Parents Cautioned About Go-go Concerts

[GAZETTE]  COUNTY OFFICIALS HOLD SESSIONS IN CAPITOL HEIGHTS, LANDOVER TO DISCUSS GANG CONNECTION

All teenagers enjoy an evening away from the house, to hang with friends and listen to music.  In the Greater Washington, DC area, Go-Gos are the concert of choice for many teenagers.  They are often held at local ballrooms and American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars halls. 

Unfortunately, these concerts have become known for gang activity.  On June 24 the Maryland-National Capital Park Police and Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation hosted a “Gangs and Go-Gos” information session at the John E. Howard Community Center to get parents to think twice about sending their children to any venue this summer.

Edward Wilcher, Montgomery County Police detective, discussed with attendees about the crews and gangs at the Go-Gos.  He tracks gang activity in both Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.  He said that male groups often call themselves “Stunnaz” or “Mafia”, while female groups often go by “Divas” or “Hunniez” in their group name.  He gave a slideshow presentation of MySpace and Facebook fliers for concerts and played YouTube videos of concert crowds where neighborhood crews would wave their colors at performers to get the performer to give them shoot-outs.

Fights often occur at the Go-Gos and can often excalte into very dangerous situations such as when a Washington, DC man was shot and killed in December just six blocks from Le Pearl Ballroom in Capitol Heights.

Many parents were highly surprised at the information, such as Dawn Brown of Landover Hills that said “I didn’t realize there was so much gang activity at the Go-Gos.  I thought they were just getting together listening to bands.”

This further enforces the importance of parents actively being involved in their children’s lives and to always know where they are and in what kind of environment.  To learn more about the Go-Gos and how to keep your child safe, read this Gazette article.



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