Black on black violence, now woman on woman? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

JcL · 09-01-2003, 11:56 AM

A rather bizarre news story coming to us from San Francisco. You can find the original article here .

Quote:

A girl gang has been terrorizing residents in The City's southeast area, viciously beating up more than 15 women with clubs and canes in the past few months.
Authorities say that the number of girls committing acts of group violence is on the rise in San Francisco and that The City needs to find new strategies to teach young women how to get along.

The girls on Potrero Hill pummeled their victims with baseball bats and metal canes and in one incident smashed through a car windshield and bashed a woman cowering behind the steering wheel.

"People are being held hostage in their communities -- they are afraid," said Officer Len Broberg of the San Francisco Police Department's Violent Crimes Task Force. "Some of the victims have bruises the size of softballs or baseballs."

The gang identifies itself as the "Hill Girls," he said.

The young women often plan attacks by summoning their associates via cell phone, as one girl did just before an attack on a woman at Third Street and Evans Avenue, Broberg said.

"Prior to an attack, one of them was on a Muni bus, and she approached her victim and said, 'We are the Hill Girls, you know what we are here for,'" he said.

The intended victim hastily got off the bus only to discover, further down Third Street, that the rest of the gang was waiting for her.

Broberg is working on 15 aggravated-assault cases that he links to the Hill Girls, and he estimates that the gang numbers between 20 and 25 young women.

He said they ranged in age from 15 to 25 and lived mainly in the Potrero Hill and Sunnydale public-housing developments.

The assaults have escalated over the past six months and many of them were committed in front of the victims' small children, Broberg said.

"The little kids are traumatized -- you have a 5- or 6-year-old kid watching his mommy being beaten up," he said.

In one incident last month, between five and 10 girls surrounded a woman, threw her infant to the ground, and beat the woman up, he said.

In yet another, the gang rammed a car into a pregnant woman's car. Her unborn child was not hurt.

The girls mostly do not know their victims and only sometimes actually steal from them, Broberg said. They have been known to steal cell phones and then call people listed on the phones' directories and threaten them too, the officer said.

In one case the gang allegedly told a victim, "You are not from the Hill (Potrero) -- this is your eviction notice," and proceeded to beat the woman up, shattering her elbow.

Girls who commit acts of violence against their peers seem to have internalized a kind of male misogyny, according to Julie Posadas Gruzman, a victims' advocate with the District Attorney's Office.

Girls are committing violence in groups in the Mission, Bayview, Fillmore, and Potrero Hill neighborhoods, she said.

The underlying reasons for the violence seem to be connected to drug sales, prostitution, and guarding territory, Posadas Gruzman said.

Girls don't trust one another and are competitive and misogynist, and this results in heinous acts such as setting a girl up to be gang-raped by a group of men or pimping a peer into prostitution, she said.

Youth workers are starting to see a need to teach girls how to make friendships with one another and not feel threatened and competitive, Posadas Gruzman said.

"A lot of girls struggle with having healthy relationships with other girls," she said. "The only relationship they consider is a romantic one with a boy, and they never get to experience how fulfilling and empowering it is to have good female friends."

But Jeff Hunt, who has researched San Francisco girl gangs for more than a decade, said he doubted that misogyny was the main feature of the gang.

Hunt said it was rare to see all-female gangs with no apparent affiliation to a male group and that competitiveness among women was more likely to break out when the women were also interacting with male gang members.

Hunt said his research over the years showed that many young women drawn to gang life had been physically or sexually abused in the home and might be attracted to a gang as a form of protection.

Hunt studied a Potrero Hill girl gang 10 years ago and found, through interviews with the members, that the women formed the association because they were tired of doing drug sales and watching the men take all the profit, he said.

Psychologically, women face pressures within the gang structure to be both tough and aggressive and earn respect from their peers for their street savvy, but at the same time to maintain their femininity and sexual respectability.

Hunt said women were exploring new notions of femininity and often when that new identity included sexual independence, they were labeled "hos" or "sluts" by their peers or by men.

Parental negligence

The dubious connection formed by joining a gang might appear to be a form of female bonding, but it is actually a prime example of women oppressing other women by egging one another on to a life of self-destructive crime, Posadas Gruzman said.

Jack Jacqua, an Omega Boys Club counselor at the Youth Guidance Center, said that Potrero Hill was buzzing with stories about the notorious band of girls.

"I have to say that when there is a need to stop something and arrest somebody, it doesn't seem like the police are there," he said.

But Broberg said he was close to making arrests in about four cases and cooperating with the District Attorney's Office on more.

Jacqua blamed the problem on restlessness and lack of parental guidance.

"The attitude of these teenagers is 'So what? I don't care,'" he said. "The family or parents or whoever is left in their lives isn't doing anything."

I've never heard of a Girl Gang being started before, though perhaps 'its about time' so to speak. They're targeting women though, which I don't see an immediate reason for. I'm guessing that they pick out women because, as women themselves, its an easier target then a male might be? This may sound sexist, its just a guess. They're not even robbing the majority of their victims.

Some of the quotes in the article speak of girls having trouble getting along, being naturally competitive and needing this violent outlet - but I'm not sure if I'd accept such a situation. Such traits would be inherent in all girls then, why is this only becoming a problem now? Or has there been similar cases of girl gangs I've just never heard of?

Its really strikes me as an odd situation - but apparently very serious too. They rammed a pregnant woman's car for fun - even gang members down here in LA don't do crap like that as far as I know.

