Just to the side of the bank of television cameras I asked Assistant U.S. Attorney John Katko whether police and investigators infiltrated Syracuse’s Bricktown gang or whether they flipped members into informants. Katko smiled a bit and said I was welcome to infiltrate the gang if I thought I could, but the feds and local police are not willing to risk their people trying to accomplish that depth of integration into Syracuse gang life. Instead they work hard to secure cooperation from gang members.
Katko’s professional life in recent years has been an immersion into the racketeering activities of young men working Syracuse’s toughest streets with an intimidating use of violence to protect turf and their ability to sell crack cocaine. A Federal Grand Jury handed up an indictment of thirteen men with nicknames like Quaz, Masaroti, Cheeks, Meechie, Mojo, Baldy, G-Money and Loonz. Their ages range from 19 to 28.
The federal RICO statute is the law with teeth that encourages Syracuse police and other local agencies to work with federal prosecutors to attack the individual gang members and the gang as a whole. The indictment lays out a business operation where cocaine, crack and marijuana are supplied from New York City and sold in Syracuse. Bricktown members are being held responsible for the murders of two innocent people. One was a 20 month old boy named Rashad Walker.
Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler told me this afternoon the vast majority of shootings and murders in the city are a result of gang violence. Sometimes it’s the first strike. Other times it’s retaliation like the shooting of the toddler.
Mayor Stephanie Miner described the activities of these gang members as deviant. She said she has had long conversations with the chief about ways to stop deviant behavior in Syracuse. Chief Fowler promised any other gang members listening that the police will be coming for them too.
This is the sixth gang busted up in Syracuse since 2003. The others are Boot Camp, Elk Block, Brighton Brigade, East Side Gang and 110 Gang. The names typically reflect neighborhood turf. Boot Camp used to wear fatigues. Bricktown members wore blue flags or bandanas. Police say they sprayed graffiti like “Brick City”, “Bricktown” and “Brickset”. They all referred to the nickname of the long standing public housing project Pioneer Homes. Another spray painted slogan was “252”. The indictment says that refers to the willingness of gang members to do 25 years to life in prison to preserve the integrity and territory of the Bricktown.
Considering six gangs have now been busted, it’s hard to believe about ten years ago a former Syracuse police chief refused to concede there were gangs in town. A change in mayor and chief changed that policy and the combined task force has been working the problem ever since.
One reporter asked of Katko and others today why this gang is called Bricktown. I answered that one myself: because they call Pioneer Homes “the bricks”. Katko facetiously asked if I wanted a job with them. I feel much better knowing these professionals are working to clean up the deviants tarnishing the otherwise safe city of Syracuse.
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