Somerville Police respond to MS-13 and H-Block grafitti

By George P. Hassett

Sgt. Steven A. Carabino, of the Somerville Police Department, pointed to the fluorescent blue graffiti filled with macabre messages of hate and gang violence and voiced his frustration.

“It’s troubling to see this still up. It’s been here over a year. If this was in Somerville, it would be erased within 48 hours,” said Carabino.

The sergeant was standing only yards outside Somerville’s city limits, under the Greater Lawrence Bridge, in Medford, where the El Salvadoran gang MS 13 and the nefarious Latin Kings vie for territory, underworld respect and wall space on the slate gray walls opposite the Mystic River.

Back inside the four corners of Somerville, childish black ink scrawlings found on Kensington St. announce the arrival of a new generation of Haitian gangsters who call themselves H-Block. Police were initially skeptical of H-Block’s status as an actual gang, but the graffiti is an indication of the group’s new criminal leanings, said Carabino.

“We weren’t seeing a lot of criminal activity from them, but when we started seeing H-Block graffiti claiming certain territories, we began to take them more seriously,” said Carabino.

City police—Carabino in particular—keep a close eye on the messages and pictures adorning the sides of city buildings to stay abreast of local gang activity.

“For the gangs, graffiti acts as a newspaper. It announces their presence, claims territory and highlights the illegal activities of certain gang members.

“That is why the graffiti is so dangerous. It encourages other gangs to do more graffiti, which is often insulting and inflammatory. The gangs will cross out one another’s material, starting disputes which can explode in violence,” said Carabino.

These animosities and tensions, which, Carabino said, are inevitable with the appearance of gang graffiti, are now being played out on the walls of the Greater Lawrence Bridge.

Thin lines of white chalk cover the blue messages and symbols of MS 13. Also in white, covering the block lettering of MS 13, is the traditional Latin King symbol of a crown, the words “six feet deep,” and the letters “D.E.A.”

“Those white lines are a cross out by members of the Latin Kings, a rival gang of MS 13’s. By crossing out, they are showing MS 13 that they have no respect for them and their territory. The words “six feet deep” are a message from the Latin Kings that they are going to kill any MS 13 member, and put them six feet deep in the ground. The initials “D.E.A.” are a reference to the Drug Enforcement Agency and sends a message that the Latin Kings control the drug trade in the area—and are willing to enforce that sentiment,” said Carabino.

MS 13 gang members strategically write their graffiti in a fluorescent blue so it remains visible at night. Their paintings feature the devil-horn hand signals of the gang, gangster aliases and personal messages depicting the despair and frenzy of gang life.

“The spider web drawn above the hand represents the criminal justice system,” Carabino said. “If you’re ‘caught up in the web,’ it means you are in jail—something many of these gang members can relate to, of course. The painted words ‘mi vida loca’ are Spanish for ‘my crazy life.’”

In contrast to the intricate symbols and messages of the well- established MS 13 are the haphazard markings of neophyte gangsters H-Block.

“None of the graffiti is really creative or novel. It is all basically the same. The H-Block guys will just write their name or “H-Block,” and that’s really it. If you have seen one, you have seen them all,” said Carabino, who said reporting new graffiti immediately is one of the most important tactics in the fight to discourage gang graffiti.

“Any time we see new graffiti, we report it immediately to the Department of Public Works, because even though some may see it as only drawings and letters, we know from past experience that this graffiti causes violence and gang disputes. The Department of Public Works handles all of the actual cleaning,” said Carabino

“We remove all gang graffiti as soon as we see it. Usually I hear from one guy – Sgt. Steven Carabino. I got him on my cell phone and we stay in contact,” said DPW employee Thomas Vitello, who makes up half of the two-man cleaning crew.

“We have a truck equipped with a sandblasting unit. The unit hooks up to an air compressor, and then we shoot silica sand and water compound until the residue drops to the ground. It is similar to the way you would smooth wood by rubbing sandpaper on it. By the end, the entire space is left clean,” said Vitello.