Ganguro · 09-01-2003, 12:23 PM

i sincearly hope you were using the black on black crime thing to illustrate these girls targeting women only (so far)

Yeah girl gangs are nothing new. Young women frequently dont have great relationships with other women, or really love themselves so it doesnt suprise me. I think one of the main reasons they are targeting women is perhaps a female victem would be easier to take down. What is the likely hood of a lone woman being able to take down 15 girls with weapons? Not that a man could do it, but perhaps the male could injure more of the attackers first and get away.. or statisticly are more likely to carry a concealed weapon.

JcL · 09-01-2003, 12:24 PM

Quote:

i sincearly hope you were using the black on black crime thing to illustrate these girls targeting women only (so far)

Hmm what else would I be saying? Perhaps I should change if it could be somehow thought to be offensive?

krwlz · 09-01-2003, 12:32 PM

This story should go right next to that one a while back about the girls "football game" that turned into a drunken hazing....

Fucked up!

Stare At The Sun · 09-01-2003, 12:46 PM

Thats rather odd, however, if they were naked, and covered in ky jelly, it would be better

. Really though *sigh* what is the world coming to?

rogue49 · 09-01-2003, 01:41 PM

Nice to know that men aren't the only idiots in the world.

See, we are all equal after all.

We all have the potential for the darker side.

JumpinJesus · 09-01-2003, 02:29 PM

Ahhh, Portrero Hill, the lovely neighborhood that gave us OJ Simpson. Portrero Hill offers some of the best views in San Francisco of the city and the bay. Too bad you spend most of the time there watching your back instead of the view. I lived near the area in Ingleside. McDonalds had armed security.

For the cost of living in that city you would expect the streets to be lined with satin and the only aroma you'd smell would be freshly baked bread everywhere you go.

zf0enix · 09-01-2003, 02:51 PM

I did some volunteer work on Potrero Hill a while back. Tried to get the kids out for some mentorship stuff. What a place, walking in to those apartments with the smell of booze, urine and etc. A sad, sad condition to be in.

WhoaitsZ · 09-01-2003, 03:17 PM

i hate what guns can do to innocent people. these girls aren't innocent. women in the area, arm yourselves. girls go to beat ya, shoot their goddamned brains out.

it is shameful that anyone would hurt people for no reason. sick , sad. reality, though.

bah

Hash_Browns · 09-01-2003, 07:47 PM

All I can say is...what the hell is this stupid shit?? Throwing infants to the ground to beat their mothers up? come on...in front of kids?? does not one person see this that they can't call the police?? I am just lost as to the point? obviously they don't seem to be trying to tell someone something or they would leave more to go on then...'you're not from here...here's your eviction notice' grrr...

Sorry this isn't very helpful to the discussion...but it's all I can think to say about something so awful and stupid!!

09-01-2003, 02:29 PM	#7 (permalink)
JumpinJesus Junkie Location: Chicago	Ahhh, Portrero Hill, the lovely neighborhood that gave us OJ Simpson. Portrero Hill offers some of the best views in San Francisco of the city and the bay. Too bad you spend most of the time there watching your back instead of the view. I lived near the area in Ingleside. McDonalds had armed security. For the cost of living in that city you would expect the streets to be lined with satin and the only aroma you'd smell would be freshly baked bread everywhere you go. __________________ "I can normally tell how intelligent a man is by how stupid he thinks I am" - Cormac McCarthy, All The Pretty Horses

09-01-2003, 02:51 PM	#8 (permalink)
zf0enix Psycho Location: PacNW	I did some volunteer work on Potrero Hill a while back. Tried to get the kids out for some mentorship stuff. What a place, walking in to those apartments with the smell of booze, urine and etc. A sad, sad condition to be in. __________________ One step closer to the edge...

09-01-2003, 07:47 PM	#10 (permalink)
Hash_Browns Psycho Location: Right behind you...BOO!	All I can say is...what the hell is this stupid shit?? Throwing infants to the ground to beat their mothers up? come on...in front of kids?? does not one person see this that they can't call the police?? I am just lost as to the point? obviously they don't seem to be trying to tell someone something or they would leave more to go on then...'you're not from here...here's your eviction notice' grrr... Sorry this isn't very helpful to the discussion...but it's all I can think to say about something so awful and stupid!! __________________ Smile It makes people wonder what you're up too!

09-01-2003, 12:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
Ganguro Army of Me	i sincearly hope you were using the black on black crime thing to illustrate these girls targeting women only (so far) Yeah girl gangs are nothing new. Young women frequently dont have great relationships with other women, or really love themselves so it doesnt suprise me. I think one of the main reasons they are targeting women is perhaps a female victem would be easier to take down. What is the likely hood of a lone woman being able to take down 15 girls with weapons? Not that a man could do it, but perhaps the male could injure more of the attackers first and get away.. or statisticly are more likely to carry a concealed weapon.

09-01-2003, 12:32 PM	#4 (permalink)
krwlz Fledgling Dead Head Location: Clarkson U.	This story should go right next to that one a while back about the girls "football game" that turned into a drunken hazing.... Fucked up!

09-01-2003, 12:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
Stare At The Sun Eh? Location: Somewhere over the rainbow	Thats rather odd, however, if they were naked, and covered in ky jelly, it would be better . Really though sigh what is the world coming to?

09-01-2003, 01:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
rogue49 Loser	Nice to know that men aren't the only idiots in the world. See, we are all equal after all. We all have the potential for the darker side.

09-01-2003, 03:17 PM	#9 (permalink)
WhoaitsZ Crazy Location: right behind you...	i hate what guns can do to innocent people. these girls aren't innocent. women in the area, arm yourselves. girls go to beat ya, shoot their goddamned brains out. it is shameful that anyone would hurt people for no reason. sick , sad. reality, though. bah