LATINO GANGS IN OKC!!

[TomTom]

THIS WAS Taking from the Daily Oklahoman over the weekend

According to the gang unit, Oklahoma City is home to atleast 88 confirmed gang "sets"-splinter groups of original Crips and the Bloods.

"Most of our Hispanics are on the same side of the street, as far as that's concerened" CApt. Billy Pratt said. "But they dont get along' cauze they're rivals."
While gangs of all ethnic makeups are in the city, three if the largest sets-which demand most of the gang unit's attention-are considered hispanic: South Side Locos, Juaritos, and Grande Barrio Central, or GBC. Pratt said each set has about 250-300 memebers.

Even compared with Oklahoma City's population, the sets are tiny.


Lil C raises his shirt without hesitation, exposing a skinny physique and a shoulder marred by scar tissue.
"I got shot in the back" he said, his voice a study nonchalance. "I had no choice but to wrap it up, lay down and try to put some pressure on it."

At 16, Lil C-whose real name is Joel Escareno- is a survivor of last year's gang war between rival hispanic sets. He's also a small time gangster who may be squandering his second chance at life.
On the afternoon of Nov. 19, Escareno was in a parked car with a "homeboy" when another vehicle pulled up, Oklahoma City police said. Someone inside the vehicle emptied an assault rifle, shattering the homeboy's elbow and digging a furrow across Escareno's shoulder as he dove to the floor.
He and his friend were taken to the hospital.
"I wasn't scared", Escareno said.
Perhaps that's because his upbringing has left him uncommonly familair with gunfire.
At lest five times in fours years before the shooting, Escareno's home on SE 16 was perforated by gunshots. By March 2003, the house bore 26 bullet holes. Some are still visible froom the street.
Now almost nine months after his injury, Escareno loiters with a friend outside Shidler Elementary School, which has tagged with graffiti. One side, of the main entrance bears a spraypainted "2". The other side has a "3."

Police said the graffiti is meant to be read as "23", a number associated with Escareno's set, Grande Barrio Central. The set, comprised largely of dropouts, has claimed an elementary school as part of it's turf.
THe irnoy is lost on Escareno and his associate, Lute Villa, 15 also known as Birdman.
Both are well known to the police gang unit. Villa, who admits, he wont return to school in the fall, says he spent the previos night in a crisis center after being caught "huffing"- getting high by inhaling products such as paint and nail polish that contain toluene.

[TomTom]

City Homicide linked to Hispanic gangs

A Sunday homicide in Oklahoma City has been linked to hispanic gangs, police said Monday.

Rocky Ruiz, 23 was fatally shot about 3:45a.m. Sunday in the 1100 block of SW 17.
Oklahoma City police Capt. Billy Pratt, the head of the gang unit, said the shooting was associated with Hispanic gang activity on the city's south side.
No one has been arrested in connection with Ruiz's shooting.
Police are looking to question two hispanic men between ages of 18 and 20.

On Sunday, when police arrived on SW 17 Ruiz was dead in his vehicle.

Police think Ruiz and another hispanic male were driving east of 1100 block of SW 17 when they encountered two unknown hispanic males in another vehicle, police Capt. Jeffrey Becker said.
Police do not know the motive but suspect it was gang-related. Investigators think a suspected gang killing in April, increased graffiti and heavy gang recruitment are possible sings that more gang fighting is imminent.

Hispanic gang vendettas accounted for as many as 15 Oklahoma City homicides, last summer.Although the number of gang-related killings has been lower this year, Ruiz was the second person in four days to be killed by a hispanic gang in Oklahoma City.
On Wednesday, David Pekah, 9 died when gunfire from a drive-by shooting struck him as he slept in his family's home on 1600 NW 13

[mission]

THIS WAS Taking from the Daily Oklahoman over the weekend

According to the gang unit, Oklahoma City is home to atleast 88 confirmed gang "sets"-splinter groups of original Crips and the Bloods.

