Baltimoreans know better. The city has been here before, with large-scale busts leading to a temporary dip in violence that fades quickly. Indeed, Triple C rose to its recent position only after police indicted 14 members of the Black Guerrilla Family (BGF) in 2015 and another 34 in 2016. Triple C’s late founder, Gary Creek—who went on the run when indicted and took his own life when police tracked him down—had seen an opportunity as BGF’s ranks thinned, creating a startup to capture lucrative drug corners suddenly up for grabs and then diversifying into contract killings, carjackings, and robberies.
In economics jargon, BGF’s demise had disturbed the competitive equilibrium, creating opportunities for rivals. Of course, in illegal economies, competition for market share and profits usually takes violent forms. According to the indictment, this included “murders of rival gang members and narcotics dealers” and “witness intimidation and retaliation.” But Creek and his minions also showed a flair for marketing, the indictment noted:
Read Full Article »Triple C members supported rap artists or were burgeoning rap artists themselves, who would support Triple C by including lyrics about the gang in their songs. For example, in one rap artist’s music video on social media, the lyrics included “ain’t no Crip or no Blood, I’m Triple C baby.” Several alleged members and associates of Triple C are in the video dancing and waving firearms during the rap. In addition, gang members allegedly wore clothing touting the gang and warning against “snitching,” and promoted the gang by giving away clothing, such as T-shirts and hats.
