(Bebo tribute page to Aaron Nabess on the right, his handgun-toting friend on the left)
At least six murder victims in Winnipeg in the past year are linked to a network of thuglife, gangster rap-styled, mainly aboriginal street gangs calling themselves Crips and Bloods after the major black gangs of L.A.
The Black Rod has been monitoring these gangs for several months ever since discovering memorial tributes to victim Josh Prince on numerous pages on Bebo.com, a social networking website like Myspace and Facebook.
Josh Prince, a student of Kildonan East Collegiate, was stabbed to death the night of May 26 allegedly while breaking up a fight. His family said at the time he had once been associated with an unidentified gang, but had since broken away.
But the devotion to Prince on sites like Watt Street Bloodz and Kingk Notorious Bloodz (King-K-BLOODZ4Life) shows that at the time of his death he was still accepted as one of their own.
Our searches of Bebo have turned up another five gang-linked murder victims:
Our searches of Bebo have turned up another five gang-linked murder victims:
* Travis Campbell, 22, was shot to death Oct. 17, 2006, in his Watt Street apartment. Crips.
* Lester Gonzalez, 19, was stabbed to death outside after leaving the Empire Cabaret on Main Street bar in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve. Crips.
* Thomas Roy Phillips, shot to death March 26 in a car parked near a known crack house on Magnus Avenue. Crips.
* Aaron Nabess, 20, was fatally shot July 12 in front of a house on Magnus Avenue. Crips.
* Elliott Flett, 24, was found stabbed to death in a vacant house undergoing renovations on Pritchard Avenue. Bloodz
Each of these has been the subject of a memorial or tribute on a gang-related site, such as this multiple remembrance from Katiebabie
?]g'ee] shòútz `elmwòòd â?eâ * *??p tò thòse whò hâve fâll?ñ; shâggy-t?âv?s câmpbell-lester gòñzâles-jòsh p??ñce-dâm?eñ k??kñess-ââ?òñ ñâbess; gòñe bút ñeve? fò?gòtteñ
(More about these strange spellings, later.)
The Winnipeg Free Press found this message on the Bebo page of Andrew Nobess :
R.I.P. To My Homie Elliott Flett
But had they looked further they would have found these photos labelled Bloodz, including the emblem for the street gang Notorious Bloodz.
Aaron Nabess had his own Bebo page, although the irony is headshaking, now. His tag was Cap1 (John-Gotti187) and for hometown he posted " Murder capitol of Canada".
"i like to go clubing dancing having drinks. I play guitar a lot it broke my last relationship up cuzz she hated guitar but i love lol. I'm a amature Boxer at Alliance Boxing INC. and for GOJO GYM. i love going to the beach in the evening i'm on here to meet friends and new ppl. i'm 20 years brown hair green eyes and a gemini.Weekends are a bout gettin piss drunk lol yeah off DP.Gotta down asss girl thats here for me i love u Amanda"
His last profile comment:
<--EAST~SIDE--> Elmwood till i die, Tru blue CRIP till i die NiGGA
A poster promises to avenge Josh Prince.
Eastbeats2 (just a lil sumtin sumtin)
i once laughed at life or death whne people where out here smokin da meth people walkin up 2 me askin me 2 put it 2 da test all those guys all died liek da rest i had a homie names josh he was 1 of da mutha fuckers that r lost but not by doin chops no beat down by da cops but from a stabbin in da chest n fell 2 da dusk b/c he thought that he ahd sum1 trust lil pissy kid that stabbed him gonna get it like a pin couchin with my pist bruzin
A day spent roaming these pages uncovers a large contingent of Aboriginal youth who have adopted the trappings, the speech, the clothing, and the weaponry of the U.S. based gangs they emulate.
They post messages calling each other Nigga, photos of themselves and their "crew" making gang signs, holding guns, and professing lifelong love and dedication to the gang. Their local gangs take geographic names like Eastside Crips or Westside Bloodz or more colourful names like the Crazy Eights in Point Douglas.
They post messages calling each other Nigga, photos of themselves and their "crew" making gang signs, holding guns, and professing lifelong love and dedication to the gang. Their local gangs take geographic names like Eastside Crips or Westside Bloodz or more colourful names like the Crazy Eights in Point Douglas.
They torture the English language, using a bizarre spelling that's a mix of Ebonics, rap and text messaging which is sometimes made even more unreadable through obscure and almost impenetrable fonts. It takes great patience to make out the messages and even then it's helpful to have a translator along.
