Gangster Disciples Ex-gangster testifies in Lester Street trial: Killings not our style » The Commercial Appeal

Ex-gangster testifies in Lester Street trial: Killings not our style » The Commercial Appeal: "former member of the Gangster Disciples told the jury in the Lester Street case Monday that gang punishments for member violations ranged from punches to death, but killing women and children was beyond anything they would ever consider.
Willie Boyd Hill Jr. said Cecil Dotson, a fellow gang member in 2008 and one of the six victims at 722 Lester Street, had crossed him and another gang member for different reasons that year, but neither problem would have warranted such retaliation.
'I didn't write him up (for gang punishment) and he wasn't taken out for that reason,' said Hill, adding that punishments could include 'chest shots, mouth shots, pumpkin-head' beatings, three-minute beatings or 'DV' -- a death violation."

Bloods, Gangster Disciples, Sur-13, Kurdish Pride

Gangs call themselves the Bloods, Gangster Disciples, Sur-13, Kurdish Pride and dozens of other names. Some are chapters of national brands. They recruit in schools and in parks. Girls are joining at increasing rates, and affiliation among whites is on the rise — shattering stereotypes that gangs attract only minorities and boys.
The percentage of Middle Tennessee's crimes caused by gangs is unknown; police don't track it consistently. But authorities say they see enough new activity to know it's on the rise."(Gangs) are at a crucial point evolving into increasingly organized hierarchies with educated leaders," TBI Director Mark Gwyn writes in the TBI report. "The amount of crime that stems from gangs, especially drug sales, is significant."
In a smoke-filled apartment in Jackson, 10 gang members gathered for a meeting. A painting of the Virgin Mary hung on the wall above the leader. He called himself Crazy Joker and said he oversees the Sur-13 gang in Tennessee. Sur-13 is one of the nation's fastest-growing gangs and pledges allegiance to the Mexican Mafia, a Mexican-American criminal organization.
"We're in it to make money," said Crazy Joker, whose real name is Renaldo Garcia.
But on this night the gang met to talk about punishing one of its own.
A rival gang in Williamson County took a shot at a Sur-13 member during a drive-by shooting near the Cool Springs exit on Interstate 65. No one was injured. But a Sur-13 member violated gang rules by not coming to the aid of the fellow member. At stake was a possible beating — between 13 seconds and a minute long — for the errant gangster. The length of the beating depends upon the violation."We're here to talk about violations,'' Garcia said. "We're going to decide what happens to some of our vatos (men) who didn't help a homey.''Members listened and debated, handguns poking from their pants as they drank beer out of cans.At one point, a gang member who had just been released from jail said he wanted to talk about how the gang could make some money. But Garcia kept the conversation focused and said it was important to follow the meeting agenda.

Ternae Ramone "Bud" Hatten a self confessed member of the Gangster Disciples gang.

General Sessions Court Judge Clarence Shattuck bound aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping charges to the Grand Jury against Ternae Ramone "Bud" Hatten, 23, of 1724 E. 17th St.Judge Shattuck also doubled Hatten's bond, that he said was set too low by a magistrate. Prosecutor Rex Sparks had asked that the bond be tripled, saying Hatten had repeatedly threatened the alleged victims in the case against testifying against him.Dionee Parker said she and her husband were driving in their Cadillac Escalade around on July 25 when they came to a four-way stop at Bennett Avenue and South Kelly.She said they were approached by several men with guns, who ordered them out of the vehicle and into an apartment at 2200 Bennett Ave.
She said she saw a large amount of marijuana in the residence and said it was "foggy" and had a strong smell. She said Hatten was one of the men who held a gun on her and took $200 from her husband, Joe, as well as $1,300 they had in the vehicle. She said the men also took their house key, two cell phones and her husband's wedding ring. She said they asked that the ring not be taken, saying they had just gotten married.Ms. Parker said Hatten kept asking if they had any items at their house and wanted to be taken there. She said she was taken back out to the vehicle and Hatten tried to get in one side, but the door would not open. She said another man had one leg in one of the doors when he dropped something. She said she took the occasion to speed off.She said she drove nearby and spotted her husband walking down the street.Joe Parker gave a similar account. He said he was made to lie down on the floor in the kitchen.He said after his wife was able to drive off, he was told to "walk out like nothing happened."He said he has not gotten any of the money back.Hatten admitted having marijuana, crack cocaine, digital scales, baggies and other drug items in the residence, that he was renting at the time.But he said he knew Joe Parker and that Parker had come over to get some marijuana. He said it was another man in the residence - A.J. - who had pulled a gun on the couple.
Hatten had a separate drug case bound to the Grand Jury.Prosecutor Sparks said his record includes aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and a first-degree murder charge. Rodriquez McGlocton was also charged in the case.Hatten said he was playing dice at the residence with McGlocton and A.J. at the time of the incident.

Kenneth Lavon Jones, 34, is charged with possession of a firearm

Kenneth Lavon Jones, 34, is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and a parole violation.
A gang intelligence unit with the Barrow County Sheriff's Office received a tip about Jones' alleged affiliation with the gangster disciples. Deputies set up surveillance and interview witnesses before a SWAT team moved in early Monday morning. Police found Jones in possession of a loaded .40 caliber pistol and marijuana, Sheriff's Office spokesman Investigator Matt Guthas said.
"Given the threat that criminal street gangs pose to the community, (the Sheriff's Office) has committed to rigorously pursuing gang members and gang-related activity," he said.Gwinnett police assisted by providing a narcotics-sniffing K-9 unit, Guthas said.