I also think this male was either a Born To Kill gang member. Although The Tiny Rascal Gang was the biggest asian gang at one point.
Asian Drug Gangs Not New To Philly - The Inquirer
Among the largest Asian gangs in the city have been the Tiny Rascal Gang, D-Block and the Red Scorpions. The Tiny Rascal Gang was named as the biggest in the nation in a Daily News article in 2005. Many of its members are Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese.
Wikipedia - Born to Kill Gang
- Most of the gang's members were Vietnamese youths who were sent out of their country a few years after the Saigon government had collapsed, in which afterwards they then spent months or years in refugee camps before being put into foster families. These youths then left their foster families and banded together, forming the nucleus of what would become the Born to Kill gang
- Once active in other cities and states outside of NY, the gang did not always maintain the same activities as they did in New York. In Sacramento, California for example, Born to Kill was active in less-visible areas such as computer-chip theft, as well as the sale of guns to young Vietnamese.
- Born to Kill members were also well known to have fashioned themselves after gangster movies, donning dark sunglasses and black suites along with spiked hair. (This would explain the gloves)
-During the late eighties, as the Born to Kill gang began to attract publicity and notoriety in Manhattan's Chinatown due to their criminal audacity, many smaller groups of organized Vietnamese criminals began to adopt the gang's name. This made Born to Kill a confederation of gangs, which allowed it to expand its criminal operations, exploits and territory into other cities, states, and countries such as Canada.
The illegal sale of the stolen gun, and the gloves, and everything else all leads me to believe this male was a BTK gang member.
I also found this very long super but
incredibly interesting pdf from the United States Department of Justice.
The Hearing Before The Permanent Subcommittee On Investigations Of The Committee on Governmental Affairs
October 3rd, November 5-6th, 1991.
These testimonies seem the most interesting:
- Kenneth Chu, aka 'Johnny Wong", Former Member, Ghost Shadows Gang and On Leong Tong
- Odum Lim, Born-to-Kill Gang Robbery and Assault Victim
- "Mr. Wong", Extortion Victim
- "Mr. Chan", Extortion Victim
- Sgt. Douglas Zwemke, San Jose Police Department, San Jose, CA
- William S. Sessions, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation; accompanied by James E. Moody, Section Chief, Organized Crime, FBI
This testimony from a former Ghost Shadows Gang Member is super telling. Kenneth Chu initially turned down the gang's offers to join multiple times, but they harassed and abused him until it was easier to join than get abused. He then started working with Law Enforcement.
Kenneth Chu, aka 'Johnny Wong", Former Member, Ghost Shadows Gang
"After I wounded the Black Eagle, my Ghost Shadow associate Phil Han called someone at the On Leong Tong. On Leong officials arranged for me to take a bus to Boston and to report to the Boston On Leong. The idea' was that I was to stay out of sight of the police in New York.
This next part is about the gang Born To Kill and Philadelphia. I wonder what prompted Senator Roth to inquire as to this specific gang and whether it had any activities in Philadelphia.
Senator ROTH: The map indicates that there is an On Leong Tong in Philadelphia. Can you tell the Subcommittee about that operation?
Mr. CHU: I know that there have been illegal gambling operations in Philadelphia. I don't know if there are any at present.
Mr CHU: During the period. after I was suspended in Houston, the person who replaced me was sent down from Philadelphia, and people he had working with him, gang members, came from Philadelphia.
Senator ROTH: And what about the unaffiliated gangs, such as the Born to Kill: what can you tell the Subcommittee about them?
Mr. CHU: There is not much I can tell about the Born to Kill. I know they are mainly of Vietnamese membership, Chinese born in Vietnam. They are independent right now; they don't exactly have a tong that backs them up. They are a very violent street gang.
Senator ROTH: They are very violent?
Mr. CHU: Very violent.
