311 Boyz
Encyclopedia
The 311 Boyz were a teen gang
in Las Vegas, Nevada
who committed or were suspected of a number of violent acts beginning in the summer of 2003. Estimated at 40 members in 2003, the gang consisted mostly of young males who attended Centennial High School and lived in affluent neighborhoods in northwest Las Vegas. Many members were considered to be "underground". The current status and membership of the gang is unknown, but gang signs and threats are still occasionally reported to Las Vegas police.
9 teens involved in the attack on the pickup would be charged with various criminal offenses, including attempted murder; the charges against 1 defendant were dropped before any trials. Of the remaining 8, 5 pleaded guilty to lesser felony charges, and accepted plea agreements where the prosecution would not seek additional jail time, but on 6 August 2004, District Judge Michael Cherry ignored the prosecution's recommendations and sentenced 4 of the defendants to a year in detention
; the fifth defendant received probation. Two defendants would plead guilty to lesser charges and receive probation; the final defendant was acquitted at trial.
Police reports indicated that they suspected Steven Gazlay, one of the 4 who received jail time, of being the ringleader of the group. Soon after the charges were filed in the Hansen case, Gazlay was charged with a separate assault at a party in May 2003, where he assaulted another teen with a crowbar. A jury found him guilty in that case in December 2003. Gazlay was also accused of burning a teen with a red-hot knife and ramming a condominium gate, but as part of Gazlay's plea agreement, those charges were dismissed, and the crowbar assault verdict was set aside.
The ensuing police investigation would discover links between many of the defendants and at least 9 assaults in the area, as well as video tapes of fighting between teenagers, taken by another teen.
, who have been popular among American youth since their founding in the early 1990s; the band, in turn, takes their name from a police code for indecent exposure.
It was reported that it may be coded reference to the Ku Klux Klan
: K is the 11th letter in the alphabet, and there are 3 in "KKK". This was later determined to be false. The rock band has directly stated that they are against racist and violent behavior.
's definition of a media induced moral panic, with specific reference to The Las Vegas Review-Journal
's newspaper coverage of the 311 Boyz incidents. Excessive amounts of highly critical coverage by The Las Vegas Review-Journal may have created the appearance of an imminent danger to the community where little existed. High school boys involved in a violent altercation were presented by news coverage as a unique youth phenomenon and a dangerous new type of gang, one that was savagely and randomly attacking community members. The coverage seems to have employed the classic myth of the violent teen, similar to the Mods and Rockers
, as well as a deviancy amplification spiral
.
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
who committed or were suspected of a number of violent acts beginning in the summer of 2003. Estimated at 40 members in 2003, the gang consisted mostly of young males who attended Centennial High School and lived in affluent neighborhoods in northwest Las Vegas. Many members were considered to be "underground". The current status and membership of the gang is unknown, but gang signs and threats are still occasionally reported to Las Vegas police.
Background
The group gained notoriety following an incident in July 2003. It was originally reported that this group of teenagers was a gang, and the media continued to use the term even when Judge Michael Cherry later determined the group did not fit the legal definition of a gang. At a party, 3 teens (Stephen Tanner Hansen, Joseph Grill, Craig Lefevre) in a pickup truck fled from the scene in fear of an altercation. A group of teens gave chase on foot and in other cars after the driver struck a vehicle and a teen boy who was punching the passenger of the pickup truck in the face. The pickup was rammed from behind at least once, and as it attempted to exit the housing subdivision, a gauntlet of teens threw bottles and rocks at the speeding vehicle. A softball-sized rock went through a window striking Hansen, one of the passengers, in the arm and head. Hansen survived: his arm was broken; his face was shattered, requiring metal plates to stabilize the bones; and his vision was permanently impaired in one eye. As he would later testify, he might have been killed if he hadn't raised his arm and partially deflected the rock.9 teens involved in the attack on the pickup would be charged with various criminal offenses, including attempted murder; the charges against 1 defendant were dropped before any trials. Of the remaining 8, 5 pleaded guilty to lesser felony charges, and accepted plea agreements where the prosecution would not seek additional jail time, but on 6 August 2004, District Judge Michael Cherry ignored the prosecution's recommendations and sentenced 4 of the defendants to a year in detention
Detention (imprisonment)
Detention is the process when a state, government or citizen lawfully holds a person by removing their freedom of liberty at that time. This can be due to criminal charges being raised against the individual as part of a prosecution or to protect a person or property...
; the fifth defendant received probation. Two defendants would plead guilty to lesser charges and receive probation; the final defendant was acquitted at trial.
Police reports indicated that they suspected Steven Gazlay, one of the 4 who received jail time, of being the ringleader of the group. Soon after the charges were filed in the Hansen case, Gazlay was charged with a separate assault at a party in May 2003, where he assaulted another teen with a crowbar. A jury found him guilty in that case in December 2003. Gazlay was also accused of burning a teen with a red-hot knife and ramming a condominium gate, but as part of Gazlay's plea agreement, those charges were dismissed, and the crowbar assault verdict was set aside.
The ensuing police investigation would discover links between many of the defendants and at least 9 assaults in the area, as well as video tapes of fighting between teenagers, taken by another teen.
Origin of name
The name "311 Boyz" may be a reference to the rock band 311311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
, who have been popular among American youth since their founding in the early 1990s; the band, in turn, takes their name from a police code for indecent exposure.
It was reported that it may be coded reference to the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
: K is the 11th letter in the alphabet, and there are 3 in "KKK". This was later determined to be false. The rock band has directly stated that they are against racist and violent behavior.
Criticism
Some research argues that the 311 Boyz phenomenon fits into Stanley CohenStanley Cohen (sociologist)
Professor Stanley Cohen is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics.-Life:Cohen was born in Johannesberg, South Africa in 1942. He grew up in South Africa and was an undergraduate at the University of Witwatersrand, studying Sociology and Social Work. He came to London in...
's definition of a media induced moral panic, with specific reference to The Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
's newspaper coverage of the 311 Boyz incidents. Excessive amounts of highly critical coverage by The Las Vegas Review-Journal may have created the appearance of an imminent danger to the community where little existed. High school boys involved in a violent altercation were presented by news coverage as a unique youth phenomenon and a dangerous new type of gang, one that was savagely and randomly attacking community members. The coverage seems to have employed the classic myth of the violent teen, similar to the Mods and Rockers
Mods and Rockers
The Mods and Rockers were two conflicting British youth subcultures of the early-mid 1960s. Mods and rockers fighting in 1964 sparked a moral panic about British youths, and the two groups were seen as folk devils. The rockers were motorcyclists, wearing clothes such as black leather jackets. The...
, as well as a deviancy amplification spiral
Deviancy amplification spiral
Deviancy amplification spiral is a media hype phenomenon defined by media critics as a cycle of increasing numbers of reports on a category of antisocial behavior or some other "undesirable" event, leading to a moral panic...
.