Police: Gang’s rape initiation a fallacy

Greek organizations warned of gang activity in August

Rumors that a gang in Harrisonburg is requiring initiates to rape a female JMU student are false, according to the Harrisonburg Police Department.

"The best that we can tell, based on my training experience, is that such behavior is not consistent with gang initiations," said Sgt. Chris Rush of the HPD. More common gang initiation procedures include beating a gang member or putting a gang member to work by selling drugs for the gang or committing assaults on other gangs, Rush said.

About 10 gangs currently operate in the Harrisonburg area, Rush said. "The violence of gangs is usually geared toward rival gang members," he said. "Very seldom do you find gangs who go out into the community to commit crimes against citizens."

Senior Erika Davis, president of Alpha Phi sorority, said that she and other Greek organization leaders were warned about gang activity in August.

Davis said that Mike Citro, coordinator for fraternity and sorority life for Student Organizations and Services, "contacted us and we were made aware before the majority of the student body because of the concentration of sororities and fraternities in the area."

Both Davis and Rush said that a gang awareness workshop will be given Sept. 27 to Greek members by the HPD, according to Rush.

Sgt. Shane Brown of the HPD said, "In the past, there was some tagging (gang-related graffiti) and then, just over the past year, our jurisdiction has seen … a rise in gang-related activity."

Brown added that known gang members have been spotted at parties in Ashby Crossing and Foxhill Townhomes. Communities and houses on Devon Lane, Port Republic Road and Village Lane also have been visited by gang members, Rush said.

Brown said, "Pass the word on; at a lot of parties that are open to the general public, it’s not always the students themselves that are causing the problems — it’s the people coming from out of town, outside the community.

"We’ve gone through gathering intelligence for some time, not only on different gangs, but with different participants," he added. "These individuals have shown up at parties."

Fred Hilton, director of media relations, said, "First off, nothing has come to our attention that there is any connection between JMU and gang activities."

Despite the lack of evidence to support the rumor, Hilton said, "It’s always better to err on the side of caution, considering that some of the fraternities and student groups are out in the community."

The rumor "sounds like an urban myth," Hilton said. "We always advise students to make intelligent choices — not to go out alone at night or in dark areas."

Brown said, "I don’t think that [students] are any more at risk than any other citizen of Harrisonburg. Gangs are a danger, a threat … We’re doing everything we can to try to keep the public, along with the students, safe."