"Most of our Hispanics are on the same side of the street, as far as that's concerened" CApt. Billy Pratt said. "But they dont get along' cauze they're rivals."
While gangs of all ethnic makeups are in the city, three if the largest sets-which demand most of the gang unit's attention-are considered hispanic: South Side Locos, Juaritos, and Grande Barrio Central, or GBC. Pratt said each set has about 250-300 memebers.

Even compared with Oklahoma City's population, the sets are tiny.


Lil C raises his shirt without hesitation, exposing a skinny physique and a shoulder marred by scar tissue.
"I got shot in the back" he said, his voice a study nonchalance. "I had no choice but to wrap it up, lay down and try to put some pressure on it."

At 16, Lil C-whose real name is Joel Escareno- is a survivor of last year's gang war between rival hispanic sets. He's also a small time gangster who may be squandering his second chance at life.
On the afternoon of Nov. 19, Escareno was in a parked car with a "homeboy" when another vehicle pulled up, Oklahoma City police said. Someone inside the vehicle emptied an assault rifle, shattering the homeboy's elbow and digging a furrow across Escareno's shoulder as he dove to the floor.
He and his friend were taken to the hospital.
"I wasn't scared", Escareno said.
Perhaps that's because his upbringing has left him uncommonly familair with gunfire.
At lest five times in fours years before the shooting, Escareno's home on SE 16 was perforated by gunshots. By March 2003, the house bore 26 bullet holes. Some are still visible froom the street.
Now almost nine months after his injury, Escareno loiters with a friend outside Shidler Elementary School, which has tagged with graffiti. One side, of the main entrance bears a spraypainted "2". The other side has a "3."

Police said the graffiti is meant to be read as "23", a number associated with Escareno's set, Grande Barrio Central. The set, comprised largely of dropouts, has claimed an elementary school as part of it's turf.
THe irnoy is lost on Escareno and his associate, Lute Villa, 15 also known as Birdman.
Both are well known to the police gang unit. Villa, who admits, he wont return to school in the fall, says he spent the previos night in a crisis center after being caught "huffing"- getting high by inhaling products such as paint and nail polish that contain toluene.

These fools SS Varrio Locos 28th or 25th street have a myspace page, they look pretty deep.

[TomTom]

they are deep..but they catching hell from the crips..

[TomTom]

September 2, 2007 ( Oklahoma City ): 65 people were arrested during a seven-day local enforcement action targeting violent street gang members. Those arrested include members of the following Oklahoma City street gangs: Barrio Gran Mexicanos, Gran Barrio Central, Juarito Sureno 14, LA 36, Los Centrales, Murdertown, South Side Locos and Sureno 13. Those arrested originate from the following countries: Costa Rica , El Salvador , Honduras , Iraq and Mexico . Three U.S. citizens were also arrested during this operation by local law enforcement agencies. Forty-two of those arrested are known members of local street gangs; 15 had active warrants for their arrest, or were arrested on state charges. Three aliens who did not have previous criminal convictions have already been voluntarily returned to Mexico . Some of the crimes associated with those arrested during this local operation include: 1st degree rape, burglary, drug trafficking and various drug-related convictions, sexual battery, lewd acts with a child, assaulting a police office, harboring a fugitive, intentionally discharging a firearm, and illegally possessing a firearm.


http://www.ice.gov/pi/investigations/comshield/

[TomTom]

haha..i just noticed it said "juarito sureno 14"..haha..JRS are norte's..they fucked up on that one..

Mission peep that link..one of those bust was in the D-town area..they said the neighborhood crips was one of the gangs popped out there to..which NHC's yall got??

[MMRbkaRudog]

haha..i just noticed it said "juarito sureno 14"..haha..JRS are norte's..they #%@& up on that one..

Mission peep that link..one of those bust was in the D-town area..they said the neighborhood crips was one of the gangs popped out there to..which NHC's yall got??