Working with the DPW to combat gang graffiti is Middlesex County Sheriff James V. Dipaola. Dipaola believes quick action by law enforcement is the only appropriate response to graffiti.

“We are the people’s voice in opposition to the deleterious effects of tagging. If we consistently and rapidly respond, it sends a message to them that our community does not accept the gang culture. If left in tact, it leads to the degradation of a neighborhood and the devaluation of property,” Dipaolo said. “Removing the graffiti is about affecting the quality of life in our communities: the more graffiti spreads, the greater effect it has on diminishing the quality of life in our communities. We know for a fact that immediate response deters future acts of vandalism.”

On Kensington St. in East Somerville, Carabino reflects on the futures of the young people who have brazenly written their names and gang affiliations throughout the neighborhood.

“I think these guys will have a hard time in Somerville. We work with multiple agencies and utilize all our resources in order to disrupt their criminal activity. I don’t think they’ll like how gangsters are treated at the hands of the criminal justice system.”

Comments

[Daniel Mclaughlin]

I am a 22 year old life long Somerville resident, and I'd just like to drop some info on H-Block hoping I might get herd. First off H-Block is not just a Haitian group, and the H is not for Haitian it's for Healy it's the healy school area there are white people in this group as well, but I wouldn't go as far as to call them a gang they are just a group of youth from the Healy school area that stick togeather. Just like many Somerville youth they hang around there naighborhood and have a name for there group. The spray paint is not for territory but it's more child ish. They wright H-Block just to show off. I know and work with many youth in the city and I'd just like to make it clear that they are not a lagit street gang just a group of youth like many in the city.

[Michael Reeds]

You say there arent a street gang but they have been part of this little surge of violence in somerville. They have a little grudge with this spanish gang, MS-13 and how about that kid that was connected to H-Block that killed that rival gang member. This city has to take more aggressive action against these hooligans. I heard from someone that the notorious street gang Crips has moved into somerville now. If somerville police dont take more aggressive action then somerville is gonna end up just like troubled cities like Lawrence, Chelsea, and East Boston.

[Jim Roberts]

Ms-13, h-block, o.c., crips, they can be youths or adults, it doesnt matter, they are a menace and a cancer to the city of somerville and the residents. I have lived here for 31 years and I havent seen a time, until now that crime and violence has been a problem. I agree with the last post, somerville police are not doing enough to qwell this upsurge in crime. Somerville isnt a massive city like cambridge or boston but yet somerville police cant control the crime. These thugs or whatever you want to call them all cause trouble in the same areas of the city, the mystic housing projects, winter hill, and east somerville. I think more state police presence around those areas would help the situation and deter gang violence.

[Daniel McLaughlin]

Yes there was an incident that a kid from the H-Block group was in.It was also said to be an accident Nadler the youth involved was just tring to scare the other youth that was connected to MS-13 because of damage done to his car he ended up killing him. That incedent did spark a fude between the groups, but they are not rival gangs. MS-13 is the real deal and I have also seen a rise in Crip gang members in the area, but to call H-Block a real gang is just untrue there are many other group in the city that have been involed in incedents.The groups from Kelly and Lexington Parks use to have a fude and they would be spray paint on each others parks and sometimes fight,but did that make them gangs?Just because there is a fude between the two group dose that make H-Block a lagit gang. MS-13 is organized well in Somerville while H-Block in no different then any other group of youth in Somerville except that MS-13 now has a problem with them.The news papers are the ones making H-block look like a gang, and the same papers say Somerville is a gang pleaged city. I live in Somerville and I grew up in Somerville we do have some gang problems,but are gang problems is no where close to Chelsea, Eastie, Or Lawrence.The city dose need to take action because from what I hear MS-13 and the Crips are on the same boat that may cause many problems for are city with the summer coming fast.

