Sheriff David Morgan told a homeowners association on Saturday afternoon that the national gang founded in Los Angeles –The Bloods— is in Escambia County. Bloods are are identified by the red color worn by their members.
Over 50 members of the Lake Charlene Homeowners Association listened to the Escambia County sheriff talk about his department’s increased vigilance against gang violence.
“Over 75 percent of the violence in this community is tied to gangs,” Morgan told the crowd at the Felix Miga Community Center. “I’m afraid that the scales may have tipped in favor of the criminals at this moment.”
Morgan said the prior ECSO administration refused to recognize the gang activity and instead labeled them neighborhood disputes.
Up until the recent development concerning “The Bloods,” the local gangs have been hybrids (Read There Heere ). The locals were organized and trained by the national gangs, sold drugs for the national gangs, but were not allowed to wear gang colors.