Gang presence in the United States military
About one to two percent of United States Armed Forces members are estimated to belong to criminal gangs in the United States, a much higher proportion than in the civilian population.
Extent
In 2008, according to FBI gang investigator Jennifer Simon, 1 to 2% of the U.S. military belonged to gangs, which is 50 to 100 times the rate in the general population.
The FBI’s 2007 report on gang membership in the military stated that the military's recruit screening process is ineffective, and allows gang members/extremists to enter the military. The report listed at least eight instances in the previous three years in which gang members obtained military weapons for their own use.[4]
The report "Gang Activity in the U.S. Armed Forces Increasing", dated January 12, 2007, stated that street gangs including the
Notable cases
White power skinheads
In 1995, James N. Burmeister and Malcolm Wright Jr were charged in the murder of an
Former skinhead T.J. Leyden was in the U.S. Marines. He spent 15 years in the Skinhead movement before renouncing racism, and going to work as a consultant for Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles.[10]
Gangster Disciples
On July 3, 2005, members of Gangster Disciples street gang killed Sergeant Juwan Johnson of the
Norteños
January 9, 2005, Officer Sam Ryno was first to respond to a call of a man with a gun in front of George's Liquors. Andres Raya, a U.S. Marine on leave after coming back from Iraq, was armed with an SKS rifle and opened fire on officers, hitting Officer Ryno and killing Sergeant Howard Stevenson. Raya was shot dead some time later after he opened fire on SWAT team members.[14]
Portrayed by local media as a calculated attack on law enforcement, the Stevenson slaying sparked attention from the national media which suggested that Raya snapped due to his experience in the
King Cobra Boys
In July 2000 in Orange County, California, members of the King Cobra Boys gang engaged in a fight with a rival gang named Lao Family. One of the King Cobra Boys gang members was in the U.S. Marines. He was stationed at MCAS Camp Pendleton. He worked in the Marines armory, and was experienced with weapons. Using his military training, he arranged his gang members in a location where they were able to observe and ambush the rival gang members. No one was fatally injured. Authorities later arrested the U.S. Marine gang member on base. A search warrant was executed at his residence where numerous military-issued manuals for machine guns and handguns were seized.[17][18]
Gang graffiti in Iraq
U.S. gang-related
Reported gangs
The gangs present in the US military include:[2]
- 18th Street
- Almighty Vice Lord Nation (abbreviated AVLN)
- Aryan Brotherhood
- Asian Boyz
- Bandidos
- Barrio Azteca
- Black Disciples
- Bloods
- Crips
- Gangster Disciples
- Hells Angels
- King Cobra Boys
- Ku Klux Klan
- Latin Kings
- Mexican Mafia
- MS-13
- Norteños
- Sureños
- TAP Boyz
- Tiny Rascal Gang
- Vagos
- White power Skinheads
See also
References
- ^ "Military Daily News - Military.com". Military.com.
- ^ a b "2011 National Gang Threat Assessment". Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- ^ "2011 National Gang Threat Assessment". FBI. February 9, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
Some gangs, particularly OMGs, actively recruit members with military training or advise members without criminal records to join the military for necessary weapons and combat training.
- ^ Stars and Stripes - Army defends recruit screening process
- ^ [1] - Gang-Related Activity in the US Armed Forces Increasing Archived August 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Ex-soldier, jailed for racial killings". archive.armytimes.com. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ^ "Ex-G.I. at Fort Bragg Is Convicted in Killing of 2 Blacks". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ^ "Three white soldiers charged in killings of black couple". cnn.com. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ^ "Another Soldier Convicted in Race-Based Killings". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ^ "Former Skinhead T.J. Leyden Tells His Story". splcenter.org. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ^ "Airman convicted of murder in 2005 Gangster Disciples initiation death". stripes.com. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ "Former Air Force Airman Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison For Murder of Army Sergeant in Germany". justice.gov. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ "Rico Williams sentenced to 22 years in 2005 slaying". wjla.com. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ Finz, Stacy; Stannard, Matthew B. "Police shoot Marine dead after local sergeant is slain / Liquor store's video surveillance camera recorded shootout" from San Francisco Chronicle (January 11, 2005)
- ^ Tempest, Rone. "Marine's Fatal Rampage Divides Grieving Town" from The New York Times (January 14, 2005)
- ^ New Information About Andres Raya and His Gang Affiliation Archived 2015-02-03 at the Wayback Machine, press release from City of Ceres (January 14, 2005)
- ^ "Gang members in the Military" (PDF). CDoJ. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ "Gang activity in the U.S. Military". usmilitary.about.com. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ https://arthurmag.com/2006/06/11/gangs-claim-their-turf-in-iraq/, Chicago Sun-Times , May 1, 2006
- ^ "Military-Trained Gang Members Worry Police". ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. Archived from the original on 2011-08-04. Retrieved 2006-06-04.