News-Record.com

John,
I would be more impressed had he asked for an end to all gang violence, not just inter- gang violence. If he added that his followers would also be joining a none armed, Gso. Police Dept. sponsored program aimed at the reduction of vandalism, burglary and larceny then it would definitely be worthy of front page, bold headlines.

It requires coverage. We can't blame Rev Johnson if he was previously lied to by others. His heart is in the right place.

John:

Don't you think that the first sentence in the story ("The man who leads the Latin Kings gang in North Carolina is working to unite gangs to stop inter-gang violence and pursue better treatment for black and Latino people") deserves a little editing? Does the N&R have evidence that the gang leader is actually doing this?

Someone can call and hold a press conference anytime they want; it doesn't mean that the N&R has to report it uncritically.

As part of a critical analysis, the N&R should provide some context for its readers, such as this profile from the U.S. AG's report on the growth of gangs in suburban area's ( http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs27/27612/27612p.pdf ), which describes the ALKQN thusly:

"Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (ALKQN) was formed in the 1970s by Luis Felipe. The gang shares a common culture and structure with the Chicago-based Latin Kings but does not report to Latin Kings. Membership is estimated to be 2,200 to 7,500, divided among several dozen
chapters operating in 25 cities in 21 states. A primary source of income is the distribution of powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana. The gang is also involved in various criminal activities including assault, auto theft, burglary, and homicide."

It might also reference this report ( http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080630/NRSTAFF/40241199/-1/news26 ).

Thanks, Dave. The online story is straight out of the news conference. The reporter is currently doing further reporting to give more depth and perspective.

JR: "Last time we published a story about a Nelson Johnson-called news conference, we got some flack from commenters that we overplayed it on the front page."

Why would you get flack about headlining an unsubstantiated claim made by an unnamed source?
And how did that "50 box" front page story turn ever out anyway?

Dave Ribar read my mind. The online version is straight gang propaganda. I would hope that the print article would point out, for example, that this is a criminal organization and perhaps even note that criminal organizations have a long history of seeking public respectability through such tactics (see KKK, Mafia, etc.).

Just read the updated version, and it's definitely better, although still a bit credulous for my taste. It fails to ask what, exactly, the gang's purpose actually is. Is it really to bring peace and beauty to the world, and, if so, is it truly a gang?

Unfortunately, your copy editor missed the following passage:

"He is the state leader as far as I know," Wolfe said. "If he is, then he certainly is the person who can affect change."

I hope your biweekly usage expert made a note of it.

John, you could just have a daily running feature, maybe on page five or six, entitled:
BULLSH&%

that everyday would comprise at least a half page, (although, there are many who would argue much more space would be needed) then this question would never need asking again

Que es Jorge Cornell?

NC Latin King leader Jorge Cornell has been in the news a bunch recently. First he was in Latino Newspaper Que Pasa, then he was on all of the local television stations as well as in the News and Record. His message? I am not so sure. He quickly says he wants to bring peace between rival gangs but he also has lots of ideas about immigration. The News and Record first described him as "The man who leads the Latin Kings gang in North Carolina is working to unite gangs to stop inter-gang violence and pursue better treatment for black and Latino people." However, without any evidence of his work to unite gangs the N&R's statement is hard to prove.

Today, the N&R came back with another story about Jorge. This time there story opened like this. "The leader of North Carolina's Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, a Chicago-based gang, has called on other gang leaders to channel their members' energy away from violence and into a struggle for justice against racism."

Some place in the story the N&R should have mentioned that Cornell has several previous charges from his home state of New York including felony conspiracy and possession of a weapon by a felon. In Guilford County Jorge has been charged with robbery, assault and conspiracy to embezzle. He is expected to be in court later this month for charges he acquired in December 2007.

The News and Record also reported: "At a news conference Monday, seated with Nelson Johnson, pastor of the Beloved Community Center, and Gregory Headen, president of the Pulpit Forum, Cornell called on all gang members to unify to fight against policies such as 287-g agreements, which give local law-enforcement jurisdictions broader authority to deport immigrants charged with crimes."

Seriously? I would love to have asked him his thoughts about José Carranza. Carranza is a Peruvian man arrested and charged with the gruesome, execution-style murders of three African American Delaware State University students and the wounding of a fourth at a playground in Newark, New Jersey on August 4, 2007. Carranza is an illegal immigrant in the United States and was out on the streets as a result of making bail set for his alleged rape of a five year old and various assault and weapons charges. (Wiki)

We should not weaken any programs or laws that speed up the process of getting illegal immigrants that commit crimes deported.

"Our goal is to bring peace to the streets," Cornell said. "Put your weapons down and come to a table to talk peace."

Sounds good. Let's start by talking about Jorge's gang buddy Marcelo Ysrael Perez. Perez is wanted by Greensboro police on an attempted first-degree murder charge. Perez is allegedly a member of the Latin Kings gang. What does Cornell know about this? Did he order Perez to do this? Was it a Latin King supported shooting? 25 year old Rojelio Lopez was shot on April 4, 2008 and the cops think Perez had something to do with it.

Why didn't the News and Record report this in the Cornell story. Perez and Cornell are both Latin Kings. One is saying stop shooting while the other is on the run for shooting. How the N&R failed to mention the two in the same story is unknown.

The News and Record also reported: "Cornell and Johnson met Wednesday after Cornell called Johnson for spiritual counsel. Cornell said Monday that last week, police had targeted him and harassed other members of his gang, claiming to have a warrant for his arrest that Cornell said doesn't exist."

But in real life, his warrant does exist. Should the N&R have made a few calls like I did? I found that there is a warrant for Cornell's arrest. It was issued on 6/17/2008 and is for aiding and abetting operators license violation. It has not been served. How is that for fact checking?

Much more to come. Stay tuned!

This so-called leader of a gang nation would be doing us all a favor if he and his ilk would return to latino/latina land. Now Jorge wants to complain about police harrasment and work to end racism. Of course he met with Johnson of CWP fame-they were going to end racism as well.

On the question of Marcelo Ysrael Perez, if this is the member of the ALKQN that goes by "King Hype" who was recently arrested for an attempted murder charge then it should also be mentioned that five days after his arrest his lawyer turned in a time card from work proving that he wasn't in the city at the time of the crime. His boss and co-workers also agreed to come in and testify. This evidence was turned in a few days after his arrest and yet the young man spent four months in jail because the police refused to view it.

N&R probably didn't run that story because there is supposed to be this policy that goes something along the lines of 'innocent until proven guilty'. Not the other way around.