[CCFlix]

I live in cambridge but I used to live in somerville and I have alot of crazy things going on in somerville nowadays. Like that thing that happen in foss park a couple years ago with MS raping those handicapped girls and that kid in that h block group killing that ms 13 guy. I have had a few people tell me that they walk by east somerville and ms 13 members will come up and ask them if they are members of h block gang or bloods. I read those earlier posts and it says no there are crips in somerville? I heard of a drive by a few weeks ago by assembly square. You say somerville isnt gang plaque like lwawrence and east boston but how long until somerville turns into one of those cities???

[THE CRIPLE]

L HAVE A COMMENT THAT THERE WILL BE A DRIVE BY TO THE LATINO KINGS TOMOROW THE CRIPS WILL SOMKE THEM ALL THEY SAID L AM A MEMBER OF THE CRIPS BUT L DONT WHANT KILLING TO BE DUN

[Coast]

actually H-block is a notorious gang. yes i do agree that they were not a real lagit street gang before and were nothing but a group of youth who hanged out together. But now because of the MS 13's hate crimes and discrimination against haitians as a people, they have tookin this much much serious. there numbers have increased heavily, they are now heavily aremd, itching for a fight with anyone who speaks against haitians, H-block is an all haitian gang. and there are no white people involved. they are now organized and ready to do intense damage. Ms 13, Crips, LAtin Kings and etc.. are all in for a big suprise.

[mizz]

i have to say f*** them slobKz cuzz u no us cuzz dont play and nether dose ms we run tha street i dont like all this killin is so bkad u no it needs to stop but these slobkz get wat they deserve cuzz they try so hard to be tougf u no like most of us wont mess wit them if they jus mind there bizz but there ignorent an as much as i hate police they need to stop this befor things get worce i got involved with this and now im stucc wit it and i regret it and if this dosent stop more people are gonna regret the mistakes that r commin to them u no

[mizz]

yo h-block ain nuthin

[Sounds like spam]

These last to posts read like the spam emails I get with juimbled letters. I have no idea what the hell they're saying. Di they teach this at Somerville High?

[Ace]

r the blood and the crips still going at it?

[Ace]

word on the street is there's a new White gang full of bikers there to take the Threatening Gangs out. they think its justice

[NOFX]

MS 13 is a very wide gang!From SummerVille to Germantown Maryland To Urban Maryland to South Carolina to newyork THATS TO WIDE THERE GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER AND MORE DANGEROUS somebody needs to take ACTION!!!!!!!!!!

[OkthenDosomething]

Ok then,

why don't we post the names and addresses of these kids and suspects in the paper or anonymously on the internet so the community can keep an eye on them. You know how scientist can tell killer whales by the marks on their tales. If the whole town can see these troublemakers and know who they are, kind of like "sex offenders" , then we can watch them and report them, and harass them with justice, and actually do something. Not to mention a lot of the good ones will probably be humiliated enought to distance themsoeves from this crowd once the community gets after them... so if there is someone in the know, who can post the names and addresses and even pictures of the worst of these bad kids I willl make sure I send the link out to everyone I know in the community. It could be something like a real high-tech on-line Neighborhood watch... And I know it will work!! How about a Somerville neighborhood whatch website??.. It can be broken down into different sections.. based off of neighborhoods or something.. Seroiusly, think about it.. would not you keep a better eye on your kid if he showed up on the site.. It would force thier parents to do more and the whole community.. What about that police wathc in the somerville journall I see tons of arests for stupid domestic violence and tons of reports of break-ins, but no arrestsfor break-ins. Lets keep an eye on our own community!!

[GreatIdea]

That's a great Idea!!!

The Neighborhood Watch Program is a highly successful effort that has been in existence for more than thirty years in cities and counties across America. It provides a unique infrastructure that brings together local officials, law enforcement and citizens to protect our communities.

