Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman heard five hours of testimony and legal argument on Monday on whether he should impose an injunction making two Chattanooga gangs, the Gangster Disciples and the Grape Street Crips, and their members be declared public nuisances in East Lake.
Still, there was no decision in the unusual case, and the hearing will be continued on Oct. 31 at 10 a.m.
A number of local attorneys are fighting the petition. Attorney Hank Hill said members of the local defense attorney group have volunteered to represent the identified gang members without charge.
District Attorney General Neal Pinkston, at the start of the hearing, said 31 alleged gang members have been identified and 17 had been served with court papers informing them of the hearing.
Some of the alleged gang members were brought to court from either the jail or workhouse, where they are being held on other cases. Some others came to court on their own volition.
One was served at the Bradley County Jail, awaiting federal prosecution. Another is in state prison.
Detective Curtis Penny said all those named in the petition have been validated as gang members using various factors such as self-admission, wearing of gang colors, using gang signs and having gang tattoos.
He said the Gangster Disciples and the Grape Street Crips are the most potent gangs in crime-ridden East Lake. He estimated that the Gangster Disciples have 100-200 members and the Grape Street Crips 10-20.
The detective listed Thaddeus Montgomery and Antonio Watkins as Gangster Disciple leaders and Guy Wilkerson as head of the Grape Street Crips.
Police Chief Fred Fletcher said East Lake is "one of our busiest controlled zones," but defense attorneys hammered away at the fact that he did not bring any documentation to the hearing.
"I can get it, but I do not have it at the moment," he said.
Felix Vess, chief of the Chattanooga Housing Authority Police, said seven short videos of crime around East Lake Courts. One showed a man walking through the housing project carrying a gun and several showed numerous shots being fired from passing cars.
He said cameras were upgraded last year to better capture the incidents because witnesses are often afraid to testify.
He said gang members often congregate on street corners, intimidating residents. He said there are guns displayed and fired near where children are playing.
Kimberly George of the Salvation Army, the CFO of Adman Electric and an official of the Boys and Girls Club told of steps being taken to beef up security in the face of increased crime.
Resident Ruthie Wright declared, "I'm tired of the shootings." She said after she was shown on TV taking a stance against crime that a neighbor came up on her porch and warned her to be careful where she walks.
Judge Steelman said the case "is civil in nature" and he said, "This is all pretty unfamiliar territory."
The DA is "asking that injunctive relief be given to the law-abiding residents of East Lake by establishing a Safety Zone that covers most of their neighborhood."
If the petition is granted, validated members of the Gangster Disciples and the Grape Street Crips will be forbidden from the following activities within the Safety Zone:
· Associating with other gang members
· Intimidating others
· Possessing guns or other dangerous weapons
· Possessing graffiti tools
· Acting as a lookout
· Being with anyone who has illegal drugs
· Being near alcohol
· Forcibly recruiting
· Preventing a member from leaving the gang
In 2009, the Tennessee General Assembly amended the state’s nuisance statute to include criminal gangs. Hamilton County Criminal Court Clerk Vince Dean was a member of the state house at that time and he sponsored the bill. In 2014, state Senator Bo Watson was the primary sponsor who pushed for passage of the Community Safety Act to enhance the original legislation. State Rep. Gerald McCormick sponsored the House version of the 2014 bill, with Rep. Mike Carter, Rep. Vince Dean, and Senator Todd Gardenhire of the local legislative delegation among the co-sponsors.