Written Assignment 1 soc384
.docx
School
Thomas Edison State College**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
SOC 384
Subject
Sociology
Date
Dec 21, 2024
Pages
6
Uploaded by GeneralIron3447
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1Written Assignment 1Ashley Matthews Thomas Edison State University
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 12Written Assignment 1 Since I grew up in Trenton, New Jersey, throughout almost my entire childhood, that is the local area I decided to research for the study of gangs. I was able to interview an officer of the Trenton Police Department Gang Unit, Officer Bailey, about some of the gang related issues going on throughout the city. The first question I asked Officer Bailey was, “What is the type and amount of gang activity in Trenton and what types of complaints, reports, or behavior indicate that?”. Officer Bailey explained thatTrenton is now home to the following gangs: Bloods, Netas, and Latin Kings. Officer Bailey further indicated that every single day there is some type of gang activity on their radar, from selling illegal drugs, theft, murder, rape, racketeering, and everything in between. Unfortunately, there is never a quiet day in Trenton.The next question I asked Officer Bailey was, “Has this amount of activity changed over the past 5 years, and if so in what way?”. Officer Bailey said that the amount of activity has increased over the last 5 years, especially during and after the pandemic hit and the Black Lives Matter protests and riots. Gangs started to get larger in size due to the overwhelming “rewards” from what those events had to “offer”. Since gangs were growing larger in size, it became dangerous with the number of gang members versus the number of law enforcement agents staffed to protect this city. My next question was, “How have gangs affected the Trenton School District?”. Officer Bailey stated that extra measures have been put in place to ensure that gang members who are still in high school are prevented from bringing weapons and drugs onto school property. Metal detectors and drug-sniffing dogs were put in place as a deterrent and to catch students trying to smuggle in contraband. My last question for Officer Bailey was, “What programs have been put in place to help with the prevention and reduction in gang activity?”. Officer Bailey explained that there have been multiple programs put in place to aid in the reduction and prevention of gang activity including the Trenton Community Street Team, Youth Services Commission, Trenton RISE (Resilience Increases Success &
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 13Excellence), NJ Gang Free, JJC (Juvenile Justice Commission) Gang Intervention & Prevention Project, andCapital City Youth Violence Coalition. After thanking Officer Bailey for the time taken for this interview, Iasked for any recommendations for additional information and statistics and where to find them. Officer Bailey said that I can talk to the Department of Corrections, the State Court House, and the city library for additional information directly from the sources, and also stated that Google is your best friend for being able to deep dive and find different branches of information quicker and without makingan appointment.Back in the day, women used to be able to walk around Trenton late at night without fear, people left their front doors unlocked, and people did not live in fear of their own neighborhood every time they walked out the door. Over the years, Trenton has become a completely different city, unrecognizable to what it used to be; filled with a crumbling economy and violent street gangs. If you are not part of a gang in Trenton, it is a common trait to be more conscious of what type and color of clothes you wear. For example, if you were to walk out wearing a plain t-shirt that is red, people might misunderstand and think you are part of the Bloods; same with yellow for Latin Kings, and blue for Crips.Some people in Trenton join gangs just to be protected from other gangs; the vicious circle of committing violence to avoid violence.When searching for local information about Trenton gangs on Google, I was surprised and disappointed to see that there are not many resources or links regarding Trenton gangs, and most of theinformation provided is from 2017 or older. Some of the information I found included gang crimes that occurred and articles explaining what happened. For example, in 2021, six members of the Trenton gang, H-Block, were arrested and seized about 1,000 grams of heroin, more than $22,000 in cash, 15 pounds of marijuana, 1,000 grams of methamphetamine, 6 vehicles, and 11 guns. The Mercer County Narcotics Task Force, the Mercer County Homicide Task Force, and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Economic Crime Unit, along with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 14Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and many state, county and local police agencies, began their hard-hitting investigation a short time later and dubbed the job “Operation Eight-Ball,” representing the eight-ball logo used by Trenton’s H-Block. According to Prosecutor Onofri, the initial investigation focused on the alleged drug activities of H-Block, and through informant information, controlled buys, surveillance, and intelligence, authorities were able to obtain and execute more than 40warrants of individuals, vehicles, and locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania (Heino, 2021).In 2005, The New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety’s Intelligence Services Section in theStreet Gang Bureau & Analytical Support Unit submitted the Municipal Law Enforcement Response to the 2004 & 2001 New Jersey State Police Gang Surveys. This submission provides information on the number of gangs reported, geographic distribution of gangs, active gangs, number of gang members reported, racial/ethnic composition, gang-related criminal activities, gang-related incidents in school, gang homicides, gang members use of firearms, the release of gang members from prison, and many more. In 2001, 64 respondents reporting active gangs represented nearly all types of jurisdictions in New Jersey. The only exception was municipalities classified by the New Jersey State Police Uniform Crime Reporting Unit (UCR) as “rural,” which reported no active gangs. Respondents from urban suburbs accounted for the greatest proportion of respondents reporting gangs (39%), closely followed by jurisdictions classified as urban centers (31%) and suburbs (27%). Only 2 rural centers reported activegangs in 2001. In contrast, in 2004, the percentage of respondents from suburbs reporting active gangs increased from 27% to 39%. The proportion of urban centers represented in the jurisdictions reporting active gangs decreased from 31% to 17%. Notably, active gangs reported by rural municipalities and rural centers both increased to 6% (Street Gang Bureau, 2005).Gangs remain a public safety threat in the State of New Jersey given their heavy presence and continued involvement in drug, property, and violent crime. There are an estimated 12,500 gang members in the state and another 3,500 gang members supervised by the Department of Corrections.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 15In Central New Jersey, seven Tier 1 gangs were identified, and they were reported in six counties. Tier 1 threats in Central New Jersey include the Bloods, Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, Rollin 60s Crips, 18th Street, and several unaffiliated neighborhood gangs (New Jersey State Police Investigations Branch, 2018).Back in the day, women used to be able to walk around Trenton late at night without fear, people left their front doors unlocked, and people did not live in fear of their own neighborhood every time they walked out the door. Over the years, Trenton has become a completely different city, unrecognizable to what it used to be; filled with a crumbling economy and violent street gangs. If you are not part of a gang in Trenton, it is a common trait to be more conscious of what type and color of clothes you wear. For example, if you were to walk out wearing a plain t-shirt that is red, people might misunderstand and think you are part of the Bloods; same with yellow for Latin Kings, and blue for Crips.Some people in Trenton join gangs just to be protected from other gangs; the vicious circle of committing violence to avoid violence. It is truly sad and disappointing to see what has become of a once beautiful city.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 16References Heino, K. (2021). Six-month investigation into Trenton gang yields 18 arrests with guns and drugs seized.United States Drug Enforcement Administration.New Jersey State Police Investigative Branch. (2018). Executive Summary.Statewide Gang Assessment.Street Gang Bureau. (2005). Types of Municipalities Reporting Active Gangs.Gangs in New Jersey.