As if you didn't have enough to be afraid of already, folks are texting, Twittering, and emailing about a so-called "gang initiation week" beginning today, October 21, during which 140 women will supposedly be targeted for cold-blooded murder by prospective gang members.
Police in Chicago, Illinois and Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, where the rumor-mongering verges on out-of-control, have rightly branded the warnings "hoaxes" and "urban myths." Similar messages circulated around this time last year (and other years previously, going back more than a decade), but no such bloodbath occurred.
"Every Halloween, people were talking about gang initiation," Newark Police Director Garry McCarthy told the Star-Ledger last Friday, "but there is not a shred of evidence to prove that it's true." After investigating identical rumors circulating in Chicago, the Police Gang Unit dismissed them as a hoax, according to a CBS report citing Chicago Police spokesman Michael Fitzpatrick. "It's an annual rumor that has not had a basis in fact since 1995," NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne told the New York Daily News yesterday. Even so, the NYPD will boost police presence at some schools, parks, and other student "hangouts" in case trouble breaks out, the Commissioner said.
Some say the annual gang initiation rumor-fest dates back to the mid-1990s; some say it's even older than that. In one of the more notable incidents, on October 31, 1997 the NYPD deployed a massive presence throughout the city in response to warnings from street sources that Bloods members were planning an "initiation day" rampage. According to a New York Times story published two days afterwards, it turned out to be the safest Halloween in decades.
Read more:
• Police: Gang Initiation Threat Against Women Is Email Hoax
• Annual Gang Initiation Rumormongering
• NJ Officials Brand Gang Text Urban Legend
• Gang Attack Threats Seen as Old Hoax
• Cops Vigilant for Potential Gang Slashings
Comments
This is not true in new york they actually do it so far today seven girls have been killed.
She is right . I am a teen in the manhattan and i go to school in the bronx. It may be a “urban legend” to you but to me its a reality one thing thats not 100% right is the killing. Gang members goaround and slash females in the face however some go as far as killing. Whats an urban legend to you my school full of young ladies has to fear. FYI just this morning a young lady got cut in her face
I Agree with the two other comments, it may not be true in other citys but i know for a fact New York Blood initiation is the whole ending of October, starting at the 20s. Just last year, there was numorous reports on females getting their faces slashed on Oct. 31st i dont know where you people getting your sources from but it was true over here, you have to do some more research, it may have been BS every other year, but all the young nieve and immature people out here now go along with the rumor and now that cops are on the look out for Oct 31st they made it for the 21st. Today they have killed 7 girls and they will not stop until
Its true I live in the bx n a girl in east tremont got her face slashed this is all completely tru in nyc .. u think its a game u have no idea
If they show up in my area I will initiate the bastards with a 20Ga shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot.
What are the names of the girls killed this morning? If this is not a rumour, let’s add checkable facts to these comments!
I would refute Lauren’s comment. According to the UF 61′s (NYPD Incident Report) written in the last 10 hours there has been only 1 homicide today of a male in the Brooklyn. 7 Homicides by 10 AM of JUST females on a Thursday would be a crime spree that would be on every major network across America. This is just a continuation of what the article stated “unsubstanciated rumors”. Keep it real!
it is true cause i hang out with the bloods but im not one and yesterday seven girls were killed cold blood and one girl was sliced in fornt of the school is218
Yeah, this is true. My aunt works with a lady who’s sister in law has a daughter who went to school with five of the girls who was murdered. Actually, it wasnt’ a gang at all, it was Michael Jackson.
Jax, you actually had me going there until I got to the part about MJ.
It is not an urban legend, they do actually carry out with this act every year around the same time. The initiation week began yesterday and there were 34 incidents alone of young women being sliced on their faces. Ladies if you do live around the NYC metro area please be safe and remain aware at all times.
True or not, watch your backs out there as if it is true.
oh please, if there were really any killing going on, it’d be on the damn news. show me proof of the 7 girls who supposedly died, and then maybe i’ll believe it
Actually this is reality to a lot of us that live in NYC, and this year a lot of targets have been on the subway. Its not just a “urban legend” girls are being sliced on the face, from in front of schools from local hot spots such as 125th street in Harlem and on the trains. I’ve seen a couple of bloods in groups searching for targets so if you haven’t witnessed anything or have someone who has witnessed it’d be best to not comment.
you are very ignorant and must be a republican to be posting this. I LIVE in BRONX NYC, and my sisters best friend’s face just got sliced by a group of bloods who acted like they needed the “time”. when she looked down, right their they cut her face. It happened right on 110th street in manhattan. If you dont know your facts, reality and can not back up your opinion on “blood initiation day” [excluding the 1997 "safest halloween" source, which was by the way -a wake up call to you; 12 years AGO.] then do not post ANYTHING. you’re only blabbing without facts. And its really trash!!! btw; it is Urban Reality not Urban Legend.
If there were incidents to the numbers mentioned in all these comments they would have been on the news. And I for one would have been notified in my monthly community board meeting not to mentioned in my job as I work for the DOE in a school in ETremont.
So while we need to be watchful it is not a crime spree out there, in fact numbers are decreasing.
