Welcome to Farmville, home of GDs, Vice Lords, ganstas and drug dealers. Yes, it's true, even in the middle of nowhere, gangs have infiltrated into our peaceful midst. The second annual Gang Task Force presentation was held a little too late at the end of the year on campus.
With such a small turn out it's no wonder that most people don't know and don't really care about the presence of gangs in the Farmville area. The presentation was interesting however, being given by a Special Agent of the Virginia State Police. Histories of the national gangs such as the Bloods and Crips was reviewed as well as signs of recruitment and membership. It's a shame however that I was the only student in attendance and I was there mainly to cover the function for the Rotunda.
I have conflicting views of this Task Force, mainly because I am not a huge fan of the police force's mission on campus. A mission that seems to consist of writing parking tickets and traffic tickets. Longwood employs a significant number of officers in addition to Farmville's police dept. and the Prince Edward Sheriff's dept. I am no expert but this is not a very large locality and as far as I know there isn't a significant amount of violent crimes being committed, at least against students. On the other hand, better to be prepared for the unexpected.
As far as the local gangs go, Southside, K-town Boys, and the Squad are known gangs. I've personally never seen evidence of any but I try not to frequent the seedier areas of Farmville like Andrew's Drive and Virginia Street. Something I did not include in my article was the influence of known-rapper Jim Jones in Farmville. Fevers, a nightclub? located in the area has been one of his stomping grounds in the past and Jones reportedly has ties to the Bloods.
Now, most entertainers with "gang affiliations" aren't very active and my personal view is that the Task Force desperately wanted a name and place to throwout and this was the best they had. Another group brought up was the Juggalo culture, something Farmville should be familiar with in light of the First Ave. murders. The disgusting specimen Psycho Sam was part of this culture and this group has been identified as gaining numbers as more suburban kids get bored with their privileged lives. The whole thing sickens me and I will say no more in fear of an expletive filled rant.
With this being said I do encourage students to attend the Gang Task Force meeting next semester. It was entertaining and informative and to be a citizen leader one needs to have knowledge of events pertaining to their place of residence. The presentation opened my eyes to things happening in different parts of the country that I hadn't been aware of. I am from Richmond and being a whiteboy there are areas I know to stay the hell away from. People think it won't ever happen to them but when it gets bad, it gets bad quick. Gone are the days when a simple fist fight settled a matter, now it's about rolling deep and keeping the chrome under the seat.
Most students at Longwood aren't exposed to these lifestyles but they aren't just ideas conjured up for the movies. So be aware. Open your eyes and reflect that you're lucky to be where you're at.
