The US state of Georgia, and especially the capital Atlanta, has seen a rise in the number of gangs over recent years, in the main focused on the illegal drug trade. Within Atlanta, gang territories coincide in part with police patrol zones.
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Development of gangs
Many gangs started appearing in Georgia in the late 1980s, as a result of the crack cocaine epidemic. In 2003, there were an estimated 58 gangs in the Atlanta area alone. In 2015, Atlanta police announced that they were tracking an estimated 120 gangs. In more recent times, Mexican drug cartels have established Atlanta as a major distribution hub for methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. Drug dealing is the main source of money for gang members, which has led some of the gangs to form untraditional alliances with one another. Armed robbery, commonly drug robberies, are another way in which gangs capitalize in Atlanta's open air drug market.
Territories
The well-known gangs are mainly concentrated in Cobb and Gwinnett, but have hybrid sets that are found in smaller cities all over Georgia. Some of the gangs are nationwide, such as the Sureños, Bloods, Gangster Disciples, Nortenos, Crips, Latin Kings, and 18th Street Gang who have sent high ranking shotcallers to establish local neighborhood cliques as loyal sets under the same flag. Other gangs have originated from inside the Georgia prison system such as the Ghostface Gangsters.
Zones
Atlanta is divided into the Police Patrol Zones of Atlanta, which some of the gangs recognize as turf divisions. The zones cover neighborhoods in Atlanta as follows:
Media coverage
Downtown Atlanta has had national television coverage about the gang situation. The city was featured on the show Gangland, in the episodes "Death in Dixie," "Street Law," and "Death Before Dishonor." In addition, the city has been featured on "Drugs Inc." numerous times. A movie called "Snow on the Bluff" illustrates the type of crime that occurs throughout Atlanta's entire metro area.