And just an FYI as far as some trends show the bloods have done more initiations on valentines day still numbers have not been texas chainsaw masacre as described here
Gang initation week is by far not an Urban Legend. It may be a legend in other areas but in New York City it definately does happen. I live in the bronx and this is not a joke. It is not reported widely on the news to avoid widespread panic. However it has been reported on the channels for specific boroughs such as the bronx channel and the queens channel. Two weeks ago my cousin (one of The Twins) was chased by two guys when her bus was overcrowded and she was left out of it right before school (7am). The guys said they were going to kill her and she had to run 4 blocks to a train station (4 train) where she reported it to a police officer. Then on October 21 at apporixametly 10pm I heard screaming in front of my house and I saw 5 guys chasing a girl to the train station. While a mother with her young daughter ran in the other direction. A few days ago my friend that lives in queens told me that on the queens channel it was reported that a girl got stabbed at the broadway junction train station. Just today my sister had singing classes and she and her friends were chased by guys with machetes. A man had to escort her back to her class where the program director called the police. My mother was waiting for her outside of our house and she saw two guys waiting across the street with blades smoking weed at around 4 PM. Thus gang initiation week is not an urban legend at all. In New York City it does happen. Why would schools warn their students to be careful if it was an urban legend. This does happen however reporting it to cnn or nbc would only give them more motive to make the initation stronger since they are getting publicity. If it were reported the slicing would increase since people would fear them and they would feel more empowered.
i agree this is not no urban legend , it will never be ! it still goes on i live in manhattan and i never go out on halloween and since then i am not able to celebrate one of the days that i love so much . but gangs dont care , last year many girls i know got killed , rapped , slashed just to be in a gang ! thats stupid . ridiclious and not no urban legend . mr youncome to new york and stay this week and lets see if you make it out alive ! this aint no horror movie its reality . check up on it
This DOES happen in nyc. My friend and I were jumped on saturday night in the LES and I spent the night in Downtown NY hospital… All they wanted to do was kick our faces in. I have two black eyes, a broken nose and I needed 15 stitches. I always thought it was a myth too, and because of that, I didn’t think it could happen to me. I wish you could attach pictures here so I could show you. PLEASE, Please, stop saying its a myth, women are getting really hurt.
I’ve lived in NYC for many years and I’ve seen women get their face slashed for gang initiation by bloods. Interestingly enough I go home and watch the news and never seen any report about it. I’m talking about multiple incidents. Just because you don’t see it on the news doesn’t mean it’s not happening. People who think its a myth can continue living their happy little lives in their air tight bubbles, while in the real streets of New York this is the kind of stuff that really goes down. I invite you all to come down to the hood of the lower east side, or in the Bronx near fordham rd. and see for yourselves. I didn’t think so.
I used to think it was a rumor also. I’m someone who grew up in the Bronx in never noticed it. Now I’m a school teacher and one of my female students had her face cut with a razor blade yesterday morning. One of my collegues had the samething happen to one of his students as well. I’m not making a comment on whether its gang initiations or not, but girls are definitely getting their faces cut. Cop don’t like to publicize the events as being connected because they don’t want to encourage the behavior similarly to not publicizing terror threats until after its been handled. They now the public will panic
I just got a memo that some schools will be closed on friday and/or closing at noon due to gang initiation rituals, and that it was advised by the NYPD 47th Precinct to be aware of the increased levels of gang initiation on that day. I searched all over and this is not reported in any type of Media source. now why would the cops warn schools about this if it was an urban legend?
The police arent goin to put this on the news because they know that they messed up. Back in 97 when it first became known and they threw it out the window. But this is very true. And it happenes every year, and will continue to happen ever year until NYPD gets off there A$$ and put more officers on the streets during the week of Halloween Ladies PLEASE be aware of whats goin on around you and dont walk alone day or night until Halloween is over…
This is a hoax, noone was cut, noone was killed, if you guys, think is true, why is not on the news? why they dont show their names?. Before you says is true, do some research, and take some real names, read the news, or, watch some tv. Dont believe if someone say, “here on the corner a girl was cut”. and why there was not reporter? no police there? and no names?, ohhh because it was early today, or late last night, yeah yeah yeah.
this is true don’t b a fool… I live in bk n two girls got sliced in the face @ 1am up the block from me..my cuzzin got followed by a group of guys too n had to jump in a cab the rest of the way home..news won’t report it becuz it will scare many ppl even more than they already are
Hey michelle your a jackass who states you must be a republican or something … most cops are republicans who warn you about stuff like this … its liberals who turn a blind eye to this sort of stuff …
This is probably one of the dumbest comments I’ve ever read on here. Liberal’s turn a blind eye? AHAHAHAHAHAHA Most liberals are cowards that would believe this nonsense and stay home scared of the boogey man coming to get them. Moron.
everyone, shut up. nothing happened on halloween. i went out, got lost, passed a gang and everything. guess what happened? nothing. idiots.
My god. Ok, just bc something isn’t on the news doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. What makes any of you think they put every single thing on the news? You don’t know EVERYTHING that goes on in the world. I’m not saying its true or not bc idk but its annoying how some of you keep going on about how its not true bc its not on the news.
Bay: I am DEFINITELY havin second thoughts on goin to a Halloween party! Scared as hell! !!!
Zay: first let me say I’m not scared of anything, come see me. Knowdhat ! Lmfao!
You brainwashed fools, believe the people who live there. The cops lie in their reports about gang activity for salary raising and job promotions. It’s easy for them to not report a body or misfile a report. A police census in NYC is NOT a reliable source. The police also have means to control the media coverage. Don’t believe me? Look up Adrian Schoolcraft’s story on NPR. Hell, just google NYPD corruption and you’ll find reputable sources and whistleblowers.