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Topic: How does Flint deal with crime?

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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Flint had another violent weekend with 5 people shot (3 critical). Add shots fired into an occupied home and a car chasing and firing at another car as well as multiple shots fired calls. A Journal story showed not all murders were counted . Flint residents protest on the internet and in meetings about neighborhood complaints not being addressed by an overworked police department. The south side of Flint deals with missing women and fear. But we have an administration that claims crime is better and spends precious police overtime resources to promote civility in alleged public hearings.

While gun buy backs are being held in oher communities, our police department held a gun sale. According to a city resolution, the sale netted less than $1,600, which seems like a paltry amount compared to the photos of a room filled with weapons.

And it is not only the administration that is lacking. Where is the leadership from our prosecutor, the chief legal officer for the county? At least some previous prosecutors worked with other agencies to prosecute gang groups.
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 8:00 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Flint Journal reporter Ron Fonger wrote about Sheriff Pickell and his second effort to have the state support a violent crime unit for Flint on January 22, 2013. Estimated to cost about $3 million Pickell said the mobile unit would address long term crime issues in Flint.

Fonger wrote that Pickell in his 19 page proposal stated Flint has become a "safe haven for criminals" and a place where "law abiding citizens" have been on the run for 25 years.

The Pickell proposal stated "Citizens of Genesee County are imprisoned in their homes while criminals are roaming the streets freely" "With funding to assemble a highly trained and proactive... unit, the criminal enterprises will be eradicated and give the community a chance to flourish".
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 8:20 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

In 2012, Snyder initiated his own anti-crime program. This included more Michigan State Police troopers patrolling the streets. A $2 million grant to open and maintain the city jail, and four state-funded prosecutors for Leyton's office. Pickell responded that this elfort was "fundamentally flawed" "and what was needed was a "paramilitary unit that develops information about gangs and other criminal enterprises, using confidential informants and other tactics".

Pickell was correct that at the time , the MSP troopers lacked the knowledge of the community to make an impact on the streets. I was at an east side community meeting
where a trooper admitted frustration about not being able to take down a leader of the Chicago based gang, the Black P Stone in the area. The FBI had published past reports that this gang and others were in the area, including a cartel presence. Lansing was able to take down a Black P Stone network.
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 8:38 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Fonger detailed other portions of the proposal:

* A reference to the sheriff having "received a commitment from the FBI to assign agents to the unit", and close work with the remaining Safe Streets task Force.

* A link to violent crime and "major gang activity' and a promise to target gangs

* Oher high crime areas were named as the City of Mt. Morris, Mt Morris Township and Genesee.

* The mobile crime unit would consist of "six streetwise plain clothes violent crime investigators", 12 uniformed investigators and one crime analyst."

The focus crimes would include "homicide, carjacking, armed robbery manufacturing and trafficking of narcotics and dangerous drugs."
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 8:53 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Under his proposal Pickell would be the project director with four sheriff deputies, four Flint officers, two MSP officers, and one officer each from the City of Davison, and the townships of Flint, Genesee and Mt. Morris.

Snyder indicated he believed his current initiative was adequate. Kurtz indicated that he would not support the Pickell proposal if it came at the expense of the Snyder plan.

During this time the Neighborhood Restoration Coalition was meeting weekly in the north end mini station of Flint. Fonger interviewed member William Alexander, described rime as primarily a north end problem that had not been aided by the public safety millage or the State Police. His comment that "people call in, and we don't get any response." is a comment that is repeated often in Flint.
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 9:07 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

PEOPLE v. GONZALEZ | FindLaw
caselaw.findlaw.com › Caselaw › Michigan › MI Ct. App.
Apr 8, 2003 - Michael A. Cox, Attorney General, Thomas L. Casey, Solicitor General, Arthur A. Busch, Prosecuting Attorney, Timothy J. Cassady, Chief, Research, ... A Crime Area Target Team of the Flint Police Department, which had been investigating gang activity for several years, discovered that the Spanish Cobras,



..http://www.flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=10766
About 4,100,000 results
Flint Talk Forums View topic - Amor De Cobra
www.flinttalk.com › Political Talk
May 13, 2013 - 15 posts - ‎1 author
The first thing you notice about the graffiti of the Insane Spanish Cobra Nation (ISCN) is the fidelity they express for their gang. Wherever there is Cobra graffiti, you will find Amore de Cobra, Cobra Love or it's equivalent 3-12. The gang comes first and the individuality plays a secondary role except when ...







.