They are not Nortenos, they are Clanotn/14 ST. Why is this under the Latin King's forum any way?

[TomTom]

the ese's that claim JRS in okc area say they norteno's..and they be funking real hard like w/ SSL who are surenos

[MMRbkaRudog]

the ese's that claim JRS in okc area say they norteno's..and they be funking real hard like w/ SSL who are surenos

I guess they really are confused then, if that's so.

[NewMission]

[quote="TomTom"]haha..i just noticed it said "juarito sureno 14"..haha..JRS are norte's..they #%@& up on that one..

Mission peep that link..one of those bust was in the D-town area..they said the neighborhood crips was one of the gangs popped out there to..which NHC's yall got??[/quote]


Well I don't think those NHC'c were from Dallas, It lumps Arlington,Ft Worth, Withita fallas, Irving & dallas together. Like that 28th St is North side Ft worth gang, so thiers no telling.

[NewMission]

[quote="MMRbkaRudog"][quote="TomTom"]haha..i just noticed it said "juarito sureno 14"..haha..JRS are norte's..they #%@& up on that one..

Mission peep that link..one of those bust was in the D-town area..they said the neighborhood crips was one of the gangs popped out there to..which NHC's yall got??[/quote] They are not Nortenos, they are Clanotn/14 ST. Why is this under the Latin King's forum any way?[/quote]


I highly doubt they are Clanton, all Clantone Varrios outside of LA still Claim Clantone 14st no matter were they are(Florida, San Jose,Mexico,etc..)

[MMRbkaRudog]

haha..i just noticed it said "juarito sureno 14"..haha..JRS are norte's..they #%@& up on that one..

Mission peep that link..one of those bust was in the D-town area..they said the neighborhood crips was one of the gangs popped out there to..which NHC's yall got??

They are not Nortenos, they are Clanotn/14 ST. Why is this under the Latin King's forum any way?

I highly doubt they are Clanton, all Clantone Varrios outside of LA still Claim Clantone 14st no matter were they are(Florida, San Jose,Mexico,etc..)

That's exactly why I thought they were Clanton, but I only saw net banging & SJ Clanton don't use 14 if that's what you think.

[TomTom]

http://www.etiok.com/proposals/OklahomaCityGangsDD.ppt

i posted this before..u'll peep a mixture of gangs from the town..you also be able to see JRS are very much nortenos

[TomTom]

honestly..out of all those hispanic gangs SSL, JRS, GBC, and STB makes the most noise..SSL bascially smashes on all them from time 2 time..JRS been riding back tho..GBC also

[TomTom]

you may have to copy and paste link to outside browser..

[NewMission]

[quote="TomTom"]honestly..out of all those hispanic gangs SSL, JRS, GBC, and STB makes the most noise..SSL bascially smashes on all them from time 2 time..JRS been riding back tho..GBC also[/quote]


TomTom, have you ever heard of Barrio Grande Mexicano 22nd st? I have an old Teen Angels Mag from about 94-95 with some of thier stuff in it. They claim thier South Siders.

[NewMission]

[quote="TomTom"]being caught "huffing"- getting high by inhaling products such as paint and nail polish that contain toluene.[/quote]

Ha Ha, Kids still sniffin tolley.

[TomTom]

honestly..out of all those hispanic gangs SSL, JRS, GBC, and STB makes the most noise..SSL bascially smashes on all them from time 2 time..JRS been riding back tho..GBC also

TomTom, have you ever heard of Barrio Grande Mexicano 22nd st? I have an old Teen Angels Mag from about 94-95 with some of thier stuff in it. They claim thier South Siders.

