TALLADEGA — In the last few weeks, an odd type of graffiti has been showing up in various locations around Talladega, from warehouses on Tinney Street to a residence in the Silk Stocking District. In black spray paint, someone has drawn a Star of David with either the letter G or the number six in the middle, with two three-pronged pitchforks coming out of it. In some cases, the numbers 2-7-4 appear underneath the star.This is actually a tag or symbol of the Black Gangster Disciples, a gang that originated in Chicago in the early 1970s. Most Black Gangster Disciples are part of the alliance known as the Folk Nation, and at the Tinney Street location and a building on Alabama 21 North, the word “FOLK” was also painted onto the side of a building.
The numbers 2-7-4 represent the initials BGD.
This is not the first time in recent memory that Black Gangster Disciple tags have turned up in Talladega. Last year, two juveniles were arrested for writing similar symbols in wet cement poured by the sidewalk crew of the Public Works Department. The suspects did not appear to be active gang members, however.
According to Talladega Police Chief Alan Watson, “We have had gang problems in the past, and I’m sure there is some now, although they are not particularly well organized or active in publicizing themselves. These kinds of things generally run in cycles, and will pop up from time to time.”
According to Watson, the peak of gang related activity in Talladega was in the early 1990s, when members of the Los Angeles-based Crips and Bloods found their way into town.
“Back then, we had a lot of initiations that involved assaults or burglaries,” Watson said, “and that was a real problem. That may still be going on in some situations, but I haven’t seen most of the really strong indicators of gang activity.”
For various reasons, cities Talladega’s size are generally not fertile soil for gangs, Watson added. “Here, they’re just not as organized, and can’t show themselves to the degree you can in a larger city. You have different indicators and different signs, but they’re not as forward. Over the years, lots of different gangs have evolved in different areas, but none of them have ever really been a major problem here.”
