Cool Summer
Sunday of Jazz
Father's Day
concert at Pioneer
Courthouse Square
Family, Friends
and Neighbors
Gay rights battle
brought home
See story, page 5
See story, page 12
‘City 0/Roses’
R ead back issues o f the P ortland O b serv er at w w w .portlandobserver.com
Established in 1970
Wednesday • June 15. 2011
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXXI, Number 24
Hell
the City
A violent, new generation o f gangsters
C ari H achmann
T he P ortland O bserver
by
Nicky Taylor, an ex-Blood gang member and author
of a book to help children avoid the destructive
nature of gangs, holds a photo of her and her
good friend, Marcus Miller, who died June 4 as
result of a gang-related shooting.
Anti Gang
Outreach for
Peaceful Future
Ex gang member
organizes 'family
truce ’ rally
C ari H achmann
T he P ortland O bserver
by
“We were the first generation of gangsters, and
without us they’re not going to stop,” says 40-year-old
Nicky Taylor, ex-female gangster, mother of an 11 year-
old son, and close friend of Marcus Miller, the fatal victim
o f a recent gang-related shooting.
In 1987, at her sweet-16 birthday party in north Port­
land, Taylor watched as her good friend “Red Dog,” a
Blood gang member, was gunned down by Crip members
in a passing car. Sad, afraid and angry, she joined the
Woodlawn Park Blood gang the next day and stayed
affiliated for 12 years.
She has been shot twice on two separate occasions,
continued
on page 17
California looking to make profits off Portland’s untapped
drug market, specifically crack cocaine, migrated up the coast
Police do not expect a deadly rivalry between Portland’s along 1-5, bringing with them money, drugs, and guns.
homegrown gangs to end peacefully any time soon.
The criminally -m inded transplants joined other gang
At large is a new g en eratio n o f A frican -A m erican
members to set up shop in poverty-stricken areas of Portland
g an g sters police say are co n tin u in g a cycle o f v io ­ like the Columbia Villa neighborhood of north Portland; they
lence likely started by gang m em bers o f th eir p a re n ts’ recruited local youth, and formed new gang-sects based on
generation. T hey are hybrid gangs from the B loods neighboring territories.
Some say the oldest Crip on
Crip feud dates back to 1979
and it w asn’t long before one
o f the most notorious rivalries
to form on the streets o f L.A.
spread nationwide.
Two of Portland’s more noto­
rious gangs are known as the
Hoover Criminals or Everybody
Killers (EBK), who identify in
orange clothing; and the Rollin’
60s, who identify in blue.
O th er A frica n -A m erica n
gangs over the years includes
the Kerby Bloc Crips (Crips), the
U nthanks (B loods), and the
Gangster Disciples.
Portland’s first fatal gang-re­
lated drive-by shooting occurred
in August 1988 when gang mem­
ber, Joseph "Ray-Ray" Winston
from the Columbia Villa Crips
was shot and killed in north Port­
land. Since W inston’s death,
most of the original California
gangsters have faded into jails,
death, or non-violent life-styles.
“Most of the older gangsters
A photograph originally broadcast on April 16, 2009 during an episode of
have grow n out o f v iolent
‘Gangland’ on the History Channel shows a gathering of people allegedly
lif e s ty le s ,” said Lt. T om
belonging to Portland gang called the Hoover Criminals.
M cGranahan of the Portland
and C rips o f years past, police say.
Police, a gang cop of the 1990s and current gang enforcement
Authorities believe the latest wave of criminal activity member. “People doing most of the shootings today tend to
between rivals has resulted in at least six local gang-related be related to old gangsters.”
deaths in the last six-months.
Today, a population of young people in our community
“The ages of many suspects and certainly the victims is continuing the gangster lifestyle of the past generation,
indicate a second generation of gang members,” said the
C u rren tly , there are over 725 d esig n ated gang m em -
policebureau’sgangenforcem entspokesmanPeteSim pson. bers and at least 2 -3 ,5 0 0 u n d o cu m en ted g a n g sters in
Not including Hispanic, Asian, Russian, and White-Su- P o rtlan d , p o lice say.
premacist gangs, officials say these teenage kids and young
Gang recruitment begins at ayoung age, and more and more
adults are among the most violent group of our city’s diverse misguided kids seeking security and self-worth are choosing
gang population.
to gang bang. New recruits must often act out to prove loyalty.
Portland’s history with these gangs originated from the
streets of Los Angeles. In 1987, gangsters from southern
continued
on page 17