Gangs Use Social Networking to Mark Their Turf

Teens in gangs are using sites like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter to glamorize their activities and carry on gang wars. In several cases, gang members use these sites to track down and confront rivals by following them on Twitter or checking out their Facebook page, according to a gang awareness blog called Open the Gate. Teens in gangs are also using social networking to recruit new members. Authorities call it cyberbanging and they’re trying to fight it by monitoring sites, along with pictures and comments related to illegal activities. Some gangs are very active online.

Teen rape case divides neighborhood

The rape of an 8 year old girl and the arrest of a teenage neighbor are tearing apart a South Atlanta neighborhood.  Creative Loafing tells the story of Jason Pratt, who is set to go on trial at the end of June.  Pratt was 15 years old and babysitting for the little girl in 2007, when he was accused of raping her. Neighbors are horrified by the crime and want justice for the young rape victim, but they don’t believe Pratt did it.  28 of them have sent a letter of support to the court, where Jason Pratt will stand trial as an adult at the end of June. Complicating this case is the fact that a registered sex offender, who molested another child, was already living in the girl’s home.  Investigators say he’s not a suspect. Creative Loafing profiles this case, pokes holes in the police investigation, and raises questions about the Georgia sex offender law and how it gets enforced.