LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Local gangs are no longer just clashing in the streets.
Louisville Metro Police and former gang members believe a lot feuds are starting on social media.
Like most cities, Louisville has seen a rise in crime in recent years. That's no surprise to Demetrius McDowell, who was once part of the city's gang problems.
"More than over half of my friends or relatives or somebody I knew personally or got to know has met the demise from gang activity," McDowell said. "It was almost like a family affair, my kinfolk were involved in the game. And when they had enemies or beefs, automatically, you joined."
Times have changed and gangs are using social media now as a recruiting tool.
"We get more information from different cities, big cities that Louisville is not ready for the gang activity that's going on on social media, Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat," McDowell said.
McDowell, who formed local nonprofit Bosses not Banger several years ago, believes local gangs are being influenced by people and gang members from hundreds of miles away.
"You get to see a gangster in another city, who edited a reel to make them look like the biggest gangster," McDowell said. "And what it is is that they're acting and they're writing these scripts in their rooms. They are writing these new scripts on comments and social media, and then it's playing out in real life but nobody is ready for that part."
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Christopher Farrell, agreed with McDowell in an interview with WDRB News back in July 2019.
"We also have seen a spike in social media and using different social media applications to either talk with each other or to post information about gang activity," said Farrell.
Farrell said gang members try to stay anonymous online, but local police and FBI agents are monitoring the communications.
"We use intelligence to look at who is posting, if we know the person posting it, has that person been identified as a gang member through one of the agencies," Farrell said.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg previously estimated 30% of the city's homicides are group- or gang-related.
McDowell said because of social media, gang members are being recruited from all over the city.
"You got middle class, suburban youth or young people who are making TikTok to violent music, so it's normalized," McDowell.
He said it's addictive for youth.
"And on social media, the more likes and loves and shares you get based on the aggressive activity that you do, it's dopamine," McDowell said.
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