[109188] in Cypherpunks
Kids Face Prison for Virtual "Gang"
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Eric Cordian)
Sat Mar 13 11:36:24 1999
From: Eric Cordian <emc@wire.insync.net>
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 1999 10:24:02 -0600 (CST)
Reply-To: Eric Cordian <emc@wire.insync.net>
To be a "gang" these days, one merely has to exercise ones freedom of
association. Criminal activity is not required. Here's a story about
five teens who face 10 years in prison under some fascist Georgia law
for merely publishing their names and nyms on a web page.
-----
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (AP) -- Law officers have accused a group of
teen-agers of recruiting gang members based on a Web site created by
the group.
Fayette County sheriff's deputies obtained warrants to arrest five
teen-agers on charges of violating the Georgia Street Gang and
Terrorism Act.
A 17-year-old, who was not identified, was arrested Thursday, and his
father said he found the whole ordeal hard to comprehend.
``One of their buddies last year jokingly created a Web page and put
five people's names on it,'' he said. ``It's just five kids who live
in the neighborhood.''
If convicted of encouraging others to join the ``Rollin 5 Crackaz,''
the teen-agers could be sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Sheriff's Maj. Bruce Jordan said the Web site, which gives the boys'
full names along with ``street'' names such as Baby Z and Killa Turk,
is a recruiting tool -- even though it does not solicit members for a
gang in this southern Atlanta suburb.
``An Internet site that says how great your group is is basically
advertising your group,'' Jordan said. ``We're trying to be proactive
and keep from having a serious gang problem.''
Debbie Seagraves, director of the Georgia chapter of the American
Civil Liberties Union, said the sheriff's office has violated the
boys' First Amendment rights.
``If they break the law in the real world, not the virtual world,
that's a different matter,'' Ms. Seagraves said. ``If they are
punished for telling other kids about their group, that's a clear
violation of their rights.''
--
Eric Michael Cordian 0+
O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division
"Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"
