The TRUTH About Gangs In The Southern Valley (Portland, Eugene: home, buying)

[FIV3FOURON3]

Originally Posted by helpformyhusband

I need help, please help me , I can't find anything about how southern gangs kill eachother, as certain setsvare rivals and which sets are rival or how a southern gang member from California wouldn't normally get along with Oregon or Nevada southern gang members. I know I am asking a lot but also that a gang member from southern California would not be able bro pull rank / ("shot call") on a 18th st southerner from Salem.....please anything will help. My husband is trying to be a family man and is being accused of "pulling his rank" just because he is 5 yrs older to make someone on the streets commit a crime, when he has been with his family not gang banging. He is from long beach and has associated briefly with pretty much anyone in our little area, weather they were southern, northern, or native doesn't matter to him ....only his family. I need to find someone or something online that would explain he's not trying to bang.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

I have no idea what you're talking about, but southerners and northerners only make up a small portion of the gang activity in the rogue valley. There are more northerners in number but the southerners are stronger and more heavily involved with the drug trade. The strongest street gang in the area is the Cartel, and they don't affiliate with 18th street or northerners and have recently decided to cut many ties with Southerners as well. Upstate and out of state southerners are generally not well respected among native southerners from the LA area, but the tighter structured southern gangs out here generally don't go around killing other southerners...

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

The initial, highly alarmist, post was about Southern Oregon in general, and makes it sound like you'd see a gang war going on at every corner, night and day. Are there gangs in Oregon, Southern Oregon and along the major I-5 corridor? Yes. Are they responsible for a disproportional amount of the crime? Yes. Are they a major focus of police activity? Yes.

Will you interact with gang members every day? No. Are you at risk from a gang member every day? No. Are the cities in which gangs have a noted presence completely unsafe? No. Must you huddle down in your house to be safe? No.

Tell that to the kid who got jumped for wearing blue converse tennis shoes or the family that had "X3" tagged on their brand new red chevy tahoe. Granted, you won't look outside your window and find a war zone at any given moment, but it's a lot easier to find yourself a victim of gang related crime than you've suggested, even if you have nothing to do with any street gang...

[Apapalypse]

Curious about what Gold Hill has faced as a crossroads between the rogue river/grants pass and white city crossroads coming out of central point?

[plainbrowntabby]

Originally Posted by waterrat27

wow - after reading all this I am more confused as to where to live in Oregon. I love being close to the coast, am a single Caucasian 59 year old female who likes quaintness in my town. I wonder if Bend, Eugene or Florence are good choices? We deal with flash mobs, who are very destructive, we have constant violence and the people are so VERY rude here in Maryland. (just 23 miles from DC)
A calm and peaceful place would be a welcomed change from this. Need some help in making a decision.

I think you could really like Florence. The demographic is older and white, there are conservatives and liberals, good shopping, a decent hospital. The downside for me is all the ATV/sand-rider people and their noisy toys, but living away from the ATV-approved areas of the dunes (south of the Siuslaw River) and Hwy 101 is pretty quiet. Lots of gated senior communities, from affordable to expensive. Mobile & Manufactued homes are common, all fixed up like beach cottages, not ratty and ugly. The weather is mild, often foggy or overcast, windy and yes, RAIN. It rarely ever gets too cold or too hot, and I like that. Traffic on 101 and 126 can be quite bad in the tourist season (May-September). Crime is mostly property crimes to pay for drugs, but there is less of a meth problem than on the South Coast. Many Florence residents are California retirees. There's a nice library, a performing arts center, lots of cute restaurants and trinket shops and of course, the beach! I have lived in Lane county for 40+ years, out near the coast here for 17. No careers out there, but little min-wage service/retail/CNA jobs can be found, especially in summer. The coast can be very isolated in the winter when roads (even the HIGHWAYS) are closed by storms. There is also the Tsunami/Earthquake risk. Florence is a "Storm-Ready" city, but be aware that living on a 50-foot sand dune covered with beach grass and shore pine has some unique disadvantages in that scenario. But socially, for a mature female, this is a very congenial and safe area. Come visit and see!

[WPANative]

I live in Pittsburgh, PA, and I was scanning through the forums and saw this topic. I've found the thread very interesting, and at the same time, I find it very sad. Oregon is one of the last states in the Union that I would think would have gang issues, but that's me being temporarily ignorant, because it seems to be everywhere anymore.