They stake out turf...
em
u w.s.b. that territory belongs to the elmwood eastside crip wait till chris.s gets out
Ganxsta
This Lil Pissy Bitch Again Hey U Want Tah Fuck With Us Bring Ur Bunk Blood Crew Down Bitch Point Side Ganxsta Up In Ur Ass Bitch Watt Street Killa Fuk Ur Bitch Ass Blood Hallet Iz Where I Be At Bring It
Bishop C-8'z http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=20990110
lol fuck kevin.. said he livin in point side...mang i be point side reppin right chere...i neva see dis fake ass crip bitch in da hood....laren..pplease mang...dis guy dont kno wut he talkin bout...catch him in da hood only place u gonna catch in in tha hood is hidin in his house i bet...neva see him on tha street to scared cuz he kno i be packin heat... Kevin mang i be on austin laren lisgare eculid...all of P.O.I.N.T.S.I.D.E...Bustin meh chopz... so quit frontin kevin...fuk da crip shit...
lol fuck kevin.. said he livin in point side...mang i be point side reppin right chere...i neva see dis fake ass crip bitch in da hood....laren..pplease mang...dis guy dont kno wut he talkin bout...catch him in da hood only place u gonna catch in in tha hood is hidin in his house i bet...neva see him on tha street to scared cuz he kno i be packin heat... Kevin mang i be on austin laren lisgare eculid...all of P.O.I.N.T.S.I.D.E...Bustin meh chopz... so quit frontin kevin...fuk da crip shit...
$CRIPPIN AINT EASY BUT I DO IT WELL$$
yo wat up homie fukkin shits wak wyit out u on da block bro wen u get out dawg we goin st8 on da grind takin this shit bak u been missin out on alotta gwap but shit its iight u a hustler u'll make that shit bak ona quikness stay up halla at ur boi wen u out dawg payce
They taunt each other...
FUCKTHEWORLD!
Whut up Blood ay yo fuck dat CKrab he live in my city I dont see his ass around at all matter a fact I aint see no CKrabs bitch ass faggots always on da run when I did see em I fucked em up in a 5 on 4 , 5 CKrabz 4 BLOODz lmao we did em in hard homie shiet I got a video to prove it lmao Ill show you it if u ever come thru my town dat is da MURDA CAP lmao aka PEG city home bwoi but yee Im out ONe big B NOTORIOUS BLOODZ 4 LIFE B'C UP C'Z DOWN FUCK CKRABZ
..-..-??§?ßl?Ž?-..-..
LMFAO!....wtf point side?...wtf...seriously..ppl from point side r fuckin bitches compared to us north enders...and crazy eights?...wut da fuck is up wit that shyt...lol...isnt that a kids card game...lol...fuckin pussies wit ur lil pussy ass gangsta wannabe shit....lmao...fuckin losers
They threaten each other...
Julien Nepton
FUCK BLOODZ!!!! REP BLUE AND WHITE YALL!EASTSIDE MOTHA FUCKAZ FOR LYFE!SO FUCK YOU AND YOUR BOIZ TRYNA SHACK UP WITH MY CUZ YO MAYNE BACK THE FUK UP FROM MY FAM I DONT WANT NO BITCH ASS BLOOOD WITH MY CUZ! EAST SIDE !.! L.H.S JAY>BEE BOYZ ..NATIVE SYNDICATE:..:
LiVe BY tHe gUN dIe bY tHe gUn 1 week ago
They brag about their lifestyle:
Diezal Westside
MY OCCUPATION A FUKIN CITY WIDE DRUG DEALERSports I was a Boxer at Oroiles for 4 Years and played football and basketball for commmunity teams Scared Of being broke wen i do in my free time Makin money , while puffing on a blunt....holla at me XXX-XXX
Point-Side- Hustla Gender Male Age 17
Happy When... I Got Paper In My Pocket...Weed To Smoke...An Hypnotiq To Drink... Biggest Fear Livin A BrokeAss Life... Crazy Eights.... We Hustle...We Rap...We Party...An We Live Life To Tha Fullest...Crazy Eights...A Solid Krew...Always Down...This Is Us...From Sittin Back Always On My Ass Lettin Time Pass By, To Gettin On Tha Grind, Tha Money Keeps On Rollin, An Now I Got Got Tha Line, We Straight Soldiers Flippin Birds, Eight Hustla's Spittin Rhymes, Im A Hustla On Tha Block, An I Think Its Bout Time, When Me An Tha Homies Speak Whats On Our Minds, Hypnotiq An Blunts, Raps Hustlin An Crimes, We Learn To Trust Eachother, An Get Past All Tha Lies, I Open My Eyes An Realize Tha Life We Livin, An Tha Sizes We're Givin...................AN IM LUVIN IT!!!!!