Around the country, neighbors for three decades have banded together to create Neighborhood Watch programs. They understand that the active participation of neighborhood residents is a critical element in community safety - not through vigilantism, but simply through a willingness to look out for suspicious activity in their neighborhood, and report that activity to law enforcement and to each other. In doing so, residents take a major step toward reclaiming high-crime neighborhoods, as well as making people throughout a community feel more secure and less fearful. And we can bring it to the next level by creating a great website that hte whole community can use and participate in!

With the police department fighting with the mayor and chief and not doing anything the need for strengthening and securing Somerville has become even more critical, and Neighborhood Watch groups can take on greater significance. In addition to serving a crime prevention role, Neighborhood Watch can also be used as the basis for bringing neighborhood residents together to focus on common issues like parking and street cleaning and running lowd noisy bars that attarct drug dealers out of the community. m

Many neighborhoods already have established Neighborhood Watch programs that are vibrant and effective.
earn more
Their is a Neighborhood Watch home page and we can download the Neighborhood Watch materials by clicking on Meet the Challenge!

A weekly electronic Neighborhood Watch newsletter is also available by clicking Join Our Network.

Be part of the Neighborhood Watch Program.
Join now and stay informed!

Can someone with some web skills create a somerville wiki or neghborhood watch site/ We can do things like post links to the Somerville journals police wathc and report when our own police reports dont make the papaper as I suspect most do not...

[brickbottom]

Whatever happened to the Auxiliary Police? I know the regular cops hate them but they did provide a service that was helpful to the city. I am sure that recruitment wouldn't be a problem and they can be used not just for visibility but also to kick kids out of hanging areas late at night.That's what they used to do when I was a kid and if they ran into trouble tey could call in "real" cops to handle the situation. Give them constable police powers and a couple of the old cruisers so that we have two more cruisers cruising trouble spots every night. The kids won't know if they are real cops or not.

Has this organization been disbanded. I know at one time they had tons of volunteers.

[Yourright]

Its not just the kids, it is the break-ins and drug dealing and the rest of the crime... The community seems to be busy fighting each other over issues that don't matter or that can't be changed too much. Instead, they could be working and coming together to fix issues. Issues that are important and that can actually be changed rather quickly if everyone worked together to do so. I think a lot of us are beating a dead bush with the gentrification issue. What is that saying aobut the wisdom to know what can be changed and what can't. I am not saying it can't but we are wasting a lot of energy arguing instead of acting.. There are a lot of happy poeple in power right now that are happy to see the community fighting over this instead of coming to tegether and holding them accountable for fixing issues like crime...they get in these postions, make friends and money , then work to controll the community to keep their power. They are happy to see us fight each other. If there was ever a sport to prepare someone for office or service in somerville the sport would have to be dodgeball! If the old and new people of somerville were to work to gether to force the police and town officials to do something they would have to and we could change a lot of things, a lot faster than our ellected officials can change them...

[mizz]

ya theres still bloods and crips goin at it thas like the two main gangs

i agree that somthing dose need to be done but no one ever gets nuthin done all people talk about when they set up theis commities is the problem and they never star programs or any thing up exsept another meeting

h-bloc is real no dout there now in boston and more people are joining up with them
also H-Bloc colaberates with the bloods and thats why MS-13 and the Crips are fighting
those Slobk think they makin it but there not MS-13 and the Crips are to welly orgenized and dont play game

all i no is that people need to do somthing befor things get real bad i mean look you see the problem you see it gettin worse as more tention rises between the rivals and all every one is doin is watching. set up programs maby not even arrest the lead gang members but find who they are and get them to have a confrence with eachother and resolve there problems. yo so the gangs arnt gone but atleast the violence has stoped. then once that is succsesful then crac down on the gang problem
i dono just get an idea and dont think about doin it just do it go through with your idea and if it dosent work at least u tryed then u can see what u have done rong lean from your mistakes and try agen
for real like look at tookie you no he straitend out his life and the same can be done for these kids
times are only geting worce problems are not getin solved there being created and the longer you let theses $lobKz run the worce things will get cuzz those bkloods have no respect and they need to get put bac on the right trac
people right ur thoughts i reply i dono

