DRUG GANGS PUT MARK ON PATERSON STREET

PATERSON -- Who's Barry? Who's Kris? Who's Rollack?

A rash of red gang graffiti has sprung up along Union Avenue in the
city's 1st and 2nd wards, and now police and city officials worry
that a turf war may be erupting along this quiet, working-class
commercial strip.

The brightly colored graffiti signifies a bold attempt by the Bloods
street gang to enter the drug-dealing territory controlled by the
Crips and the Jasper Street Posse, authorities said.

"The market is here," said 2nd Ward Councilman Aslon Goow Friday as
he gave a guided tour of the neighborhood.

"The question is, 'Who's going to dominate it?'"

It appears Bloods gang members think they will.

"Bloods Rule" was spray-painted over the blue tags that the Crips
painted on several shops, restaurants and residences. The authors
left cryptic signatures on the walls: Barry, Kris and Rollack.

Police investigators are attempting to figure out the meaning behind
these names.

Detective Sgt. Dalton Price, of the Police Department's gang unit,
said it is too early to say what effect the graffiti will have.
Should rival gang members cross paths on the streets, they could feel
compelled to confront each other, he said.

"We don't want to scare people into not leaving their homes," said
Price, "but it's always a chance."

Price said he plans to meet with police Chief James Wittig to develop
a response to the graffiti.

The graffiti began appearing last week on the sides of area
businesses and homes, Goow said. The gangs even defaced the sandstone
facade of the Paterson public library's Union Avenue branch. The
initials "SMM" were tagged on the building's Sheridan Avenue side.
Just down the block, the letters were repeated along with the numbers 252.

Both are references to a statewide Bloods set, or group, known as Sex
Money Murder, which authorities say has operated on the city's
Eastside. Over the summer, more than a dozen Sex Money Murder
members, including three ringleaders, were indicted on charges
ranging from drug dealing to murder.

Goow said he has urged residents, landlords and business-owners to
remove the gang graffiti as soon as possible.

"If you don't clean it," he said, "you encourage it."

And those who don't remove the graffiti can face stiff penalties. The
city can place a lien on a private property if the city is forced to
remove the graffiti itself, Goow said.

And landlords and property owners are expected to bear the costs of
graffiti removal.

Protecting the library's walls may sap the system of its budget, said
library Director Cindy Czesak. The library system is fielding bids
from vendors who can remove the graffiti and apply a sealant that
will make the removal of future graffiti easier.

While some local business owners painted over the graffiti almost as
quickly as they discovered it, they said they felt uneasy about their
property being the target of gangs and vandals.

"It's awful. It's awful," said the owner of Union Avenue Laundry,
whose business was struck Sunday. She would not give her name for
fear of gang retaliation. "They're marking their territory like dogs."