Andrews also admitted being part of a gang, associated with the Crips set, Watson noted.
"During our investigation, we ground out that the adult had been recruiting young kids in the Crips set," Watson said. "They came in and confessed that they were in a gang. The name that we saw (in photos of the graffiti) was 'The Crips.' It could have been the Clayton Estate Crips.
This was not the first time that LPD has been talking about gangs. On Feb. 9, 1999, an attempted robbery/shooting involving and Asian gang took place at the Super Shine Car Wash on Murfreesboro Road. In that incident, the four Nashville members, Somrath Chunn, 16, Suy Senkak, 16, Xailone Khammouanuichit, 16 and Sirbiouthai Keopayna, 17, allegedly from the "Tiny Rascals" gang, tried to rob Harold Shane Greer, 29, at the car wash.
They were all arrested and eventually pled guilty to charges and were sentenced to serve 14 years each.
In March, an alleged member of the "29 Thugs" gang -- Benny F. Brown, 25, of Clayton Estates, was arrested on drug-related charges and outstanding warrants. Brown claimed to be a member of the gang and went by the name of "Mad Dog."
In addition to the activity, taggings -- or markings with spray paint and other permanent markets -- of gang symbols, cryptic messages and gang markings and names have been reported all over La Vergne by the various Neighborhood Watch Association (NW) groups.
The NWA members in the Farmingdale subdivision took aggressive action against the gangs and their marketing the bridge on Stones Ridge Parkway in April and again in October. During both incidents, the residents grabbed paint and brushes and painted over the markings, hoping to eliminate them forever. Farmingdale NWA head Gwen Anthony said that her neighborhood took part because "we're interested in keeping our neighborhood safe and free of gangs. We have a lot of support in that."
To help get the message about the presence of gangs and their impact on resident's lives, Watson is conducting an informal gathering of the Lake Forest NWA tonight at 7 p.m. Last month, he led a similar meeting with members of the Farmingdale NWA.
"The recent gang activity is why I've been talking to neighborhood watch groups about gang activity around this area," Watson said. "It can't be denied.The gangs start out with vandalism, they work their self up, by pumping up the volume with robbery, drug activity, drive-by shootings which lead to murder." Watson said that members of his seven-person gang unit have also found markings from the "Satanic Crips," which could imply that they are involved in Satanic activity as well as gang activity.
Although the adult and the juvenile were the only two arrested during the most recent incident at Clayton Estates, Watson said that the adult was "recruiting" and "that there has been some activity going around in that area, from what we understand."
The two who were arrested were apparently from Nashville, Watson said. "That goes to show you that it takes just one guy from Los Angeles or Chicago inner-city and what they do is come in and recruit. It's like drugs or narcotics. Where in Los Angeles, an ounce of cocaine could go for $650 an ounce because of the competition, they can come into a small town or rural area and bump up an ounce to $1,200. That what gangs are doing, they're learning, they're moving around. The members coming from the inner city to the "rural" areas like La Vergne is something that "we're concerned about and that's what we are really concentrating on," he said.
Gang members can range in age and sex, Watson said, noting that the two arrested said that one of the youngest members was a 13-year-old female.
"They apparently range from 13-16," he said. "And they apparently live in the area."
Because statistics show that 85 percent of gang activity deals with guns and drugs, the department felt the need to step up their unit's personnel in dealing with gangs. So far, Watson said, the department has not found a "big problem" with guns. Watson is working with other area departments -- including Metro Nashville -- to ensure that the information gathered on gang members is shared by all.
During his lectures, Watson informs the adult-only crowd of the signs to watch out for in both their neighborhood and their homes.
"If you see graffiti on the wall, really pay attention, be alert," he said. Under the bridge on Stones Ridge Parkway, officers found a lot of "six-pointed stars," which along with being an obvious religious symbol -- is a marking by the Crips set, Watson said. "We found a lot of six-point stars, along with '187,' the California penal code for murder," Watson said.
When Watson speaks, a lot of parents are horrified to hear that gangs are now in the area, he said. They say they left Nashville to get away from the gangs, unaware that their child may be involved with them, he noted.
"During my lecture, I was talking about the Littleton, Colo deal," Watson said. "During their investigation, they found some tapes, the boys had planned this for a year. That's the thing. This is a suburban area. People have to realize these things. They're giving a message."
Watson tells the parents to "listen to the music and watch the movies and videos that their kids enjoy."
"I'd like for parents to watch the music videos and get some of these movies like '187,' 'Colors' and 'Boyz in the Hood' -- real gangster-like, cool movies that parents like to watch -- to see what's going on. To get some things in their head and stay a couple of steps ahead," he said. Rappers such as L.L. Cool J, Snoop Dogg and Puff Daddy come from gangs and include heavy gang-related stories in their lyrics, Watson said. "Listen to the lyrics," he advised. "They're telling a story in the rap. Some of these hard-core rap songs, they're telling about a murder. It's either of story of what has happened or something that's going to happen in the future."
Even subtle gang messages have entered the main-stream commercials and media, Watson said.
"There's a Coke commercial with L.L. Cool J and his daughter in it," he said, noting that the rapper is allegedly a member of the 'Blood' set. "He's braiding her hair. And the left side of her hair is 'up' and the right side is down," Watson said. "He's dissing the Crips by putting the right side of her hair down."
The Crips set, is known for using the six-pointed star, the color blue and emphasizing the right side. The Blood set us know for using a five-pointed star, the color red and emphasizes the left side.
"Even the Coke can is red," Watson said.
But gangs are changing colors and signs to "confuse the police," Watson said. "They area integrating gold and other colors into their image."
Watson said that parents should watch their children and look for tell-tale signs of possible gang involvement. "If your child is a straight A student and then suddenly making D's, then that could be an indicator," Watson said. "They should pay attention to their kids. Look at a change in their characteristics, if they're slacking, what they're listening to."
For more information about tonight's meeting or having Watson speak to a NWA or other group, call LPD at 793-7744. To organize a NWA group in your neighborhood, call Lt. Lynn Ruch at LPD. |
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