[TomTom]

honestly..out of all those hispanic gangs SSL, JRS, GBC, and STB makes the most noise..SSL bascially smashes on all them from time 2 time..JRS been riding back tho..GBC also

TomTom, have you ever heard of Barrio Grande Mexicano 22nd st? I have an old Teen Angels Mag from about 94-95 with some of thier stuff in it. They claim thier South Siders.

my bAD...HAHA..let me tell u a lil bout what i know of BGM..there actually mixed (mexicans, indians)..they used to be real tight with SSL..in fact i didnt find out they had beef til round 94 when i was going to an alternative school in downtown okc..gladiator school i tell u dogg..it was bout 60% black and atleast 35% mexican..i never had went to school w/ so many ese''s so to me ese's were pretty deep..dogg i remember meeting 3 fine ass latinas from BGM, and they were banging to the fullest...tatted and all..me and my potna from ESPG were cheifing w/ them after school and they was like "Fuck Sesame Street, cornbreads(gbc backwards), and Doritos(JRS)...im talking fine ass latinas that were str8 banging..haha..that tripped me out..

let the truth be told all of those ese gangs are from South,OKC, but the only ones you'll hear hollering at South Side are SSL..

[MMRbkaRudog]

I couldn't get that list. Can't you just copy & paste it? I wonder if I saw the teen angels w/BGM, cuzz I got a collection of teen angels.

[TomTom]

its a power point of gangs...and i just tried it again and it actually worked w/o copying to an outside link..

[TomTom]

did it work for you mission?

[NewMission]

[quote="TomTom"]did it work for you mission?[/quote]

I can't open it, my Computer is Ancient. Lol

[TomTom]

haha..i feel you..well it's working for me, but at first i did have prob w/ it also..maybe if u copy and paste it to an outside link it'll work

[TomTom]

Pedro Soltero sits among five other teenage boys on a metal stool roughly the size and shape of a Frisbee.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WATCH NEWS 9
NEWS9 talks with active gang members and the officers policing them. Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 p.m.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His stool, like those of the others, is welded to a shiny steel table, one of four clustered in an otherwise empty room. The only other color in the room comes from the identical orange jumpsuits all the boys wear and a small TV flickering behind shatterproof glass.





Soltero, 15, is small and harmless- looking. He hasn't yet grown into his ears.

It's hard to believe he might be a killer.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gang slang
13 or XIII or X3: Symbolizes gangs of Hispanic heritage showing allegiance to Southern California; in Oklahoma City, 13 is used most often by the Southside Locos

14 or XIV: "14 Street;" associated locally with the Juaritos gang

187: California penal code for murder, adopted by gangs nationwide

BP: Brown pride

Bandera: Spanish for "flag;" refers to gang colors

Barrio: Spanish for "neighborhood"

Brand or ink: Tattoo

Breakdown or gauge: Shotgun

Bullet: One-year prison sentence

Buster: Fake gang member, or one who denies his gang affiliation

Checked in: Initiated into a gang

Chola/cholo: Hispanic girl/boy involved with gangs

Deuce-and-a-half: .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol

Double deuce: .22-caliber handgun

Down: Connected with a gang

Four five: .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol

GBC: "Grande Barrio Central," a local Hispanic set

GBL: "Grande Barrio Locos," also known as Juaritos, a local Hispanic set

High roller: Money-making gang leader, usually one who controls drug dealing

Jefe: Spanish for "boss" or "chief"

Latin Town Brim: a local Hispanic set

Mark: "Wannabe" gang member

Mission: A contract killing or drive-by shooting

MPG: "Mexican Pride Gangsters," a local Hispanic set

Nine: 9 mm semiautomatic pistol

Nickel: Five-year prison sentence

O.G.: "Original gangster," a veteran member of a gang

PV: "Por vida," Spanish meaning "for life"

Placa: A gang member's street name

Queen: Female gang member

Set: Local variant of a larger gang

Set tripping: Throwing gang signs at rivals, which often escalates to violence

Sur: Spanish for "south"

Trey eight: .38-caliber pistol

Turf: A neighborhood or area claimed by a gang


SOURCES: www.gangsorus.com and the Oklahoma Gang Investigators' Association
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soltero, a member of the Southside Locos gang, is awaiting trial in the September killing of Aiad Kamil Al-Safi. By the time his case is fully adjudicated, officials said, it may cost taxpayers as much as $500,000 -- money some say could be better spent on programs to keep kids out of trouble.

