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Prison gangs, racial tension volatile mix

By Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 22, 2008 at 11 p.m.

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In the racially divided world of prisons, even the slightest misstep may lead to trouble.

A Hispanic gang sells drugs to a white gang's customers. A white guy uses the black guys' urinal. Someone sits at the wrong table.

So it came as no surprise to those who study the nation's prisons that racial slurs aimed at blacks by a group of white supremacists may have set off the riot that left two dead at a Florence prison Sunday.

"It's an incredibly volatile mix," said Mark Pitcavage, director of investigative research for the Anti-Defamation League, who has studied prison gangs and extremist groups. "You can have people killed, literally, over nothing." Racist comments, he added, would be considered among inmates as "a definite provocation."

Bureau of Prisons officials declined to comment Tuesday on what exactly occurred before Sunday's riot, or on the prevalence of gangs or white supremacist groups at the prison.

But a 2001 report by Bureau of Prisons researchers studied at least two dozen active gangs in the country's federal prisons, with many of those groups having multiple subgroups. The study determined that of a group of about 82,000 inmates, about 9 percent, or 7,400, were identified as gang members.

Majority not in gangs

Membership levels varied from full-fledged members - including some who have to kill to join - to "associates," or inmates who conduct business or look out for the interests of the gang but haven't joined, or can't join because of their race.

Inmates affiliated with gangs were more likely to be violent, the study found. Many prison-gang members enter a facility with an established affiliation. Others join up once inside, sometimes for protection.

But Pitcavage said it is a myth that all prisoners are in a gang. The majority of people in the prison system are not, he said. Instead, they simply choose to align themselves with members of their same race. In some cases, racially separate gangs - including white supremacists and Hispanic gangs - will work together to sell drugs or commit other crimes, forming alliances against other races.

Officials at the U.S. Penitentiary in Florence identified the two men killed by guards Sunday as Brian Scott Kubik, 41, and Phillip Lee Hooker, 43.

Kubik, who was white, was serving a 180-month sentence for possession of a firearm by a felon. Hooker, who was black, was serving 25 years for armed robbery. Prison officials would not comment on whether Kubik and Hooker were members of rival gangs, or what roles they may have played in Sunday's riot.

Two remain hospitalized

In the U.S. attorney's sentencing memorandum, federal prosecutors described Kubik as a "convicted burglar, thief and drug user, who has supplemented his criminal history by assaulting a person and attempting to assault another person."

"Mr. Kubik displayed his disrespect for the judicial system by failing to appear for court appearances, violating his terms of parole and probation, and escaping from custody," prosecutors wrote. "Other than 1995, Mr. Kubik's criminal conduct appears to be the source of his income."

Police in Springfield, Ore., arrested Kubik in May 2002 while he was riding a bicycle, and officers found that he was carrying a .380-caliber handgun and ammunition.

Of the five other inmates injured in the prison-yard brawl, two remained hospitalized Tuesday, spokeswoman Leann LaRiva said. The other three returned to the prison, which remained on lockdown.

Staff writer Hector Gutierrez contributed to this report.

Comments

  • April 23, 2008

    4:08 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    LOUIE writes:

    Prison is the winepress of human misery, the penance of blood...

  • April 23, 2008

    7:25 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Mtn__Gator writes:

    give them some weapons let them "sort" things out inside, it would be a lot cheaper than paying for their prison terms..

  • April 23, 2008

    10:32 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    CaptainObvious writes:

    Awesome quote LOUIE! Is that yours?

    Also, Escape From New York is looking like a pretty good blue print...

  • April 23, 2008

    6:43 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    LOUIE writes:

    I get 3 hours of sleep in any given 24 hour period. Sorry, I should have more respect, won't happen again. The words, no I plagurized insanity. Thanks for allowing me to tax your patience...

  • April 24, 2008

    7:14 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    utah writes:

    so mtn_gator, are you suggesting we kill all the legitimately good people in prison, too? And yes, there are plenty of them. Prisons are not filled with only bad people, but also good people that have done bad things. I spent two years in USP Florence, and met plenty of good people that didn't belong there. They, like myself were classified incorrectly and sent to a prison full of gangs and murderers. This "riot" has been a long time coming. Nobody understands the true meaning of racial tension in today's day and age without experiencing an environment like the one at USP Florence. I'm just grateful i was able to make it back out to pick up the pieces of my own life and become a more productive member of society. Thank you for your time.