[The New Threat]

JN,
i'm trying to follow your rules about putting links on here so I hope this is OK. CBSNEWS.COM just published a story about the threat posed by MS-13 (you'll have to look it up on your own. The article stated:

"The danger posed by MS-13 is so great that the FBI, for the first time ever, has organized a task force to combat one gang. “We don't look at them as a typical gang,” says FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker. “MS-13 has two characteristics that give us great concern….One is that they are extremely violent, and they're proliferating around the country. Two is they're an international criminal organization,” he says. “You can find them in five countries and now even in Europe.”

And here they are in the "new" somerville that the native Somervillians and the newcomers are arguing over. I think we have far more important issues than politics to worry about. The time is now for the Somerville Police to expand the gang unit and let MS-13 know that it is not one of the welcome "newcomers" to town. In retrospect, the gang ordinance passed by the Board of Aldermen doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

[mizz]

more police inforcment wont solve the problem. useing police is like putting a bandaid over a cut it dosent help it covers it up the body heals the cut right now summerville boston all the citys are a bunch of cuts and the police arnt solving any problems because the police are not getting to the rout of the problem

like why are these gangs in somerville??
whos running them??

and in stead of locing all these kids up u need to set them on the right path. because locing them up dosent solve the problem cuz when they get out there bac on the street and now they have more stripes and more power wich coases more problems you no

when is the community going to step in and take controle and fix the true problem at hand

[JARfromWard3]

Brickbottom;

Last I heard, Jerry Carvahlo was still the head of the Auxilliary police. I worked with Jerry at CELCo (he's an EE with N-Star). Not sure what the status is with the organization, but I agree... it served a valuable and helpful function.
Same with the Fire Auxilliary, which you never hear about any more.

[Are you Bill Roche?]

I was wondering if JARfromWard3 and/or brickbottom is Bill Roche. The reason I ask this is they all preach non-union people doing the jobs of union people. Look, the Somerville Police unions are contracted workers that we pay to keep the streets safe. The auxilliary is not. So while Joe bleeds the department white claiming there isn't enough money to go around (which is a lie, of course), you people would put non-union (not to mention untrained) people on the streets to do their jobs.

Have you people read the postings above about MS-13? If your vaunted auxilliary cops encountered them on the street the auxies would be anally violated. Thanks to Roche we have enough scabs working for the city. Let's call it a day and start getting some highly trained cops out there. One poster suggested laterals from other departments. That's a great idea. It's like free agency for cops. You can get the best ones available with the greatest skills. The city charter says we should have 130 patrolman. We're getting dangerously close to having half of that.

Thanks to Mayor Joe's artful manipulation of the numbers of cops on the street, I sleep with one eye open.

[JARfromWard3]

I can't speak for "brickbottom", but I can tell you, unequivocally, that I am NOT Bill Roche.
FWIW, my understanding is that Auxilliary Police get no remuneration for their service. At least that's how it used to be. Further, I never regarded their efforts as undermining, in any way, the efforts of the city's PROFESSIONAL police force. They are ordinary citizens who have an interest in serving the city they live in. Places I've seen them include traffic control at parades, outside St. Catherine's, etc. By so doing, they are relieving regular, academy-trained officers of more menial duties, allowing them to pursue their core mission.

[Ron Newman]

Whatever John Roderick may be, he most definitely isn't Bill Roche.

[brickbottom]

Bill Roche I am not. It was just a suggestion to have more visibility on the streets. The police force is down to 83 patrolman, probably about 10 officers at night. So if you can come up with a better idea, lets hear it.

