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20 Eur. J. Crime Crim. L. & Crim. Just. 165 (2012)
Gangland Online: Performing the Real Imaginary World of Gangstas and Ghettos in Brussels

handle is hein.journals/eccc20 and id is 173 raw text is: MARTI NUS NIJHOFF European Journal of Crime, PU B L I S H E R Criminal Law and CriminalJustice 20 (2012) 165-180 bril.com/ecd Gangland Online: Performing the Real Imaginary World of Gangstas and Ghettos in Brussels Elke Van Hellemont* Leuven Institute of Criminology, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium i. Introduction Using the Brussels black African gangs as an example, this article aims to prove that gang members nowadays take advantage of the new possibilities offered by technological innovation, such as the internet and more specifically weblogs, to communicate 'gang-ness'. In recent years, Brussels, the Belgian capital, has witnessed the rise of several troublesome youth gangs, among which black African youth gangs have attracted most attention. Made up of migrants predominantly coming from the African Great Lakes Region, the Belgian police estimate that at least 13 black African gangs are active in Brussels, each with approximately 20-50 members. Their gang labels allude to skin colour, such as 'Black Demolition', to the neighbourhood surround- ing the subway station of the same name, such as 'Anneessens' or to postal codes of Brussels municipalities such as '1140', '1070 style', '1050 Staff. Although members are held responsible for extortion, drug trafficking and violent robberies, the foremost distinctive feature of black African gangs is their involvement in public black-on-black fights involving excessive violence, stab- bings and occasionally homicides. In 2009 five gang-motivated homicides were recorded in Brussels - a figure that by Belgian standards is exceptionally high. * E-mail: elke.vanhellemont@law.kuleuven.be. DOI: 10.1 163/092895612XI3333546844518 @ Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2012

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