Tag: southwest philadelphia

The alleged gang members and their associates came from groups including CCK, the Young Bag Chasers (YBC), and the Parkside Killers (PSK), prosecutors said. Members of all three gangs — and several others — have been charged and convicted in numerous shootings and reprisals over the last decade. 

The YBC gang, which originated in West Philly, drew headlines two years ago when 25-year-old rapper Abdul Vicks, aka YBC Dul, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Olney. Three people were later charged in the ambush that killed Vicks, whose drill rap earned him the nickname Mr. Disrespectful.

“(Vicks) stated publicly, over and over, that the way (drill rappers) fuel themselves, the way that they fuel their music, is via violence,” Walters said. “We see that through their music videos in which they discuss victims of homicides, and we see that in retaliatory music videos.”

Detectives and members of the grand jury investigated a pattern of gangs committing homicides that were celebrated online by the rappers in their cliques. Opposing groups would respond to each other with revenge killings and music videos claiming responsibility for them. The popularity of the music helped funnel money to the gangs, prosecutors said, even if the rappers weren’t the ones pulling the trigger.

“If it’s on YouTube, they’re monetizing this,” Fritze said. “Mr. Vicks talked about that as well. We’re not dealing with drug dealers shooting each other. … The corrupt organization is the fact that the citizens of Philadelphia are going on and watching drill music, and then the commercials come on and these gang members are getting paid.”

The DA’s office has reached out to several of the families impacted by the gang-related shootings to inform them of the arrests and charges filed Wednesday.

“Behind every case, there is a person. There is a family and a community member who is forever impacted,” said Mariel Delacruz, director of the DA’s victim services unit.

Fritze said many of the shootings the grand jury investigated were motivated by bragging rights among friends in the same gangs. When gang leaders get arrested or sent to prison, detectives often find that remaining members splinter off into new groups that perpetuate violence.

“Parents in this city, if your children are listening to violent drill music, you are causing part of the problem,” Fritze said. “We need to get these kids off of drill music and get them off of YouTube watching these videos.”