Last edited by untanglingwebs on Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:28 am; edited 2 times in total
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 9:31 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Former Prosecutor Arthur A. Busch was the first prosecutor in the nation to use Rico, a law originally used for organized crime,to prosecute the east side Insane Spanish Cobra Nation in Flint. His office worked closely with other police agencies to build the case.


The CATT team was active during this time. I remember being in a restaurant with City Administrator Peggy Cook when she pointed out the CATT team coming in for their lunch. They had to be the biggest officers I had ever seen and they had to work out a lot to get those muscles. Their reputation for success was the reason the Cobras painted graffiti threatening to kill them.

I am glad to see the CATT team resurrected and hope they are as successful as the original.
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 9:41 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

http://flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=74350Flint Talk Forums View topic - Howard Boys Trial and song "Pat Around"
flinttalk.com › Political Talk
Jul 18, 2014 - FLINT, MI -- Federal prosecutors say they have located the final man indicted as a part of the Howard Boys gang that police say trafficked in drugs and guns and used merciless violence to protect their turf. Leon Gills, indicted for racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering and using a firearm ...
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:44 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Community Policing played a big role in the past for intelligence and neighborhood crimes. But it takes the coordination of several police agencies to eradicate even one gang. Busch had the gangster disciples in his sights before he returned to private practice. In the past the Prosecutors office had their own investigators.
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:51 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Authorities say they have ended crime "Dynasty"
Print Email Bryn Mickle | bmickle1@mlive.com By Bryn Mickle | bmickle1@mlive.com
on August 05, 2009 at 4:16 PM, updated August 06, 2009 at 7:45 AM
FLINT, Michigan -- They called themselves Dynasty and authorities say they spent nearly a year terrorizing area banks, gas stations and stores.

With nicknames like "Twizzy," "Stacks" and "Vito," the crew of nearly two dozen thieves worked in squads of two or three using businesses as their personal ATMs.

Flint Journal extras
The alleged members of "Dynasty"
• Dwayne D. Alexander, 19, of Flint
• Raymond L. Brown III, 19, of Flint
• Jequillian T. Chandler, 20, of Flint
• Sharron F. Criss, 18, of Genesee Twp.
• John Doe, A.K.A. "Bees"
• Demetrius D. Earl, 21, of Flint
• Troy M. Giles, 20, of Fairburn, Ga.
• Denell D. Jenkins, 21, of Flint
• Quavone C. Jenkins, 18, of Flint
• Robert L. Lewis, 18, of Flint
• Shukariya L. Mason, 17, of Grand Blanc Twp.
• Javonte T. McMillian, 19, of Flint
• Isaac R. Moore, 24, of Flint
• Datwain L. Perkins, 19, of Flint
• Darrius Robinson, 20, of Flint
• Devonta M. Smith, 19, no address provided
• Kalien K. Stubbs, 19, of Flint
• Michael C. Wilbon, 17, of Flint Twp.
• Rashulae A. Wilbon-Streeter, 18, of Flint
• Eric D. Williams, 19, of Flint
• Tashaun C. Woodley, 19, of Flint
Three of them are former Southwestern Academy students who spent their high school graduation day in jail last year after they were arrested for robbing a Jumbo Video in Flint to pay for prom.

The ringleader? A 20-year-old Flint man who called himself the "Hustle King" and like most of his alleged cohorts isn't old enough to buy a beer.

Now, 21 members of the alleged gang -- including rappers who rhymed about their criminal exploits -- face charges ranging from bank robbery to racketeering.

Genesee County Prosecutor David S. Leyton said his office began hearing talk about three years ago of a group of young criminals called The Dream Team that was robbing shoe stores and dollar stores around the area.

The Dream Team eventually began pulling crimes with a group of rappers called Block Boyz, calling their new collaborative Dynasty with links to another street gang called Family Over Everything, said Leyton.

The ring was busted after the Genesee County Prosecutor's office and police began to see a pattern to the robberies.

For months, local police agencies, the prosecutor's office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives pieced together clues that pointed to a young group of street thugs, said Leyton.

Late last month, the ATF, Grand Blanc Township police and other area police agencies raided 20 locations around the county, turning up 11 pistols and long guns, drugs and photos of suspects throwing gang signs.

Investigators also rounded up the suspects, including a Georgia man who was arrested at Cedar Point. Two others are already serving prison sentences.

One suspect, however, is still outstanding -- a John Doe known by the street name "Bees."

