LATIN KINGS TORN BY RIVALRIES, SAY GANG EXPERTS

With Perhaps Six Factions, Gang Is More Volatile, Harder To Work With

Although the federal indictment handed down Monday describes the Latin
Kings as highly organized, people who have studied and worked with gangs
say they have splintered and are less organized -- and perhaps more
volatile -- than in the past.

"Leadership is less important than it used to be, and that's part of the
problem," said Gary Graika, director of youth development programs at the
Social Development Commission.

Graika estimates six Latin King branches exist today, each with its own
leadership. When the gang was more centralized, leaders easily could be
called together, he said.

"Today, they don't all necessarily agree, and that makes it harder," he said.

John Hagedorn, an assistant professor of criminal science at the University
of Illinois-Chicago who has studied Milwaukee gangs for more than 15 years,
said the Latin Kings have fragmented over the drug market.

"Turf no longer is an issue of territory and colors, but turf relates to
drugs and to the larger phenomena of people making money and what's
happened to the economy," he said in an interview before Monday's
indictment announcement. "That's the reason why gangs have been
institutionalized."

The Latin Kings are considered the largest and second-oldest gang in
Milwaukee, exceeded in longevity only by the Spanish Cobras. In the early
years, the Kings recruited young Puerto Ricans and Mexicans; now, they have
African-American and white members as well.

Many of today's gang members are second- and third-generation, Hagedorn said.

According to the indictment, street gangs in Milwaukee are generally
divided into two opposing factions, called People and Folks. The Latin
Kings are aligned with the People faction. Violence between the Kings and
rival gangs aligned with the Folks have become commonplace, the indictment
says.

"Since their appearance in Milwaukee, the Latin Kings have grown
substantially, and there are Latin King members in numerous state
correctional facilities, as well as throughout the metropolitan Milwaukee
region," the indictment reads.

Federal authorities said the Latin Kings have an organized structure
outlined in a written manifesto that lays down rules of conduct, outlines
the general hierarchy and establishes a five-point crown as the unifying
symbol. Members indicate their affiliation through the use of hand
gestures, tattoos and common colors -- black and gold.

At times, the gang has been ruled by a "crown council" of several members
who typically avoid direct participation in illegal activities but advise
various chapters and resolve disputes, the indictments says.

The indictment echoes Graika's comments, saying the gang has split into
chapters that mark a particular area with graffiti and attempt to control
it with violence and intimidation. All are involved in drug distribution on
the south side, the indictment alleges.

Graika said that he agrees that some gang members need to be taken off the
street, but he said they likely will be succeeded by "younger kids who may
want to make a name for themselves and are more hot-headed."

Mayor John Norquist called that kind of thinking "insane" and called Graika
an apologist for gangs.

Checked-by: Richard Lake