NBC2 Investigates: Gangs take recruiting online

LEE COUNTY: The NBC2 Investigators discovered gangs are recruiting kids using popular social networking sites like YouTube and MySpace. Experts say gang videos are the newest threat on the internet.

"It's allowing gangs to recruit beyond where they used to," said Parry Aftab of WiredSafety.org.

Aftab says the videos make gang life seem exciting and cool to lure kids in.

"They can reach out and communicate with the gangs and the gangs can reach out and communicate back," said Aftab.

Local law enforcement gang units say they've been monitoring gang sites on the internet for 5 or 6 years now, but as the social networking sites have taken off, so has local recruitment.

Gangs now have a much easier way to advertise a life of luxury, family and camaraderie.

The latest example of this is a group called Cash Feenz. Their MySpace page advertises their music, money and marijuana. But many of its members are no longer surfing the internet. They're locked up facing charges in the murder of two teens in Cape Coral.

Despite their departure, others are moving in.

Fifteen year-old Shannon Sullivan spends hours on MySpace every day. She says it's easy to see how kids could get drawn in by gang videos.

"You watch more videos and then maybe you start thinking, 'This seems cool. Maybe I should join this.' And you kind of get hooked into this recruiting network. You have to be careful," said Sullivan.

Both video-sharing sites say they encourage users to report violent or inappropriate videos. YouTube says it pulls any flagged video that shows someone being "hurt, attacked or humiliated." MySpace says it removes flagged videos with "offensive content, hate speech and violence."

Policies aside, the videos are posted. Advocates are concerned that most parents have no idea and need to be warned.

Aftab says it's easy for kids, simply searching for the latest hip-hop song can put them face to face with gang members!

"What we need to let parents know is that your kids can stumble on it. You have to talk about it ahead of time of what they may find," said Aftab.

Shannon Sullivan's mother, Margaret, was shocked and upset when she showed her gang videos.

"I don't think I've ever seen a gang in real life and to have them online and videotaping fights and recruitments, it's just scary. It's something I wouldn't expect to see in the house," said Margaret Sullivan.

The videos definitely make Shannon Sullivan uncomfortable and she says she'll warn her friends too.

"Just to think that these gangs are using MySpace and YouTube to recruit other members, it's really, really scary," said Sullivan.

Wiredsafety.org is working with law enforcement and the video-sharing sites to try and keep the most violent videos offline.

In addition to community policing, MySpace says it relies on a safety team that removes inappropriate content as it's discovered.