Over the years, Fellhoelter says he’s had to change a lot of tattoos that people get, then later learn of the negative association. “I’ve had to do tons of modifications,” said Adam Fellhoelter, tattoo artist at Kreations Tattoo and Body Piercing in Huntsville. Gangs and the innocent images they’ve staked claim to are on the radar for some folks. “There are things you can put on your body that would probably be disrespectful toward a particular gang.” “Know what you’re looking at,” said Turner. Before you let your teenager get inked, it’s imperative that you to know what they are. There are a plethora of images that may seem innocent, but have dangerous implications. “That’s what three dots are representing – ‘my crazy life’, ‘mi vida loca’, or ‘jail, hospital, cemetery.’” Police say that MS-13 reference describes one of the three places where gang members will end up – jail, hospital or cemetery. “This is the most ruthless gang in the world, according to all statistics,” said McDuffie. “A person can have a whole arm of tattoos, but you have to look at what’s in a tattoo,” explained Atkinson.įor example, McDuffie says a trio of dots is used by La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13. Atkinson says it’s important to know which images and symbols have a hidden meaning. Every day, they work to combat gang activity in schools. Huntsville Police Officers Carl McDuffie and Dwight Atkinson are school resource officers who specialize in gang prevention. “We do have a problem,” said Officer McDuffie. Police say the gang activity is not going away. “Gangs are very diverse,” said Kevin Turner, Chief Investigator for the Madison County District Attorney’s Office and a nationally recognized expert on gangs. It’s not based on a certain income bracket. “It crosses the racial spectrum,” said Huntsville Police Officer Carl McDuffie. Police say gangs are making their presence known in north Alabama. The signs could also be on someone, in the form of a tattoo. “You might have it on your street sign in your neighborhood,” said Huntsville Police Officer Dwight Atkinson. Animals, numbers, plants, roman numerals, dots, and stars are just some of the common images that could have a hidden meaning. Photo Courtesy: Madison County Detention Facility They also stress how important it is to be proactive and not reactive and that means knowing how to spot the signs. Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies confirm gangs are here in communities across north Alabama. (WHNT) – Gang activity is something most people only associate with large cities or lower income neighborhoods, but that’s not the case anymore. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated.
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