North Carolina law defines a gang as:
“three or more people with the same common beliefs working in concert to commit crimes.”
The FBI tracks some 33,000 street gangs, motorcycle gangs and prison gangs currently active in the United States. They are organized, sophisticated and use violence to control communities and to support their illegal activities which can include trafficking in drugs, guns and other human beings.
There is no doubt that gang violence, gang crime, is a problem, both nationwide and in North Carolina. A 2022 North Carolina Department of Public Safety report identified more than 200 gangs active in the state, with membership numbering in the thousands.
From the state capital to smaller communities, law enforcement officers and community leaders agree.
“I think it's a big problem. We, as leaders, we've got to acknowledge that there is a problem,” said Edgecombe County Sheriff Clee Atkinson.
“Raleigh’s not immune. Raleigh’s not exempt,” said Raleigh Chief of Police Estella Patterson.
The WRAL Documentary team wanted to understand the types of gangs operating in the state, the crimes they commit, and how a recent change in North Carolina law is making it easier for gangs to recruit children.
WRAL Documentary Easy Targets: Gangs getting younger in NC
“The South has seen an explosion over the last 20 years” in gang activity, retired detective BC Sanders said. He listed “Bloods, Crips, Sonos, Norteños, Latin Kings, Gangster Disciples, Satan Disciples, Latin Disciples, the list goes on and on.”
Some of those in law enforcement leadership were eager to shed light on the problem.
“I thank God for you even wanting to come and share this subject matter, because in our communities, we run away from it,” Atkinson said.
Keith Stone, sheriff of Nash County, told WRAL, “If you have leaders in your community that are reluctant to tell you that you have this type of activity, that's scary to me.”
Sanders says there are gangs in Charlotte, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Winston-Salem selling drugs, robbing people, committing fraud.
In Durham, a city with a known and documented gang problem, police did not want to talk about it. That was surprising, because in 2022, WRAL Documentary detailed the challenges the Bull City faces with gun violence – an average of two shootings every day -- in “Durham Under Fire.” Still, no one was available to discuss gangs.
“You have gangs everywhere,” Raleigh’s Patterson said. She also added the context that, compared to similar-sized cities, Raleigh’s violent crime rate is relatively low.
A cohort of 10 cities, each with a population between 425,000 and 515,000 includes Raleigh, Atlanta, Kansas City, Miami and Virginia Beach. Of that group, Raleigh’s crime rate – 2,353 violent crimes in 2022, or about 494 per 100,000 people – is lower than the rate in Atlanta and Kansas City. Raleigh has a slightly higher rate than in Miami or Virginia Beach.
Oakland, California, with a smaller population – 430,555 in 2022 compared to Raleigh’s 476,587 -- has a crime rate three times that of Raleigh. In Oakland, in 2022, there were more than 6,500 violent crimes, or about 1,500 violent crimes per 100,000 people. In Raleigh, there were 2,353 violent crimes in 2022, or about 494 per 100,000 people.
Not all violent crimes are gang crimes, of course, and a significant worrying factor is the rise in violence crimes by juvenile offenders.
According to the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, there were 2,300 violent crimes in 2022 that were attributed to those under the age of 18. That was more than double the number from 2019 (978 juvenile violent crimes).
What changed in that time? North Carolina law.
On Dec. 1, 2019, North Carolina raised the age for juvenile offenses. Prior to that time, offenders who were 16 or 17 would have their cases automatically heard in the adult court system.
After “Raise the Age,” nonviolent offenses alleged to have been committed by those up to 18 years old will be heard in juvenile court. Those under 18 who commit violent crimes can still be sent to adult court.
According to William Lassiter, deputy secretary of Juvenile Justice, and others, the interpretation – and manipulation – of that law plays a part in the rise in juvenile violent crime and the recruiting of young gang members.
"We've got to do a better job as adults defining that, making sure that young people understand there truly is still accountability," he said.
