By NICOLE CARTRETTE

Gang members are getting younger and gang activity is on the rise, task force representatives told local law enforcement leaders Friday. Experts from New Hanover County coached local officers on ways to recognize and deal with gangs and gang culture.

Faced with gang activity that resulted in the arrest of five gang members for the March 10 beating of 19-year-old Jerome Bullock and temporary closure of Westside Park beside Central Middle School, Whiteville Police Chief Jerry Britt said he asked the New Hanover task force to provide law enforcement with up-to-date insight on gangs.

“We as a police department want to become more aware of what to look for,” said Britt. He said the department will “aggressively pursue” gang matters.

Brian Bellamy, a detective with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office gang task force, warned officers not to overlook gang graffiti, tattoos, symbols, handwriting, and hand signs.

Pointing to a picture of guns, money, and drugs confiscated from a teenager in New Hanover County, Bellamy insisted that some kids are not pretending. A 10-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by several members of a gang in New Hanover County, Bellamy told officers.

“Wanna be’s are gonna be’s,” said Bellamy.

A middle school student in New Hanover County with little gang knowledge spurred the formation of two female gangs, he said. A video clip of several gang members beating a recruit who wanted to join (called a beating in) demonstrated that gangs are not split down racial lines.

“It’s not a black problem,” Bellamy insisted as he showed pictures of Hispanic, white, black, and Asian gang members.

Youth are heavily influenced by the gangster culture portrayed in music videos, said Bellamy. He used popular rap video clips to identify hand signals gang members use to communicate threats and/or enrage rival gangs.

Older gang members may use juveniles to commit crimes, especially if they can’t afford to have another felony against them, he said.

“They idolize these older guys.”

A tight family lacking at home makes gang life attractive to some. Kids who are picked on and attacked in neighborhoods with gangs present are likely to join gangs, he said.

It is not easy to get out of a gang, Bellamy told officials. Bellamy emphasized that it is important to recognize the difference between pop culture and gang culture.

“Not all graffiti and tattoos are gang related,” said Bellamy. “It is important to ask the suspect or individual what the specific tattoo, symbol, or color means to them.”

He said a teenager’s refusal to wear a specific color or who insists on wearing one specific color repeatedly may be a sign of gang affiliation.

Neighborhood gangs may or may not affiliate themselves with larger nationally known gangs such as the Crypts and Bloods said Bellamy.

“Neighborhood gangs will be specific to your area,” he said.

Those arrested in connection with the beating that took place in Whiteville on March 10 were allegedly members of Hell’s Gangster Disciples with ties to the Folk Nation Gang (linked to the Crypts). The sixth suspect, Troy Steven “Izzy” Childress, 23, is still at large.

More than 30 representatives from the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, Whiteville City Council, Central Middle School, the Department of Probation and Parole, the prison, and Whiteville, Chadbourn, and Fair Bluff Police Departments attended the informational session held at the Work Prep Center in the Lewis Smith Shopping Plaza.