue and just piddle around and see if you think the same way afterwards. It is a fact tha MS-13 is in Roanoke. I got that from an undisclosable source who is more than credible. You are a complete ass hole and I hope to God you never find out about these gangs first hand cuz i did and it almost cost me my life.

Anonymous said...

first off... to call any other group "mafia" besides the italians doesn't make sense. there is no such thing as the "russian mafia" or "mexican mafia" or they would be italian based in russia or mexico. "russian mob" or "mexican mob" is what they are. the word "mafia" is an italian word and should only be used when referring to La Cosa Nostra - the italian mafia.

secondly, you can't compare "kids" that are running most gangs like ms-13 and other disorganized gangs with the mafia. the mafia have judges, police & politicians in their pockets. they control business, casinos, nightclubs, bars and restaurants. as far as violence is concerned, throwing a hand grenade at someone or chopping a baby up is peanuts compared to having entire families wiped out or someones house or business burned to the ground. even today, with the fbi crushing the mafia like never before, it's still stronger and more powerful than any other gang in the world... let alone the usa. the mafia pays gangs like the hells angels to work with them and do some dirty work. think about that - the mafia and the hells angels working together. what could possibly be more powerful? NOTHING.