"People just don't comprehend the cost -- and not just in lives -- of gangs," said Bob Ravitz, Oklahoma County public defender. "If you could keep just two people out of gangs, you'd have enough money to fund a night basketball program for a whole year."

About 90 percent of the county gang members who run afoul of the law require "free" legal representation, Ravitz said, a percentage that accounts for 15 percent to 20 percent of the total public defender workload. While lesser crimes such as burglary and drug possession usually take only two to 10 "lawyer hours" to clear up, a murder trial can consume 400.

In practical terms, the expense incurred in a case can be staggering: police pay and overtime; evidence collection, preservation and analysis; costs associated with incarceration; defense and prosecution preparation; construction of exhibits; transportation and housing for witnesses -- costs Ravitz said can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

And the worst part? Most gangsters will offend again.

Model behavior
About a year ago, Soltero says, he embraced the only life he'd ever known, joining the Locos, one of five prominent Hispanic gangs in Oklahoma City. He was 14.

"I guess ... I guess that was last year," he says.

Most of his short, unsuccessful career as a gangster has been spent inside 13-Charlie, the juvenile pod of the Oklahoma County jail. Two days after Al-Safi was killed last year, Soltero was arrested on a murder complaint.

He's been here ever since.

His 10-month tenure gives him seniority over all his pod- mates but one, a 107 Hoover Crip in his 15th month on the block. Other gangs, many of them rivals, also have representatives awaiting trial in the jail.

"We all enemies," says the Crip, a 17-year-old who speaks with an air of authority, "but in here every set get along until somebody trip. Then we get in a fight."

Not too long ago, jail administrator Clifford Uranga said, those fights were common.

"They were either beating on the building, beating on each other or beating on us," he said. "We were at the point -- but we never actually got there -- of installing a cuff in the shower so we could cuff them to the wall."

The misbehavior, including costly assaults on the ceiling tiles in the common area, has decreased significantly, Uranga said, since the jail instituted programs geared toward helping inmates improve character and future prospects.

"In jails, there are no requirements for programs," Uranga said. "We just have to care for their welfare and well-being. But here we put in a lot of programs to help people re- assimilate when they leave here."

The result has been a marked decline in jailhouse combat, he said, and a camaraderie of sorts among inmates. Senior chaplain Argyl Dick said he has seen members of rival sets hold hands in prayer.

Despite that, criminal activity resumes for most gang members upon release.

A study in the September 2000 Justice Department's Juvenile Justice Bulletin found rehabilitation programs for gang members "have shown little promise" and sometimes produce "the unintended consequence of increasing gang cohesion."

Those who are convicted face a different, but no less pervasive, gang culture behind bars.

"You can send them to prison for four years," Ravitz said, "but what do you have in prison? More gangs. The same ones that are out on the street."

Law and disorder
According to the Oklahoma Gang Investigators' Association, at least 87 gang sets are active in Oklahoma City, with 4,500 gang members, 470 of whom are female.

No estimates of the number of Hispanic gang members are available, but Lou Keel, an assistant district attorney who spent three years specializing in gang cases, said he prosecuted about an equal number of black and Hispanic gangsters. Asians and whites made up smaller percentages.

"Some gangs were a mix," he said. "There are equal- opportunity gangs. The Hispanic gang members just seemed a little more eager to fire shots."

Gangs pose unusual problems for both prosecutors and defense attorneys.

Public apathy, Keel said, is one stumbling block.

"The biggest fear I have," the prosecutor said, "is that these people (gangsters) are the worst shooters in the world. When a drive-by shooting occurs, the safest place to be is right in front of the intended target, because they're such bad shots they just spray bullets all over the place.

