Alleged gang convention in Hattiesburg causes concern among officials

A Hattiesburg councilwoman raised concerns at a work session about what she called an anti-police organization allegedly having a large event in the city the weekend two police officers were killed during a traffic stop.

According to WDAM-TV, Ward 4 Councilwoman Mary Dryden brought up concerns about what fliers billed as the "13th annual Brothers of the Struggle Weekend."

She spoke of a group "considered to be one of the most violent gangs in the country, a group commonly known as anti-police and with a reputation for sales of narcotics."

While a transcript of Dryden's comments didn't name the Brothers of the Struggle, the group's website advertised events in Hattiesburg May 8-9. Hattiesburg Patrolmen Benjamin Deen and Liquori Tate were killed May 9.

George W. Knox of the National Gang Crime Research Center,

who has done definitive work on several gangs including the Gangster Disciples, said "the Brothers of the Struggle" is just another name for the Gangster Disciples.

"It's another name they use. Sometimes Gangster Disciples will not like to be called gangs, so they call themselves a 'group for growth and development,' but it's a put-on like the BOS put on," Knox said.

Dryden and others have said that Club Hi Hat's parking lot was packed that weekend. There was a concert the night of May 8 and a party on May 9, with an after-party at Club Elite on U.S. 49.

Dryden inquired Monday whether the group had the proper permits and whether the fire code was followed for the number of attendees.

Dryden told the Hattiesburg American on Tuesday her comments were motivated by concerns about public safety.

"We have a responsibility, as the council, to do what we can within our authority to do what we can to protect the people of Hattiesburg. The other purpose was to say that we need to consistently apply our code restrictions.

"It's just not a safe environment, and when you know that it's part of that larger gathering and that that group has that kind of history, then we need to be aware as a community and know when those large gatherings are happening."

Officials say there is no apparent linkbetween the shooting deaths of the officers and the convention.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said gangs are constantly on the radar for authorities around the state.

"We are aware of gang activity throughout the state and are trying to use our resources to combat any type of gang violence throughout Mississippi," he said.

Knox said the fact that there is an annual convention should be alarming to any resident of the area.

"Anytime a gang is having a convention in your area, it's bad news for any community where that happens," Knox said.

Knox said most of the traffic between Chicago, the home of the Gangster Disciples, and Mississippi, is primarily gun- and drug-related.

"This is intolerable. I can't believe the community hasn't become a little more proactive. They should be visibly concerned," he said.

Hattiesburg spokeswoman Chinika Hughes said the city would not welcome gang activity and that the Hattiesburg Police Department has a unit that investigates gang activity with the intention of curtailing it.

"We definitely don't want gangs here interfering with our quality of life. We don't want any kind of negativity in our city. We're all about being positive and highlighting the good things in the community," she said.

Contact Therese Apel at (601) 961-7236 or tapel@gannett.com. Follow @TRex21 on Twitter.