[WolfBoy914]

I can tell you that while there is still some gang activity here in southern Oregon is has dropped dramatically in the past couple of years. Local law enforcement stepped up stings and busts and have really cut into the gang presence. That's from an inside source.

[WPANative]

Originally Posted by WolfBoy914

I can tell you that while there is still some gang activity here in southern Oregon is has dropped dramatically in the past couple of years. Local law enforcement stepped up stings and busts and have really cut into the gang presence. That's from an inside source.

That's great to hear. Great to hear a police force digging in and doing some good, instead of like here in much of PA....where all you hear is how busy and overwhelmed the police are.

[tha team]

Originally Posted by Nurse Bishop

I hear that here on the Curry County Oregon coast we have a gang as well called the KKK. They wear white at their meetings. They tend to keep other gangs out.

Originally Posted by FIV3FOURON3

There's been a lot of debate over whether or not gangs are a genuine threat to the ever changing and rapidly growing southern Oregon valley. I'm posting this thread to hopefully shed some light on the truth surrounding this issue, as well as squash any rumors that have circulated through city-data.


There are currently several active and known gangs in the southern oregon valley. This area spans from Roseburg, OR in the north to Redding, CA in the south. East to west, it could span as far out as Klamath County and stretch all the way to the coast, although most all of these gangs are active along the I-5 corridor.


The largest and most well known gang is the South Valley Cartel. They are mostly white in racial make up, but include hispanic, black and even some asian members as well. Although not affiliated with the Surenos, the gang will sometimes use the colors blue or grey to identify themselves, as well as NFL gear from the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders. Most often though, there are no distinguishing colors to identify an SVC member. Dress code varies from individual to individual, and while many favor "cholo style" (eg blue jeans or kahkis, an oversized white tee shirt, long hanging web belt, etc), some members are virtually indistinguishable from other, non-affiliated young people in the way they dress. The gang enjoys a fairly healthy share of the drug trade along central I-5, distributing meth amphetamines, weed, cocaine and even illegal alcohol (pruno-type blends with caffeine added, illegal in oregon and washington). In addition to the drug trade, some gang members also use rapping and music production to funnel money in to the gang. These rappers often collaborate with other musicians from Northern California's central valley and distribute their music in the SF bay area, Stockton, Modesto and Sacramento areas. Rap music is a lucrative business in Northern California, but not so much here in Oregon. As a result, the gang rarely ever promotes it's musical interests here in the Southern Valley. SVC accounts for more than half of all gang related crime here in the Southern Valley, and the gang has ties to Redding CA, Sacramento CA, San Mateo County CA, Stanislaus County CA, Merced County CA, Ventura County CA and Las Vegas, NV.


The nortenos are an off shoot from the prison gang nuestra familia. Their rivals are the surenos and other black and hispanic gangs. The nortenos are not affiliated with bloods, but they do wear red. The also use the number 14 (N) to distinguish themselves. The dress code is casual among nortenos, although they generally rebel against traditional "cholo style." There are only small number of known nortenos in the Southern Valley, and these gang members account for less than 5 percent of all gang related crime.


The surenos are an off shoot from the hispanic gang la eme. Their rivals are the nortenos, and here in the Southern Valley, they share in a mutual respect truce with SVC. The surenos use the color blue and the number 13 (M) to distinguish themselves from other gangs. Dress code is fairly strict and usually adheres to the traditional "cholo style." Surenos account for a fairly large number of the gang members here in Oregon, but they are also relatively unstructured and are considered by law enforcement to be a minimal threat when compared to the SVC. The surrenos currently account for about 10-15 percent of gang related crime in the Southern Valley.


Bloods Gang were originally founded in Los Angeles, CA in the 1980s. Since then, the bloods have grown in number by the thousands and have migrated all across the country. Since Medford PD started documenting gang members in the mid 90s, there's only been one known active Blood gang member who resided in Southern Oregon. Samuel Simmons, or Big Red, migrated to the area from Portland, Oregon in 2001. Following the botched robbery of a convenience store in the rural central portion of the state, Simmons was convicted and sentenced to 10 years. He is currently incarcerated at OSP, Salem. Further north, the cities of Portland and Eugene both have active blood gangs.


