Charlotteans Hope Gang Legislation Will Bring Changes To Queen City

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's gang unit has been working on getting a gang law for years now. After many failed attempts, the N.C. House and Senate have both passed gang legislation.

So we took these two versions to the captain of the gang unit. We wanted to find out what this means for us here in charlotte and

Those who've been terrorized by gangs, like Charlotte resident Ruth Patton, are pulling for the legislation. Patton can't walk to the back door of her Hidden Valley home without thinking about the night she was attacked.

She said, "I was trying to fight them back. One I could, but two, I couldn't fight two."

Two years ago, Patton was coming home from church when she said gang members beat her up. The thought of gang laws gives Patton some much needed relief.

"I think they should pass it. Every time I think about it, it makes me . . . I get so emotional because I could have been dead," she said.

Capt. Steve Willis, who is in charge of CMPD’s gang unit, said, "This is key a component to address the problem."

He said this legislation targets some key concerns in the fight against gangs. He said it would make it illegal to recruit gang members.

Willis also said it would make it illegal to participate in gang activity, and, he said, it would mean higher penalties for those who commit crimes to further a gang.

Willis said, "We need to find ways to take out those top people and the sentence enhancement in this law, if passed, will let us do it at the state level."

PDF: North Carolina Street Gang Prevention And Intervention ActPDF: North Carolina Street Gang Suppression ActRELATED STORY: N.C. Senate Approves 2 Measures To Fight Gangs