KillaBishop C-8'z
Yo diz is fo' ya'll my boi be out on august 28th yeah meh homie be back from doin his time,yeah He'z A "G" yeah he'z a hustla so wut he down wit us crazy eightz
Brittany Palmer <-Qu33n-B33->
Im Not Gangster.. Im hood; ghetto. Got everything a thugg needs. Money,Drugs , Guns, Bros and Hoes. And most importantly; I have my respect. If you are going to cross my path, and get me to lose my respect or show none to me. Thats alright; But; Then let the lord be with both of us... Cause I know how me and my boys roll. i got street smarts, i hustle from time to time, i got madd love for my famz, n friends. they my life you fuck with em u fuck with me, im known to be a bitch but its who i am, once u get to know me, im pretty cool, im always down for drinking or parting cruising or w.e the case may be, dont get on my bad side.. for ur life will be fuckked, dont concider me some lil internet who cuz i aint.. i respect my body, n i dont do stupid shit with it, gots the bestest friends in the world.. cody iverson mary spade, katelyn guiboche, larissa p and Braden Jones, without u i would be incomplete
Brittany Palmer <-Qu33n-B33->
CRIPPIN AINT EASY BUT I DO IT WELL$$
YO WAT UP DAWG UR STILL ALL LOCKED UP AND SHIT JUSS DROPIN A LINE ON UR PAGE BRO HALLA WEN U GET OUT WE GOTS MONEY TO MAKE PIMPIN OH YEA TIMS OUT WE BE CHILLEN BRINGIN THE CZ BAK IN THIS
The women--or rather, girls--- brag about their children...
The women--or rather, girls--- brag about their children...
(Murda mammii is 16 years old.)
\m?zz murda mam?? c?a????«-
-----------·?·-----------
Kn0wn In Peg City as ChanTii. She Can H0ld Her 0wn, G0ts Respect 4 heRselF, Luv`s Br00klynn HeR Gorjaws BabyGrl?
(Heartless-Cutie is also 16, and says she's married.)
Happiest When Drinkin n Dancing, and of course when im with my daughter?,Sweet-Cheeks
Me, Myself and I
ok well Im Mz Amber xxx and I gotz black hair and i looks sexy and i have sexy deep brown eyes im 5'2 lol im a lil shorty and im 15 years young and im havein a baby i cant wait and i grow ..
(M M is looking out for her son)
M M
ill pick up tyrese tomorrow around 4:30 dont think im gonna let him go to cfs when your in jail you can call me at xxxxxxxx and talk to your boy i aint gonna keep you away from your boy whenever you get out of your vacation give me a call so you can see him peace out and take care dont get into trouble see ya later!
This shadow world of gangsta life ala Winnipeg provides some answers to some of the crimes of violence that have made the news this year.
* In April a teenaged rapper called Young Juve had his debut show at the Winnipeg Convention Centre cancelled when management bowed to threats by gangs. Young Juve's Bebo page concentrates purely on his music, but he's listed as a Friend on many other pages, some of which belong to members of the Crips. It's obvious now that those gangs that threatened him belong to the rival Bloodz.
* In September, a student at Sisler High School was stabbed with a butcher knife during a lunch break.
Dwight Letandre, the youth charged in the incident, posted this comment :
Dwight Letandre
shit yea, i cant fucken go to any high school in winnipeg cuz what i did at sisler. did my ex tell u what happened her name is (lil-cutie-pie82)
On his own page, here's his profile:
Dwight Letandre
sup my name is Dwight Letandre A.K.A The King Of Kingz and im 18 years old and from Berens River the fuckin rez where everybody fucken parties 24/7.Gender Male Age 18
* And just 3 days ago this appeared on a Crips page:
thats for lalo
matthew dumas rest in peace posted by C.G
Is this a late clue to why Dumas ran from the police that fateful day he was shot menacing a police officer?
Ron Evans, Grand Chief of the Manitoba Association of Chiefs, has recently announced he's become concerned about aboriginal street gangs. The number of native youths and young men charged with murder has skyrocketed and he's looking for solutions to the gang problem.
He thinks that if aboriginal youth return to the traditions of native life they will stay out of gangs.
It's like Lawrence Welk at Altamont.
He wants kids at powwows. They go to dance clubs.
He wants them to become native drummers. They lay down pounding beats in recording studios.
He wants them to learn native languages. They're creating a new language of their own.
He wants them to become native drummers. They lay down pounding beats in recording studios.
He wants them to learn native languages. They're creating a new language of their own.
He wants them exposed to sweetgrass ceremonies and sweat lodges. They puff blunts and frequent crack houses.
He wants them to listen and learn from native elders. They watch and learn from Scarface.
"You ged da mony, you ged da powa, den you ged da wimmen" said Tony Montana.
But more importantly...
"Say hello to my little friend."