"The public perception is it's just a gang deal; they're killing each other. But anyone could get hit."

An even bigger problem is fear. Sometimes, people fearful of retaliation must be arrested as material witnesses and compelled to testify, Keel said. Others in the courtroom -- including judges and lawyers -- also worry about their safety.

"Even jurors have expressed fears about doing the right thing and doing their civic duty because of fears about gangs," Keel said.

Frustrating, too, is the knowledge recidivism is the norm.

"You plead someone to probation," Ravitz said, "and you know they're going to hang out with the same people and maybe do something even worse."

So the problem goes full circle -- from jail to court to the streets and back again.

"If we had programs in place to help these kids from the time they're young, we wouldn't be seeing so many problems," Ravitz said. "There's probably a core of 100 to 200 members out of the 5,000 in Oklahoma City that you could give them programs, you could give them night basketball 24/7, you could even give them $20,000 a year and they'd still be bad kids.

"The rest of them would be all right."


http://newsok.com/article/1051014/?print=1

[TomTom]

The Central Region consists not only of Oklahoma City but also the surrounding suburban cities such as, Midwest City, Del City, Norman and Edmond to name a few. The gang problem has spread into every one of these communities. We have over 100 different gang sets in the area with an estimated gang population of 8,000. Our drive-by shootings have tripled since 2000. The majority of our shootings seem to be triggered either from a dispute over a female or a drug deal gone bad. After the initial shooting then it becomes a set vs. set issue. Addionally, we have seen assault rifle shootings drastically increase in recent years.

In the past few years we have seen a huge increase in gang violence, particularly in the Hispanic gangs. Our three largest Hispanic gang sets are the South Side Locos (SSL), Grande Barrio Centrale (GBC) and the Juaritos who also go by Grande Barrio Loco (GBL). These three gangs have a combined membership of over 1,500. Since the summer of 2003 we have experienced a marked increase in the gang homicides between these groups with some being directly tied to the Varrio Tortilla Flats gang out of LA.

The other three largest gangs in the region are the 107 Hoovers, Westside Rolling 60’s and the Rolling 90’s. These three have in excess of 300 members each. Of these three the 107 Hoovers are the most active and violent. They are engaged in heavy drug dealing and numerous shootings and assaults. Due to their aggressiveness they have been retaliated upon in recent months with the result being several of them being murdered in about a one month time span. More recently the 107 Hoovers and the Shotgun Crips have been involved in an ongoing war with the two Neighborhood sets. This began over drug turf and has now erupted into a full scale war. There have been numerous homicides, ADW’s and drive by shootings related to this dispute.


http://www.ogia.us/topgangs.htm

[TomTom]

only dispute on this would be that the 90's and Hoovas are waay deeper than 300..even the 60's..they got like 3 different clicks out here.Dunjee, O-zone, and W/S.....

[MMRbkaRudog]

Pedro Soltero sits among five other teenage boys on a metal stool roughly the size and shape of a Frisbee.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WATCH NEWS 9
NEWS9 talks with active gang members and the officers policing them. Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 p.m.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His stool, like those of the others, is welded to a shiny steel table, one of four clustered in an otherwise empty room. The only other color in the room comes from the identical orange jumpsuits all the boys wear and a small TV flickering behind shatterproof glass.





Soltero, 15, is small and harmless- looking. He hasn't yet grown into his ears.

