I was given a flyer warning that black women were being targeted for murder

[CatWoman]

by young Latinos as part of a gang initiation.

This was yesterday, and I've scoured the web and news, and have heard nothing about this.

An older black woman gave me the flyer in the Publix parking lot.

The flyer looked "official", with the Dekalb County police department letterhead.

I gave it to the security guard at work and asked him about it. He hadn't heard anything about it either.

Now I'm wondering if this is another ploy to pit two minority groups against each other -- especially since some people are freaking out about impending immigration legislation.

Has anyone here heard anything about this?

[drm604]

1. Snopes says it's false.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/gangs/memphis.asp

[CatWoman]

9. would you believe the flyer did refer to Snopes?

I can't remember exactly what it said; I have to retrieve it when I go to work on Tuesday.

[Berry Cool]

13. Actually, I would.

Most urban legends contain a "This is not a joke, this is for real" warning designed to convince people of their truthfulness. It figures that they'd start incorporating Snopes by implying that Snopes had either validated or failed to invalidate the claims. The idea, of course, being that if they just TOLD people Snopes hadn't discredited what they were saying, no one would bother to actually check.

I always check. Where anyone gets in trouble is in taking people at face value when they say "This is for real; just check ____." And then assuming they're telling the truth, and not checking ______.

[Berry Cool]

2. LOL, someone beat me by a second.

Anyway, whenever I hear about something sounding like that, Snopes is the first place I hit.

[Madspirit]

5. Exactly!

That's what I just saw too and stated.

I would just call the police, tell them about the lady handing it out, tell them what it said and ask if it's real. That seems like a simple solution to me.
Lee

[Jackpine Radical]

3. I never heard of any such initiation, nor of any warnings about it.

Somehow I smell a Roveian taint in the air. Not Rove himself--AFAIK he's for looser immigration as a payoff to certain corporations--but someone with bad motives who wants to stir the racial strife pot.

Thanks for posting about this. I had no suspicion it was going on. Why not call the police? Is there a # on the letterhead? That should answer our questions pretty quickly, and if they haven't sent out such a thing, I'm sure they would like to know about it.

[Madspirit]

4. Did You Call the Cops?

I would call the cops and ask them.

I see similar things at sites that debunk urban legends, stating it's not true but the only way to know for sure would be to call the cop shop. That's what I would do.
Lee

[Berry Cool]

6. I say, go to the source of urban legend info first

and if you find it there, don't bother the cops.

Amazing how much time and effort people will go to in order to help spread a rumor, though. Someone standing in the parking lot handing out flyers...sheesh.

[EFerrari]

7. You are wondering?

:)

[CatWoman]

8. !!

:)

[EFerrari]

10. If they didn't try to set us against each other

they'd have to get a hobby. And we know they're too damn lazy to do that.

Good weekend, dear CatWoman.

[Nay]

11. Just a subset of "gang Initiation" urban legends, all false acc to Snopes.

Remember the one where, if you flashed your lights at the car with its headlights off, the gang in the lightless car would chase you and kill you? False.

Or the one where the gang member asked for a light, and if you didn't have one, he killed you? False.

[Telly Savalas]

14. Well, I'm pretty sure in Kansas City there's a gang initiation

whereby they find the first driver not talking on a cell phone who appropriately uses their turn signals, then they track them down and kill them. It's the only way to explain the driving around here.

[CatWoman]

15. that is fucking hilarious!!

:rofl:

DUers have the absolutely BEST sense of humor :)

[Nay]

16. HAHAHAHA!! Good one! That's gotta be true here in Richmond, too!

[southerncrone]

12. Quite frankly, we all should be on guard every day

not just because of selective fear-promoting campaigns such as this one, but because we now live in a country where you have no idea when some psycho will pop up! Americans are under so much stress today (financially strapped, bullied by employers, sleep-deprived, over or under medicated, etc.) that anyone can "blow their pop-off valve" at anytime. You just might happen to be at the wrong place at the right time.

Heads up at all times.