Crips Gang were also founded in Los Angeles, CA, but they came a few years earlier in the 1970s. Crips are the largest and most well known street gang in the entire country, with tens of thousands of members from the east to the west coast. That having been said, there are actually very few known Crip members here in the State of Oregon. It is estimated that Crips account for less than 2 percent of the gang related crime in the entire state of Oregon, and less than 1 percent here in the Southern Valley.


West Bay Pinay Boys are loose off shoot from the SF bay area based gang West Bay Pinay or WBP. Their racial make up is asian, mostly filipino, and their dress code is extremely casual (no colors, numbers or clothing styles to distinguish the gang). Although not active in much of the drug trade, the WBP are heavily involved in illegal auto repair schemes and the distribution of stolen electronics. The gang primarily operates in the larger Valley cities, like Medford, but also has ties to much of Northern California and Salem, Oregon.


CPC or Central Point Playaz are a predominantly black street gang with no known ties or affiliations to any other major street gang. They do not use colors, clothing or numbers to distinguish themselves. Although they identify with the small, suburban community of Central Point by name, the gang primarily functions in the high crime communities of North Medford. Marijuana sale and distribution is common among members. They generally do not distribute amphetamines or heroine. CPC are responsible for about 30 percent of all gang related activity in the Southern Valley, although most of these crimes are non-violent drug and property offenses.


Last, but certainly not least, Poly Pride are a small, predominantly Polynesian street gang NOT affiliated with TCG (Tongan Crip Gang). Only recognized as a gang within the last couple of years, this start up set has already made a big name for itself. Valley PD's have seized close to 30 weapons in total from various Pride members, including everything from homemade knives and shanks to fully modified shotguns. Pride uses the color blue to distinguish themselves and favor dark blue levis 501 jeans and blue converse tennis shoes. The gang is also known to be extremely bold, openly taunting law enforcement and robbing civilians, often without even a weapon. The gang is considered extremely dangerous because of the brazen attitude it's members have towards the community and LE alike, and in December of 2012 the local PD served an unpublicized gang injunction to several Pride members during a Polynesian Pride function that took place in one of the regions public parks. Four days later, two Poly Pride members were arrested outside of Big 5 Sporting Goods in South Medford for weapons possession and "stacking" (the act of using hand signals to represent a gang affiliation), a direct violation of the unpublicized injunction.


I speak from experience, as both an ex-SVC gang member and current community organizer. I do gang outreach in the Southern Valley and Northern California, and have worked with youths in Medford, Grants Pass, Klamath Falls, Redding, Red Bluff and Merced County. I'm sure there are plenty of ignorant people who are going to read what I've written and complain about the supposed migration of poor, inner city minorities. But the valley's most prominent and violent gang thus far has been mostly white, mostly middle class and almost entirely home grown. With the exception of CPC and the small, relatively new Poly Pride organization, most of the Southern Valleys gang activity comes from home grown Caucasians.

This dude fake as hell, South Valley is literally a non issue, get banged on by everybody. what are called imitators.

[tha team]

mainly you got a bunch of eses, some northerners, and blood and crip transplants from cali. and a couple local gangs like this fool trying to rep^

[bsb_123]

Gangs\no gangs...is the murder rate high or rising? No? Then, besides scaring some old biddies and their weak hearted, white knuckle shaky handed gun totin' hubbies, :-p ...where's the problem? Seems cosmetic, at worst.

Or, maybe Medford has a high crime rate and I just haven't heard about it? :s

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[Coastie3202]

To the OP...thanks for posting this. I read it very carefully and understand what you are saying. My interpretation to your post....yes there are gangs present in Oregon, but the gangs do not pose the same threat as they do to the state south of us. You did not paint a doom and gloom picture. You did not say that we need to fear for our lives. You did not warn people away from Oregon because of the gang presence. You simply answered a question that is often posed on City-Data.....are there gangs in Oregon.

I for one appreciate the information as I have been shopping for a home in Oregon. I have found my place on the coast, but looked at Grants Pass, Roseburg, Medford, and Eugene. Would your information have dissuaded me from buying a home there? No, not at all.

But then you have to consider that I grew up next door to Compton and Whittier. So I know what true gang problems are. I currently live 70 miles north of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas. So I know what true gang problems are. Oregon has gang members living there, but they do not have a gang "problem".