It's hard to believe he might be a killer.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gang slang
13 or XIII or X3: Symbolizes gangs of Hispanic heritage showing allegiance to Southern California; in Oklahoma City, 13 is used most often by the Southside Locos

14 or XIV: "14 Street;" associated locally with the Juaritos gang

187: California penal code for murder, adopted by gangs nationwide

BP: Brown pride

Bandera: Spanish for "flag;" refers to gang colors

Barrio: Spanish for "neighborhood"

Brand or ink: Tattoo

Breakdown or gauge: Shotgun

Bullet: One-year prison sentence

Buster: Fake gang member, or one who denies his gang affiliation

Checked in: Initiated into a gang

Chola/cholo: Hispanic girl/boy involved with gangs

Deuce-and-a-half: .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol

Double deuce: .22-caliber handgun

Down: Connected with a gang

Four five: .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol

GBC: "Grande Barrio Central," a local Hispanic set

GBL: "Grande Barrio Locos," also known as Juaritos, a local Hispanic set

High roller: Money-making gang leader, usually one who controls drug dealing

Jefe: Spanish for "boss" or "chief"

Latin Town Brim: a local Hispanic set

Mark: "Wannabe" gang member

Mission: A contract killing or drive-by shooting

MPG: "Mexican Pride Gangsters," a local Hispanic set

Nine: 9 mm semiautomatic pistol

Nickel: Five-year prison sentence

O.G.: "Original gangster," a veteran member of a gang

PV: "Por vida," Spanish meaning "for life"

Placa: A gang member's street name

Queen: Female gang member

Set: Local variant of a larger gang

Set tripping: Throwing gang signs at rivals, which often escalates to violence

Sur: Spanish for "south"

Trey eight: .38-caliber pistol

Turf: A neighborhood or area claimed by a gang


SOURCES: www.gangsorus.com and the Oklahoma Gang Investigators' Association
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soltero, a member of the Southside Locos gang, is awaiting trial in the September killing of Aiad Kamil Al-Safi. By the time his case is fully adjudicated, officials said, it may cost taxpayers as much as $500,000 -- money some say could be better spent on programs to keep kids out of trouble.

"People just don't comprehend the cost -- and not just in lives -- of gangs," said Bob Ravitz, Oklahoma County public defender. "If you could keep just two people out of gangs, you'd have enough money to fund a night basketball program for a whole year."

About 90 percent of the county gang members who run afoul of the law require "free" legal representation, Ravitz said, a percentage that accounts for 15 percent to 20 percent of the total public defender workload. While lesser crimes such as burglary and drug possession usually take only two to 10 "lawyer hours" to clear up, a murder trial can consume 400.

In practical terms, the expense incurred in a case can be staggering: police pay and overtime; evidence collection, preservation and analysis; costs associated with incarceration; defense and prosecution preparation; construction of exhibits; transportation and housing for witnesses -- costs Ravitz said can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

And the worst part? Most gangsters will offend again.

Model behavior
About a year ago, Soltero says, he embraced the only life he'd ever known, joining the Locos, one of five prominent Hispanic gangs in Oklahoma City. He was 14.

"I guess ... I guess that was last year," he says.

Most of his short, unsuccessful career as a gangster has been spent inside 13-Charlie, the juvenile pod of the Oklahoma County jail. Two days after Al-Safi was killed last year, Soltero was arrested on a murder complaint.

He's been here ever since.

His 10-month tenure gives him seniority over all his pod- mates but one, a 107 Hoover Crip in his 15th month on the block. Other gangs, many of them rivals, also have representatives awaiting trial in the jail.

"We all enemies," says the Crip, a 17-year-old who speaks with an air of authority, "but in here every set get along until somebody trip. Then we get in a fight."

Not too long ago, jail administrator Clifford Uranga said, those fights were common.

"They were either beating on the building, beating on each other or beating on us," he said. "We were at the point -- but we never actually got there -- of installing a cuff in the shower so we could cuff them to the wall."

The misbehavior, including costly assaults on the ceiling tiles in the common area, has decreased significantly, Uranga said, since the jail instituted programs geared toward helping inmates improve character and future prospects.

"In jails, there are no requirements for programs," Uranga said. "We just have to care for their welfare and well-being. But here we put in a lot of programs to help people re- assimilate when they leave here."