Although officials believe the robbery spree began a few years ago, the charges stem from a series of stick-ups that began March 6, 2008 when a masked man approached workers leaving a Mr. Alan's Shoes and Sportswear on Clio Road in Flint about 10 p.m. and forced them back into the store at gunpoint. No one was hurt but the robber left with cash.

A month later, a dollar store on Fenton Road was hit followed by another shoe store and a gas station.

In all, at least seven businesses in Flint, Burton, Flint Township and Grand Blanc Township were targeted by robbers with a similar approach.

After one member would case the target, Leyton said two gunmen -- one short and one tall -- would come in wearing dark hoodies and gym shoes.

In some cases, the robbers would return to hit the same stores on multiple occasions.

On June 28, 2008, witnesses told police that man wearing a dark "do rag" showed a gun to a Burton bank teller and demanded money, telling the teller "I don't know if this is gonna be a problem for you but I need all of your money."

For a robbery at a Chase Bank branch on Hill Road in Grand Blanc Township in November, the men wore knit hats pulled over their faces with eye holes cut out.

One of the suspects in that bank robbery was out on bond at the time from the earlier prom-related robbery of the Flint video store.

A month after the Grand Blanc Township bank heist, the crew stole $6,000 from a Flint Rite Aid after three men in masks order the manager to open the store safes.

It's unknown what the total haul was from all of the robberies.

Leyton called the gang a group of young thugs who thought it was "cool" to point guns at people.

"They got away with it for awhile but eventually the law catches up," said Leyton.

The alleged leader, Jequillian T. Chandler, is charged with 53 counts ranging from bank robbery to criminal conspiracy.

His attorney, Frank J. Manley, said it appears prosecutors are throwing a lot of charges at Chandler in hopes something sticks.

"If they have to bring 53 counts then it suggests to me that none of them are good," said Manley.

In all, the alleged Dynasty members face more than 260 charges, including 49 counts against 21-year-old Demetrius D. Earl of Flint and 32 counts against 19-year-old Javonte T. McMillian of Flint.

Earl's attorney, Mark Latchana, and McMillian's attorney, David S. Grant, declined comment pending a review of police files.

The case is personal for Genesee County Commissioner Omar Sims.

Sims said he knows four of the suspects and had talked to them in workshops aimed at keeping youth away from crime.

All four come from stable homes and one had an academic scholarship to attend college, said Sims.

Sims said the scholarship was lost after the teen missed the deadline to file papers because he was in jail.

"They didn't have to make these choices," said Sims.
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:01 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

"Pierson Hood" arrests, charges came out of lengthy investigations
Print Email
Jeff Johnston | Flint Journal
By Jeff Johnston | Flint Journal
Follow on Twitter
on December 19, 2007 at 7:40 AM, updated December 19, 2007 at 7:44 AM
Neighborhood watch groups applauded the news. A local criminal defense attorney said it was going to be a "merry Christmas" in terms of legal work. And some hailed it as the biggest news about a Flint area gang since the state and federal charges brought down the Insane Spanish Cobras back in the 1990s.

But the issuing of charges Friday and over the weekend for 35 people alleged to be part of the Pierson Hood gang didn't come as a bolt from the blue.

Some indications that authorities were investigating the organization emerged in early March in U.S. District Court in Flint after three men -- two subsequently charged with murder and cocaine distribution, and one with cocaine dealing -- were indicted by a federal grand jury in Bay City early this year.

Those three suspects, indicted on federal cocaine conspiracy charges in February, were Samuel L. Wood, Garner H. Wood and Montae D. Leeper, all of Flint. They were among nine persons indicted in that conspiracy and taken into custody by authorities, with Garner Wood also charged with two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms -- an AK-47 assault rifle and a .45-caliber pistol.

At a bond hearing for Samuel Wood before a federal magistrate in Flint on March 1, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Jones said that the suspect could be heard on a wiretapped phone conversation, talking about killing others.

The indictment that named the two Woods and Leeper -- who has since been identified in new state charges as Monta D. Leeper-McNeil -- also alleged that members of their conspiracy killed and threatened others.

"In order to further the goals of the cocaine conspiracy," the indictment stated, "threats of violence, actual violence and murders were committed to intimidate competitors to the conspiracy."

Those three men haven't yet gone to trial in federal court.

But when Flint law enforcement officials revealed the state charges against alleged members of the Pierson Hood gang on Monday, Samuel Wood, 26, known by the street name "Six," was charged in two double slayings -- the 2005 shootings at Club Xclusive of Curtis Wade Jr. and Gregory Baines of Flint, and the 2004 killings of Kenneth M. Edwards, 19, of Clio and Marcus L. Ballard, 25, of Flint at the Super 8 West motel in Mt. Morris Township.

