Nelson Johnson emails: "The Almighty Latino Kings and Queens Nation (also known as the Latin Kings Gang), the Beloved Community Center of Greensboro, area pastors and several African American and Latino community leaders are holding a media briefing on Monday, June 30, 2008, at 10:30 AM, at Faith Community Church, 417 Arlington Street, Greensboro, NC."

Comments

[Rev. Fec]

Baptists and Catholics. Oil and Water.

[Beelzebubba]

whose idea was it to cut the Creator into 3 parts..a father, a son and a holy something or other? the oil or the water cult?

[Tony Wilkins]

It must be to announce they found the 50 boxes. That you would give Nelson Johnson any type is a mystery to me.

[Billy The Blogging Poet]

"The Almighty......" Not that I'm overly sensitive to religious ideals or anything but I thought that term was reserved for those the good Reverend Johnson claims to worship.

Could it be the Latin Kings will become to the Beloved Community Center of Greensboro what the Mafia has long been to the Roman Catholic Church? That being major doners.

Will members of the Beloved Community Center of Greensboro now worship the Latin Kings or is it to be the other way around.

Despite all my smart-assed comments you have to think the wording of Johnson's e-mail to be rather strange.

[jw]

Haven't we been saying that addressing the gang issue requires a strategy operating on several levels; homes, schools, law enforcement, AND faith networks?

This makes perfect sense to me.

[Ed Cone]

I don't recall gang leaders holding many press conferences in GSO. Given the concern over gang activity (and the excellent point made by JW), dismissing the event out of hand seems to reveal a strikingly incurious view of the world.

Billy, the "almighty" stuff is part of the gang's official name for itself.

[Dave Ribar]

Ed:

You're right that we should wait and see what the groups are going to announce, but in the meantime color me very skeptical.

In American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto, Sudhir Venkatesh describes efforts of community activists and church leaders to cooperate with gangs in Chicago. In nearly every case, these efforts gave the gangs a safe place to continue their illegal activities, and in many cases, the gangs were successful in co-opting the community leaders.

Short of an announcement that the local chapter of the gang is disbanding (highly unlikely), we shouldn't look for much positive to come out of tomorrow's briefing.

[Tony Wilkins]

Cone: "dismissing the event out of hand seems to reveal a strikingly incurious view of the world."
Being "strikingly incurious" about anything to do with Nelson Johnson does not relate to "strikingly incurious view of the world" unless gullibility abounds.
In just plain being nosy though, I would be curious as to your thoughts on Nelson Johnson's credibility.

[Ed Cone]

DR, thnx for the link. GSO will be better off if we learn from the mistakes of others.

TW, "Nelson's credibility" seems a broad topic. It's also somewhat beside the point. He says he has an interesting program lined up. If it's a dud, it's a dud. If it's lively but seems headed in a bad direction (per DR), best to know about it. And so on. In any case, it's around the corner from my office, so I'll try to check it out, although I will have to leave for an 11:00 phone call.

[Beelzebubba]

Gangs must be the new cause celebre for white day trading lumpen. How can I join one? There are over 10k gang members in the US military who are "professionally" trained, then return to their gangs and train their members in the methods of Ubergang warfare. The gangstahs appreciate your support. You white day traders are gonna have your hands full after the most recent episode of stay the course fixeruppery in Mess'o'potamia.

[Billy The Blogging Poet]

Ed said, "Billy, the "almighty" stuff is part of the gang's official name for itself."

My neighborhood is currently in transition from Bloods to Crips-- as yet we've had no exposure to Almighty Latin Kings and Queens so the "almighty" stuff is news to me.

Dave said, "In American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto, Sudhir Venkatesh describes efforts of community activists and church leaders to cooperate with gangs in Chicago. In nearly every case, these efforts gave the gangs a safe place to continue their illegal activities, and in many cases, the gangs were successful in co-opting the community leaders."

Billy said: "Could it be the Latin Kings will become to the Beloved Community Center of Greensboro what the Mafia has long been to the Roman Catholic Church? That being major doners."

Criminal elements have a long history of taking over the churches and political leaders (lie with dogs?) that reach out to them and Nelson Johnson is exactly the kind of minister they usually pick-- always out to make a big name for himself. Looks like I was pretty much dead on target-- again.

Have we already forgotten Johnson's last public outing? The guy has a very long history of getting the word out in ways that aren't quite accurate and for the life of me I can't see why you continue to give him exposure.

A better way would have been for Johnson to actually show some results of his efforts with the Latin Kings but as usual he's nothing but press releases and BS.

JW said, "Haven't we been saying that addressing the gang issue requires a strategy operating on several levels; homes, schools, law enforcement, AND faith networks?"

Coming from someone other than Nelson Johnson I might have agreed. Having first met Mr Johnson BEFORE that fated day in 1979 I really don't believe anything he says.

[Billy The Blogging Poet]

Beelzebubba,
I don't know who you are but I like your style.

[Beelzebubba]

Guys like Nelson play a game called "Lets you and him fight" but in the local theatre. I dont where he finds all the players to take bullets for him.

[John]

Gangs? What gangs? We don't have any gangs in Greensboro. Just ask Deena Hayes or Amos Quick.

[RBM]

Beezlebubba,

In case you aren't aware, the gang's are using a model established by the US Mafia decades ago.

I was told by a coworker in the 90's about the practice and the definitive book, written in the '80's, IIRC.

[Toby]

The Almighty Latino Kings and Queens Nation (also known as the Latin Kings Gang), the Beloved Community Center of Greensboro, area pastors and several African American and Latino community leaders are holding a media briefing on Monday, June 30.

Since when are killers and drug pushers considered to be a nation? Why are we tolerating this poison in our community?
Nelson just can't leave it alone can he! First his beloved worker's paradise was shot up and now he meets with a gang leader (a minority) whose primary complaint is that the police are harrassing his group. There isn't anything to talk about with Jorge except telling him to leave!

[Billy For Mayor]

Well the press conference has now taken place and looks like it's Chicago all over again. The "good Reverend Johnson" has decided it's once again time to lie with dogs.