GTO
GTO or Goons Taking Over is a street gang operating on Birmingham's east side. The gang is believed to have several hundred members, and the are suspected of involvement in numerous crimes, including drug sales, car break-ins and robberies.
In 2014 the rap group Black District, which is said to be made up of members of GTO, filmed a video on Oakwood Street. The rap memorialized Devante "Red Man" Hinds, who had tried to run over Jefferson County Sheriff's Office deputies who were breaking up a heroin deal and was shot and killed. The song threatened police officers. One rapper featured in the video was Mose Leonard, who had been charged with five car break-ins in Fultondale. Judge Katrina Ross sentenced him to a month in prison after seeing the video.
In June 2022 Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond told Al.com crime reporter Carol Robinson that GTO had largely been "dismantled", but reorganized later as H2K ("Hard To Kill").
References
- Robinson, Carol (May 17, 2014) "Birmingham gang rap video glorifying cop-killing replaced with tribute to BPD." The Birmingham News
- Robinson, Carol (May 19, 2014) "Video glorifying cop-killing leads to jail time for Birmingham rapper." The Birmingham News
- Robinson, Carol (June 17, 2022) "H2K, Birmingham gang suspected in multiple murders, target of Jefferson County crime fighters." The Birmingham News
External links
- Black District's video on YouTube.com