After a string of gang-related events over the past three months, Princeton Township held a public forum to educate the community about gangs in New Jersey. The meeting was held in the John Witherspoon Middle School auditorium Monday night.
Special Investigator John Antinoro from the New Jersey Department of Corrections spoke to about 150 community members about gang trends in the state.
He shared anecdotes and pictures depicting gang-related violence.
Antinoro said that although gang activity has increased statewide and in Princeton, the Township is still a safe place. "Is Princeton a problem town? Absolutely not . . . you guys are living really well here," he said.
Director of Public Safety Steven Healy agreed with Antinoro in a previous interview. "I understand that there have been some isolated gang events, but I do not believe they have an overall effect on the safety of the community," he said.
The Princeton Township Police Department, middle school and Corner House — a nonprofit counseling agency — collaborated to sponsor the event to increase awareness within the community.
The event was held in response to several instances of gang-related activity in the Princeton area.
On Sept. 24, a Princeton resident believed to be affiliated with a gang was murdered in Trenton. The threat of gang violence led Princeton High School to lockdown on Nov. 1.
Township and Borough police answered questions from forum attendees.
Township Officer Ben Gering said, "Everybody here is in the front line. Teachers and parents, you see your kids everyday, and we want to give you some things to look for."
The Department of Corrections has identified approximately 263 gangs in New Jersey, comprising about 9,000 members, according to Antinoro. Fifty percent of these individuals are in New Jersey jails, while the others are "either on parole, maxed out [of their sentence] or they may be dead," Antinoro said.
He outlined the major gangs in the Trenton area, including the Latin Kings, Bloods, Crips, Association Neta and various white supremacist groups. Antinoro described gang hand signs, colors, numbers and tattoos.
He also showed pictures of graffiti appearing around town, including the word "Crip" spraypainted on a mailbox on a school playground.
"If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, looks like a duck, then it's probably a duck," Antinoro said when describing how to pinpoint gang-related activity.
Officer Geoff Maurer said the Township needs to rally a "cooperative effort to deal with the community [gang] problem that we face. It's not a police problem, it's a community problem."
Antinoro underscored the need for basic parenting. He said parents should be more involved with their children's lives: meet their friends, read the lyrics of their music and monitor the television shows they watch and the clothes they wear.
Antinoro said one root of increased gang activity can be traced to modern rap culture. He showed the audience a new hit Snoop Dogg video, "Drop It Like It's Hot." Antinoro stopped the video at several key points, demonstrating examples of Crip walk, gang graffiti and insignias showing "LBC," signifying Long Beach Crips.
"Our boy Snoop Dogg is a Crip," Antinoro said.
Some parents were shocked at the end of Antinoro's presentation. "I thought I was street-smart because I grew up in North Jersey, but I had no idea about any gang activity in and around my area. I'm just here to get educated and to become more aware for myself and for my 14-year-old daughter," said Princeton High School parent Cathy Bolognini.
Frank Stasburgerer '67 said he is sponsoring a meeting for all community parents Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in the middle school's cafeteria to discuss further how parents can come together to keep gangs out of their children's lives.
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