[Mike]

The gangs are running rampant... in part because of liberals and yuppies. You see, liberal yuppies complain to the city to make sure cops stay in their neighborhoods (west somerville/davis square). So when you drive by davis square... you see cops everywhere. It makes people feel safe, and $$ will flow into davis square. But now, there's no cops in east somerville... foss park, mystic projects.. u name it... u wont see any cops. They only go there when something happens. If cops patrolled that area.. break-ins would go down by 99%... and maybe that poor little handicapped girl wouldn't have got raped.

[Ron Newman]

Can someone translate that into English?

[Translation]

Translation: Ron Newman is a Turd!

[Ron Newman]

Well, in this case, it looks like the moderator deleted the comment that I had replied to, but left my reply there. (My reply wasn't to "Mike".)

[past auxi officer]

The Somerville Auxilliary Police Dept is still in existance and is still volunteering for the City of Somerville today. The current Chief is Jerry Carvalho who has been with the organization for decades. He's an amazing man who is very giving to our community. He deserves a medal of honor for his generations of service.

As for the Auxi, they volunteer to help with traffic directing issues, road races, church crossings, and patrolling City properties such as schools. You will NEVER see a "real" Somerville police officer get out of his car and WALK the perimeter of a elementary school to look for open windows. The Auxi was always out of their vehicles trying to help with a car lock out or staying with a m/v accident waiting for a tow truck. Try calling the SPD for help with a vehicle lock out...sorry call a locksmith...it's not in their contract.

The Auxi was a respected part of the City at one time until a "real" SPD Commander who was once an Auxi got a hair across his ass...since that day, there has been conflicts about everything from the color of their uniforms to legally carrying firearms. God forbid a criminal actually think that an Auxi is a "real" cop and get diverted from a crime...

When I was an Auxi Officer back in the 90's, Somerville Police were extremely DISRESPECTFUL to the Auxi. Many volunteers quit due to harrassment from the "real" officers. Rent a cop was a common term. It was great to volunteer for an organization in order to get polcing experience to join the great SPD. Great motivational technique!

The Auxi used to be a place to LEARN about what police work is about. Police work is not for everyone, unfortunately when there isn't a place to learn about the job, we get people who take the civil service test and become cops without knowing what it entails...you know those great officers who are there strictly for the $$$...some of us were there because we LOVED our City...and defeneded it WITHOUT PAY.

Hopefully the Auxi will continue to be a place for citizens to learn about policing. Hopefully the Auxi will continue to be Commanded by a great Chief like Jerry Carvalho. Hopefully the SPD will come to the realization that the Auxi Officers are NOT there to replace them, but to relieve the taxpayers of paying "real" police from doing menial jobs such as directing traffic at road races and parades.

Happy New Year and Long Live The Somerville Auxilliary Police Department!!

[Soulless]

This entire topic is a waste of breathe, hate to break it to you. Mara Salvatrucha 13, Crips, and the Bloods are getting too much slack from the government. We need to introduce a law like "strong arm" in honduras. (arrest any and all stero-types of gang life, such as those with tatoos all over, and people wearing colors in obvious display of a gang.) If you let them promote their gang in these displays as well, getting rid of graffiti has no impact. We need serious action on a national level or this process of routeing out these punks will take far too long.

[mike]

you know its not even big gangs like that any more things are not that organized any more because people rep. streets now and its not even a whole gang any more. and yes the gangs like Crips, Ms-13, h-bloc, and bloods are still aroud but there starting to loose ground and brake off frome the gang to rep were they live.

[c.c.]

I just want to say that first of all, ya can't go around arresting people for wearing a blue bandana or having too many tatoos. Second of all I've seen Crip presence in Somerville, and where ya find crips, ya usually find Bloods and aren't MS 13 the macete wielding psycos that have Al-Queda ties? As far as H-Block goes, lifelong Somerville resident, 31 years old with a 10 year old child and neither one of us heard of them. There is no way to stop gang violence. Even if the police arrested the right suspect every time a gang crime was commited, there is always gonna be someone ready and willing to take their place.