According to a recent Atlantic Cities article, gang-related graffiti has expanded beyond street corners and has gone both viral and virtual. Former NYPD gang specialist, Sgt. Lou Savelli, states “Facebook is the new street corner. Rather than yelling at each other on the streets and on the walls, now they do it on the internet and everyone can see.”
Specifically, gang members videotape themselves threatening rival gangs, dealing verbal taunts, and flashing guns and then post these videos on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and other social media sites.
This type of behavior can lead to a rapid, real-time provocation of violence between gangs. Because gangs now use social media, the police are also using this technology as another tool to help them track gang activity.