The result has been a marked decline in jailhouse combat, he said, and a camaraderie of sorts among inmates. Senior chaplain Argyl Dick said he has seen members of rival sets hold hands in prayer.

Despite that, criminal activity resumes for most gang members upon release.

A study in the September 2000 Justice Department's Juvenile Justice Bulletin found rehabilitation programs for gang members "have shown little promise" and sometimes produce "the unintended consequence of increasing gang cohesion."

Those who are convicted face a different, but no less pervasive, gang culture behind bars.

"You can send them to prison for four years," Ravitz said, "but what do you have in prison? More gangs. The same ones that are out on the street."

Law and disorder
According to the Oklahoma Gang Investigators' Association, at least 87 gang sets are active in Oklahoma City, with 4,500 gang members, 470 of whom are female.

No estimates of the number of Hispanic gang members are available, but Lou Keel, an assistant district attorney who spent three years specializing in gang cases, said he prosecuted about an equal number of black and Hispanic gangsters. Asians and whites made up smaller percentages.

"Some gangs were a mix," he said. "There are equal- opportunity gangs. The Hispanic gang members just seemed a little more eager to fire shots."

Gangs pose unusual problems for both prosecutors and defense attorneys.

Public apathy, Keel said, is one stumbling block.

"The biggest fear I have," the prosecutor said, "is that these people (gangsters) are the worst shooters in the world. When a drive-by shooting occurs, the safest place to be is right in front of the intended target, because they're such bad shots they just spray bullets all over the place.

"The public perception is it's just a gang deal; they're killing each other. But anyone could get hit."

An even bigger problem is fear. Sometimes, people fearful of retaliation must be arrested as material witnesses and compelled to testify, Keel said. Others in the courtroom -- including judges and lawyers -- also worry about their safety.

"Even jurors have expressed fears about doing the right thing and doing their civic duty because of fears about gangs," Keel said.

Frustrating, too, is the knowledge recidivism is the norm.

"You plead someone to probation," Ravitz said, "and you know they're going to hang out with the same people and maybe do something even worse."

So the problem goes full circle -- from jail to court to the streets and back again.

"If we had programs in place to help these kids from the time they're young, we wouldn't be seeing so many problems," Ravitz said. "There's probably a core of 100 to 200 members out of the 5,000 in Oklahoma City that you could give them programs, you could give them night basketball 24/7, you could even give them $20,000 a year and they'd still be bad kids.

"The rest of them would be all right."


http://newsok.com/article/1051014/?print=1

If this is what you were trying to say refers JRS as Nortenos, then it doesn't. It shows they use 14 for 14 ST, like I had said.

[TomTom]

naw playa..this aint it..you couldnt view the ppt, but on the ppt it states they roll as norte's..

[NewMission]

[/quote] If this is what you were trying to say refers JRS as Nortenos, then it doesn't. It shows they use 14 for 14 ST, like I had said.[/quote]


Alot of people out this way think the 13 and 14 are Streets, I've seen this quite a few times , people hitting up the trece with St after it.

[TomTom]

see mission w/ JRS i could see how one could be confused w/ them...for starters there is a 14th st that runs thru they turf..but they also claim Norte's..hell i've even heard of them sporting red and blue dog..yea JRS can confuse a person if u aint from the town..SSL..str8 up Sur's..No cuts...But dogg u made a good point on another topic about all these fools just know claiming Sur and Norte in the midwest and southern region..SSL and GBC have been bumping heads since atleast 91,92 but didnt start showing allegiance to 13 and 14 til like 2001, or 2002..

[MMRbkaRudog]

If this is what you were trying to say refers JRS as Nortenos, then it doesn't. It shows they use 14 for 14 ST, like I had said.[/quote]


Alot of people out this way think the 13 and 14 are Streets, I've seen this quite a few times , people hitting up the trece with St after it.[/quote] Yeah, I heard of some heads claiming 13 ST around there some where.