Wood was also charged with terrorism causing death and assault with intent to murder in the shootings of two other men at a Flint Burger King restaurant, three counts of conspiracy to murder, being part of a continuing criminal enterprise and other charges.

A man described as Wood's relative, Garner H. "Buddy" Wood, 29, of Flint, was also charged in the Club Xclusive slayings, conspiracy to commit murder, continuing criminal enterprise and other charges.

Leeper-McNeil, 24, was charged with delivery of cocaine and continuing criminal enterprise.

Those men, in federal custody, are expected to be formally arraigned Friday in Flint District Court.

While declining to give specifics about what evidence federal and local law enforcement used to charge them and 32 others named in the Pierson Hood investigation -- evidence that may have come from secret federal grand jury testimony or government wiretap powers -- officials indicated they've used everything they possibly could in the probe.

"We've utilized every investigative tool available," Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said, echoing a comment made by Special Resident Agent Robert Hughes of the Flint FBI office.

Genesee County Sheriff Robert J. Pickell also confirmed the connections between major drug figures and the Pierson Hood organization that allegedly included the Woods and Leeper-McNeil.

Those connections were convicted cocaine distributor Gregory Holder, 29, of Swartz Creek and accused cocaine distributor Deshawn Howard, Pickell said.

Howard of Flint Township was arrested in February by Flint police after the Genesee County Sheriff's Department drug unit known as the Posse observed him place what they allege was 10 kilograms of cocaine into his car. He was indicted shortly thereafter by a federal grand jury and still faces trial.

Holder, arrested in 2006, was sentenced earlier this year to state prison from between 18 years, 9 months and 39 years, 7 months after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver more than 1,000 grams of cocaine.

Those men admitted to or are accused of moving thousands of pounds of drugs into the Flint area, Pickell said.

He and other law enforcement officials who announced the investigation into the Pierson Hood organization hailed the probe as the successful outcome of cooperation among federal agents and state and local police.

Police note that there are other gangs in the Flint area -- the Merrill Hood, Selby Hood and Dewey Hood organizations are three mentioned in news reports about drug-related shootings -- and officers say other gangs with names such as the Goon Squad and Block Boys.

But when the charges against the Pierson Hood members ranging from murder to cocaine distribution to gambling were revealed this week, Flint police Chief Gary Hagler called them "not the end, but the beginning" of a joint state, federal and local law enforcement action against gang violence and drug dealing.

In addition to the two Wood family members, 10 other suspects have been named in the murder cases at Club Xclusive and Super 8, as well as the November 2005 slayings in Flint of Larry Pass and Erwin Blue and the December 2006 slaying of Alvin Rauls, 27.

On Friday, federal agents and postal inspectors, investigators assigned to the Safe Street Task Force, state police and officers from Burton, Mt. Morris Township and Davison area police departments served 15 search warrants and 21 arrest warrants at locations around Flint and Mt. Morris Township. More warrants have since been issued.

So far, about 20 other people named in the warrants issued by the Genesee County Prosecutor's office were arraigned Monday, while a dozen, including some charged in slayings, remain at large.
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:05 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

ABC12 - Content - News



Home Crime Article
Flint gangs among those busted in nationwide sweep

By ABC12 News Team | Posted: Fri 3:52 PM, May 12, 2017 | Updated: Fri 3:52 PM, May 12, 2017

FLINT (WJRT) - (05/12/17) - Twenty people from Flint and Detroit are among the 1,300 arrested in a nationwide gang sweep.

Immigration and Homeland Security agents have just wrapped up the six-week investigation, which they say lead to murder, racketeering, drug, weapons, smuggling and sex trafficking charges.

The Flint gangs agents say were busted include IMOB, Spanish Cobras and East Side Crips.

State police and Flint police assisted in the raids.
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:13 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Nature abhors a void and so do gangs. Flint is located between major highways that facilitates the transportation of drugs. So when you knock one gang of of commission, there is another one ready to take it's place. Besides the major gangs, Flint has it's local home grown groups. IMOB on the East side means I'm my own boss.

So far I have not seen any great success from efforts like "Cease Fire in Flint. Something more needs to be done.

The Madison Avenue Crips claimed to have formed to fight the Cobras that were moving into their south side neighborhood. Then they became brutal and dangerous. They united at one time with the Vernon Avenue Crips and the East Side Crips.

LOOKING FOR COMMENTS. ANY OPTIONS OUT THERE?
Post Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:21 am 
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