TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) - The Toledo Police Department says there are seven out of dozens of gangs here in Toledo considered hard core and memorials around town show they are still very much intact.
Sgt. Rick Moreno with Toledo's Gang Unit says the Cherry Woodz are one of those seven gangs.
"They like geographic identification, like when they say they are Cherry Wood Boys they identify with the Cherry Woodz and they do hang out there," said Moreno.
He says other strong gangs in Toledo include the Manor Boyz operating around the Moody Manor, the Locs and Cholos based off Broadway, the Gear Gang Crips (GGC), the Lawrence Blood Villains, and the 900 Vance Boyz.
"I was a former member of the L-Wood Street Gang, which is a Blood set," said former gang member Robert Mumford. "I got three guys that I traded shoes and socks with in the cemetery. Right now even more friends doing life in prison."
Mumford says he has seen huge changes within Toledo's gangs.
"Crips would wear red, Bloods would wear blue - the color is not a color. You cannot see someone and say they are a Crip or a Blood, because Crips and Bloods wear both colors," said Mumford.
He says the violence is not stemming from colors and territory battles, but bold posts on Facebook.
"You don't even know somebody and you getting into it with them over a picture or a status about something and now y'all meeting at night to fight with guns, its idiotic," said Mumford.
Sgt. Moreno says the trend with gangs logging onto Facebook, rather than stepping onto rival territory, could explain the recent uptick in drive by shootings.
"It comes down to disrespecting someone. They will look the wrong way at you and that's enough. And they know each other's team, so they'll say were going to get them, so the next thing they shoot them," said Moreno.
Many times feuds start up by money being flashed on Facebook. Former gang members say the more money, the stronger the gang.
"These gang members are intelligent. What person do you know who can gang bang, fight for his life against another gang, sell drugs, be his own watch man, count the money, and all in that transaction without getting caught from time to time," said former gang member Chris McBrayer.
And their intelligence doesn't stop there. TPD says they constantly have to outsmart these gangs who have learned to know the gang units schedules, undercover cars and officers.
But Sgt. Moreno doesn't let that stop his mission to eliminate the violence on these streets.
"Today you're not dying. I'll work on tomorrow when tomorrow comes," said Sgt. Moreno.
