Officials See Danger In Gang's PR Blitz

Over a short period of time, what was once referred to as a"gang" has become known as "street organizations," or "nations offamilies."

This simple change in rhetoric is more than a stab at cleaningup word usage. It is at the heart of how the Black GangsterDisciples, the organization that Larry Hoover leads even from hisprison cell, mustered support from mainstream community activists.

"I think all of this has given them legitimacy," said ElceRedmond, founder of the Northwest Austin Council, a communityorganization. "In the end it is going to hurt the neighborhoods.Nothing has changed in terms of the drugs and violence."

Beyond words, the Black Gangster Disciples, who now say the Gand D stand for Growth and Development, have waged a campaign toclean up their image.

Wallace "Gator" Bradley, a spokesman for Hoover, is quick topoint out that the "GD" is an organized effort with political andsocial clout.

When a serial killer rained terror on the Chatham community lastyear, it was word from Hoover, delivered through Bradley, that putpressure on police officials to step up efforts to find the criminal,Bradley said.

"We couldn't get nobody to come into that community," Bradleysaid. "Word came from Hoover to do everything we could to get rid ofthe serial killer, and no more senior citizens got stuck up orkilled." However, no suspect has been apprehended.

The GD also have been at the center of arranging what they claimis a gang truce after the shooting of young Dantrell Davis atCabrini-Green last year. They also have organized largedemonstrations to protest the lack of affirmative action clauses inthe city's contract with a police union.

Yet, law enforcement officials cringe at the credibility thatsuch action bestows on groups that authorities say are involved indrug trafficking and violence. Prosecutors see a rerun of the JeffFort scenario.

Fort, who led the Black P Stone Nation, changed that gang'sname to the El Rukns and claimed to have turned it away from crime.He then received millions of dollars from foundations and governmentagencies to start youth programs. However, the El Rukns continued indrug dealing and violence. Fort, along with many of his lieutenants,ended up in jail.

"When these guys claim to be going into the mainstreampopulation, what they are really doing is trying to get the heat offthemselves in order to give them legitimacy," said Thomas Hennelly,deputy supervisor with the state's attorney's gang prosecution unit.

"In the last year they have orchestrated a media campaign forsuch legitimacy."